PRIME & PROTECT YOUR BODY: WHY WE SHOULD ALL BE DOING YOGA

An ancient practice combining physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation, yoga has stood the test of time, but is it of value to cyclists? Lexie Williamson thinks so

- Lexie Williamson

When a decade ago I first started encouraging cyclists to try yoga, most of them raised an eyebrow or humoured me politely. For most riders, the word ‘yoga’ conjured up images of awkward small talk in fusty village halls, pretzel poses reserved for the super-bendy, mostly female practitioners, and maybe a bit of obscure chanting. Fast-forward to 2023 and most professional riders factor in a structured stretching session at least a few times a week – and many regularly practise yoga. So what’s changed?

Strip away the breathing and meditation elements from a typical yoga session and you have a series of physical postures that systematically work the body through various planes of motion, such as lateral flexion, rotation, and extension (side bending, twists and back bending in yoga speak). This is perfect for breaking cyclists out of their fixed riding position, relieving stiffness and potential muscle imbalances that can stem from the hours in the same posture on the bike. Observe a cyclist climb off their bike and you’ll notice they do yoga-like movements instinctively, such as arching their backs with their hands behind their heads.

The back is a common site of niggles or pain for cyclists, and it especially benefits from this multi-directional mobility work – ‘movement is medicine’, as the saying goes. The other obvious cycling tight spots effectively targeted by yoga are the hamstrings, the hardworking quadriceps, the hips, hip flexors, and the glutes or buttocks. For some cyclists, there are meaningful performance gains to be had too. Yoga can make possible a more aero, flatter-backed riding position – essential for TT riders – while the breathing techniques can facilitate slower, deeper on-bike breathing.