SNOWGA

Prepare for the powder. By Christina Hefley, DPT, Cornerstone Physical Therapy.

“And what exactly is SNOWGA?” you ask. Snowga is a blending of yoga and snowsports and was trademarked by Anne Kerrigan in 2009. She is a professional ski instructor of America and registered yoga instructor. Anne describes Snowga as an emphasis on building skiing skills through the principles of yoga. These include building breathing techniques through pranayama, improving concentration techniques through mindful meditation, and increasing strength, balance and flexibility through asanas or postures.

How can yoga improve your downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, ice- skating, snowmobiling and even sledding skills? First of all let’s change your perspective on yoga. It is not just “a bit of stretching” and it is not “just for those really flexible people.” Yoga is for everyone, regardless of age, injury or experience level. Yoga is an individual experience, and it is not competitive. However, it can improve your competitive edge as many of the US ski team members can attest to.

Alignment, balance, strength, endurance, flexibility and reaction speed are necessary for optimum physical performance. Snowsports especially demand a lot from the body due to the high speed, spontaneous movements we are required to perform in cold environments, and often on unpredictable terrain. Pre-activity stretching is extra important in these conditions to increase blood flow, heat up tissue, and awaken the brain-body connection through neuromuscular facilitation.

In cold conditions the body reacts by shunting blood to deeper muscles, joints, bones, and internal organs to stay warm. Developing a pre-snowsport yoga routine will assist you with moving your body through multiple planes of motion and to end ranges of joint, muscles, and tendons. In addition, moving the myofascia that connects our musculoskeletal system stimulates the stretch receptors and frees up microscopic adhesions that can form within hours of inactivity. Just like starting up your car on a freezing cold morning, you’ve got to get your gears moving before you slam into gear and race out onto the slopes.

Examples of yoga poses that improve snowsports include:

· Chair Pose (Utkasana) – Start with feet hip distance apart. Inhale - arms overhead. Exhale – sit back and down as if sitting into a chair.

· Standing Separate Leg Stretch (Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana) – Step feet wide apart, both toes facing forward, sides of feet parallel to mat. Inhale – extend arms out to side. Exhale- swan dive forward with straight spine. Palms to the mat, shoulder distance apart.

· Triangle Pose (Trikanasana) – Step feet wide apart. Start with right side, turn right toe out. Bend right knee, sink down into lunge. Reach both arms out at shoulder level. Then turn both arms like windmill, reaching right fingertips to right toes. Reach left hand to ceiling. Sink hips down deeper.

Make this ski season great by building your skills through yoga!

#health