Is Yoga a Sport?

Nicki Doane challenges what we consider a sport and shows how yoga can benefit all men.

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Yoga has come a long way from the ashrams of counterculture and the hippie-laden fringe society, as it’s now prevalent at shiny gyms across the country. Yet, even though yoga has definitely entered the mainstream, it still seems to be an activity currently more popular among women than men. This is ironic considering that traditionally it was exclusively practiced by men. Very few women were even allowed to practice yoga, and those who did were usually female monks.

Perhaps men are put off by yoga because of all the emphasis on getting in touch with your feelings and the high volume of new age lip service given to it. However, many people start yoga to get into better shape and to be healthier. Isn’t that the same reason so many people go to the gym and do sports? So, could yoga be considered a sport? Many serious yogis will say absolutely not; yoga is a tradition and a philosophy. However, in the modern day and age this may be a fairly limited belief.

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What is sport?

“Sport” comes from the old French word, desport, meaning “leisure”. The oldest definition in English is from around 1300; “anything humans find amusing or entertaining.” If something is amusing, leisurely, or entertaining, one could surmise that it is a relaxing pursuit and one that makes the person feel good.

So, what defines sport in today’s world? The Sport Accord, which is the association governing all of the largest international sports federations, uses the following criteria to define a sport:

• – have an element of competition,
• – be in no way harmful to any living creature,
• – not rely on any luck element specifically designed into the sport,
• – can be primarily physical (rugby or athletics),
• – primarily mental (chess or bridge),
• – primarily motorized (formula 1 racing),
• – primarily coordination (billiards), or
• – primarily animal supported (dressage)

Accordingly, sport includes all forms of competitive physical activity that, through casual or organized participation, aim to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing entertainment to the participants and spectators. Sports are also usually governed by a set of rules or customs much like yoga is governed by ethical principles. In yoga, the rules include behaving in an honest, just manner, with integrity, and avoidance of ego. In sports, the term “sportsmanship” is used in much the same way; it is an attitude that strives for fair play, courtesy toward teammates and opponents, ethical behavior, and grace in victory or defeat. Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. The yogic term “santosha” expresses the same; it refers to joy that is independent of external sources, or the joy we create through ourselves.

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What is yoga?

Yoga is a broad term covering the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that aim to transform the body and the mind. The most physical style of yoga is known as Hatha yoga and is based on the use of asanas (physical postures) to transform the body and the mind. Patanjali, one of the early yoga philosophers, said that the easiest way to access the mind is through our physical tissue.

There are no prerequisites to practicing yoga today – you don’t have to give up eating meat, drinking alcohol, or smoking to start. Just like going to the gym or joining a sports team, you just have to do it (thank you Nike!). Yes, there are more women than men in yoga classes these days and there are often more men than women participating in organized sports. However, these trends are starting to change as more girls play sports in school and defy the traditional stereotypes. The same is happening in the yoga world since many professional athletes are starting to practice yoga, thereby making it more attractive and accessible to men in general.

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Yoga is emerging in the sporting world.

In the USA, two of the most popular and lucrative professional sports are football as governed by the NFL and basketball as governed by the NBA. The athletes involved in these sports have lately expressed how much yoga has helped them with injury prevention and increased focus and concentration in the high-pressure conditions under which they play.

The LA Clippers employ a full-time yoga instructor, Kent Katich, who has been teaching yoga for 20 years and been with the Clippers for the past 8 years. He is considered to be the “yoga guy” in the NBA and he estimates that he’s worked with 1/3 of all NBA players by now. He says, “Yoga is about body awareness and body mindfulness. It’s about knowing your limitations and knowing your strengths.”[1] He uses yoga to help the players stay limber and focused on the court.

Phil Jackson, longtime coach of the NBA champion LA Lakers, used yogic meditation techniques of mindfulness to keep his team sharp on the court. Some of the top players in the NBA today practice yoga and aren’t afraid or embarrassed to say it. These include LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe Johnson and Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets, and Blake Griffin of the LA Clippers. LeBron James says, “Yoga isn’t just about the body! It’s also about the mind! And it’s a technique that has really helped me. I had some lower back problems a few years ago and once I started to do yoga, it has helped them go away for now.”[2] Joe Johnson says that his most crucial workout is not lifting, sprinting, or shooting, but yoga. He says, “It’s better than weight training or anything of that sort, it’s therapy for my muscles, and my muscles need that more than anything.”[3]

Yoga has also entered the realm of the NFL, as demonstrated by the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Russell Okung, left tackle for the Seahawks, says, “Yoga and meditation are as important as lifting weights and being out here on the field for practice. It’s about quieting your mind and getting into certain states where everything outside of you doesn’t matter in that moment.”[4]

Yoga is a required workout (I like to think of it as a work-in) for all rookies and players rehabbing injuries on the New York Giants team. They too have a full-time contracted yoga instructor, Gwen Lawrence, who has been with the team for 14 seasons. She works with the team twice a week in season and throughout the off-season. Gwen says, “My philosophy is not to make the football player into a yogi. I inject myself into their world. Depending on their position, duties on the field, common injuries, and where they are in their training schedule, I design a specific yoga workout for them. Eli Manning, a quarterback, would be doing something very different than a lineman. It’s more than just flexibility work – yoga also helps balance the body. And to get them in touch with their bodies because it’s amazing how many of these guys aren’t in touch with their bodies.”[5]

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Yoga supports your sport and your life.

My students often ask me if yoga is a good complement for sports. I say that your yoga will certainly help you in your sport, but your sport may not help your yoga. Figure out your priorities. If playing a sport brings you joy in your life, then practice yoga to improve your sport, to help prevent injury, and keep you focused and to help you breathe more efficiently while you play. Most injury happens from a misalignment and repetition of that misalignment. In yoga it can happen from pushing yourself too hard and instructor’s lack of qualification, so slow down and pick a good instructor. The American College of Sports Medicine supports the integration of yoga into the exercise regimens of healthy individuals as long as properly trained professionals deliver instructions. The College cites yoga’s promotion of “profound mental, physical, and spiritual awareness,” as well as its benefits as a form of stretching and an enhancer of breath control and core strength.

I truly believe that Yoga is a life support system. If practiced properly, it will help everything you do in your life because it makes you more focused and more aware. So is yoga a sport? It seems that in some ways yes it is, while in others, it isn’t. What really matters in the question of yoga and sport is how yoga relates to sport. When our traditional notions of sport meet our modern approaches to yoga, we experience amazing advancements both for the sport and for the human beings who play. Now go on out there and get on the mat and the field, and just do it!

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Photo: Author’s own

[1] Beyond Downward Dog: The Rise of Yoga in the NBA and Other Sports by Sarah Toland. http://www.si.com/edge/2014/06/27/rise-yoga-nba-and-other-pro-sports?xid=nl_siextra

[2] Mind Body and Soul: 10 Athletes Who Do Yoga To Take Their Game to the Next Level by Julian Sonny. http://elitedaily.com/sports/mind-body-soul-10-athletes-took-game-next-level-yoga/

[3] Mind Body and Soul: 10 Athletes Who Do Yoga To Take Their Game to the Next Level by Julian Sonny. http://elitedaily.com/sports/mind-body-soul-10-athletes-took-game-next-level-yoga/

[4] Secret Yoga (Sauce) of the NFL Seahawks by Marina Chetner. http://i.yogasportsfederation.org/secret-yoga-sauce-of-the-nfl-seahawks/

[5] Beyond Downward Dog: The Rise of Yoga in the NBA and Other Sports by Sarah Toland. http://www.si.com/edge/2014/06/27/rise-yoga-nba-and-other-pro-sports?xid=nl_siextra