Many top professional athletes including Ryan Giggs , Phil Neville and tennis player Andy Murray are using Yoga to keep their bodies in a top condition which in turn pro longs their career at the highest level. Most premiership football teams are now using Yoga as a way of helping players recover more quickly from physical damage and also to prevent the risk of long term injury.

Yoga for sports can help:

• Increased flexibility
• Increased physical strength
• Better posture
• Exercises & strengthens the hear
• Can assist weight loss
• Reduced mental stress and physical tension
• Improved memory, concentration and eyesight
• More protection against injury

In this weekly ‘drop-in’ Yoga class Matt Ryan will be leading students through a sequence of postures designed especially for sports practitioners from all sporting disciplines – whether you play football or rugby , swim or ride a bike Yoga for Sports will help you to improve your overall performance and keep your body in a tip top condition and injury free.

Testimonials

I first heard of the Yoga for Sports class through a football club I used to play for, as they were using Sports Yoga as part of their pre-season training.

I had dislocated my shoulder in a rugby match some time ago, which had left the shoulder unstable and prone to shooting pains and rather than Key-hole surgery which had been suggested by my GP  I wanted to see if yoga would help to strengthen the shoulder, to avoid going under the knife.

At first I found it hard as I had never tried any form of yoga before, but after a while I became more comfortable with the routines.  Some of the positions are still tough but you do get better at them over time!

Aside from the physical positives of practising yoga, I’ve found that attending the classes is also very good for clearing the mind.  However many things that are on my mind when I get to the class, once we’ve started the routine it becomes easy to forget everything else and just concentrate on the positions.

Matt, who holds the classes, is excellent.  He is naturally friendly and approachable but his instructions during the classes are clear, concise and encouraging.  There’s no messing around but he’s always positive and helpful!  It is Matt’s style of teaching that differentiates the Sports Yoga classes from any others and the reason why I still attend, 2 years on. - Geralt Williams

Following a sports massage,  I discovered that I was tight/carried a lot of tension in the shoulders and upper back. Through Matt’s guidance I am starting to learn how to relax and release the tension in them. I am enjoying learning how to control and understand my body in a different way. He takes yoga and wraps it up so sporty-types can appreciate the challenge of it and therefore gain the benefits from it. He also tames our competitive instincts and stops us from pushing ourselves too far which would be counterproductive for our yoga.

My sport is swimming (and I commute everywhere by bike). I’m also a full time sports coach so for an instructor to get me coming back for more, they’ve got to be good! - Lucy Lloyd-Roach

Level 1 - Classes are suitable for all, whether you are a complete beginner, more experienced or even advanced. All welcome.