[In this month’s research review LA YOGA asked noted yoga therapist, educator and researcher Amy Wheeler to investigate the current literature on yoga and athletic training and to suggest areas of further study for formal research or practice for coaches and athletes.]
Athletes and coaches are increasingly turning to the ancient techniques of yoga with the hopes of increasing performance in sport. There is much anecdotal evidence that techniques including stretching, breathing exercises, meditation and visualization really do work for improving sport performance. However, when a literature search on “research for yoga and athletes” is done, very few valid research studies emerge. I think the reason there are so few studies is three-fold: It is difficult to measure performance outcomes; challenges arise when you take the techniques out of the lab and onto the field; and coaches do not want to spend precious time away from the primary goal of the sport (either to win and/ or to help grow our athletes into fine human beings).
If it were possible to conduct research on yoga for athletes, there are at least two main areas that would be fascinating to study. First, many current conventional training techniques for athletes tend to focus on the overload principle. In short, the overload principle states that pushing the physiological system to the limits will cause adaptation and improved performance. The overload principle is contrary to the ancient teachings of yoga and Ayurveda. Yoga and Ayurveda assert that when the human system is pushed beyond its limits, compensatory mechanisms can make it more likely for injuries, plateaus and/or poor performance. This concept is described in great detail in Dr. John Douillard’s comprehensive and easy-to-read book Body, Mind and Sport.
Dr. Douillard suggests that is it possible to train at a lesser intensity, get plenty of rest and recovery and still improve your performance. Athletes and coaches alike cringe at the idea of doing less, as they have trained for years pushing the overload principle to the maximum. A comparison of the overload training principle vs. Dr. Douillard’s Ayurvedic approach to training would be a valuable hypothesis to study.
The second area of study that would be worthy of study pertains to the Sanskrit word krama, meaning to go step by step towards a goal. Krama is introduced by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra text as a way to fulfill any life goal. Yoga Sutra chapter 3, verse 15 states that many small steps done very slowly will allow you to reach a far-off goal. Yoga Sutra 3.15 does not say large or fast steps will get you to your goal. In short, it is only when you get very comfortable at the current step that you move up to a new step. It is common that we often want to move to the next step too quickly and train beyond our comfort zone.
An obvious example of krama for runners is to increase the distance or intensity only ten percent at any one time, and to stay at that level until the workout becomes too easy. The next step would be to proceed by moving up ten percent, assuming the new goal is still in the comfort zone. A lesser-known training technique for runners would be to develop a daily pranayama (breathing) practice based on krama. The first few weeks the runner might begin with breathing through the nose and extending the exhalation phase of the breath from four seconds to twelve seconds. The next step of the krama might be to extend the inhalation phase of the breath from four to twelve seconds. Eventually the runner would maintain twelve-second-long inhalations and exhalations and subsequently, in another step, would begin to pause after inhalation and exhalation and then gradually extend the length of the pause. This is an example of a step-by-step pranayama practice, always maintaining a comfortable zone when training. It would be interesting to test the ancient wisdom of the Yoga Sutra against current theories of exercise physiology to see which approach improved and sustained performance.
Yoga Sutra chapter 3, verse 15 states that many small steps done very slowly will allow you to reach a far-off goal. Yoga Sutra 3.15 does not say large or fast steps will get you to your goal.
In summary, many of the ancient training techniques of yoga and Ayurveda related to athletics have not been tested empirically to Western research standards. This makes it difficult for coaches and athletes to risk changing mainstream training techniques to find a better method. On the other hand, the ancient yoga and Ayurvedic texts say that only a few people will have the faith to receive and use this potent information. In spite of the difficulties of research in this area, it would be fascinating to find a way to empirically prove or disprove the ancient concepts such as Dr. Douillard’s theory on training with less intensity and the yogic theory of using slow and steady krama techniques for improved sport performance.
Amy Wheeler, PhD has been a sport psychology consultant and yoga teacher to many professional and Olympic level athletes and sports teams since 1992. Dr. Wheeler studies and teaches in the yoga lineage of T. Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. She can be reached at: onesourceyoga.com.
By Amy Wheeler, PhD
