Dynamic Yoga Sequence for Martial Artists
Many martial artists are surprised to learn that I do yoga as a part of my fitness and conditioning. This really should not come as a great surprise though. Many kung-fu styles incorporate “soft styles” and qigong exercises as a way to focus the and strengthen the spirit. Yoga compliments martial arts training very well. In fact, some parts of the Indian army use yoga as a part of their military fitness training and Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu incorporate many exercises which are similar to traditional yoga exercises.
The yoga that I use in my martial arts training is derived from Ashtanga yoga. My wife has studied Ashtanga for many years and after I injured myself while kickboxing training a few years ago I took a break from the club and started exercising with my wife. I soon found the Ashtanga sequences to be challenging physically and they really helped improve my balance. I also like to think that they aided my recovery. I could not perform all the exercises that my wife does so I developed my own little routine using the exercises that I felt were benefiting me the most. This is it.
Warrior I Yoga Pose – Virabhadrasana I
Step forwards into the warrior pose with your arms stretched up above your head and hands clasps. This long lunging posture is great for building strength in the legs and also improving balance. The back leg should be straight, your front leg at approximately 90 degrees and body vertical.
Extended Triangle Yoga Pose – Utthita Trikonasana
From the warrior straighten your front leg and then turn your body to the right to face to the side, then drop your left hand down, following with your torso and raise your right arm up. This sets the extended triangle.
Rishi’s Posture
From the triangle posture turn your left foot inwards so that both are now parallel. Then twist downwards leading with your right arm to touch your left ankle which raising your left arm up straight. This sets Rishi’s posture. Hold this position and then repeat on the opposite side.
The Chair Pose - Utkatasana
After Rishi stand up straight and bring the feet together and stretch up straight in a mountain pose then stretch your arms upwards so that your arms are parallel and at an angle of about 45 degrees. Then squat down, keeping your centre of gravity above your feet. This is unlike the type of squats martial artists usually to, to stretches more than a standard squat while also strengthening and improving balanced. The ankles have to work harder to maintain balance.
Paschimottanasana – Seated Forward Bend
The squat (chair pose) marks the end of the standing postures for me. I then move on to seated stretches, which again are much like common stretches in martial arts.
The first is the basic seated forward bend with legs straight in front. Lean forward to touch your toes and lower your chest to your knees. Lead with your chin and not your chest though as this helps you reduce over curving the spine. The stretch should be coming from the lower back and core.
Janu Sirsasana A – Forward Bending Head to Knee
After the seated forward bend sit up straight and then bring one food into the inside of the other knee. Lean forward again and hold, then repeat on the other leg. Again, this should be a very familiar stretch for any martial artist that train in kicking styles.
Paripurna Navasana – Boat Yoga Posture
This is a fun exercise the first few times! It is a great core exercise which requires you to balance on your backside. With your torso and thighs forming a V shape and your arms and lower legs pointing straight ahead and parallel to the floor, hold the position for as long as possible. This is similar to The Plank, in that at first glance it looks easy but you soon realise that it really works the core muscles.
Baddha Konasana – Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose
After the boat relax to sit down with feet in front again and then draw your feet towards your groin and and lower your knees to the floor. This is often called simply a groin stretch, and is another excellent stretch for kicking styles that will help you to kick higher and harder.
That ends my yoga workout. As you can see many of these postures are very similar to the dynamic stretching exercises that are performed in many martial arts classes. Ideally you should perform these yoga stretches every day, either in the evening or in the morning. I prefer to do them in the evening.
If you are training at home then these exercises are also a great way to stretch after your workout. We are all used to stretching in class but many martial artists neglect stretching when working out alone. By following this routine or developing your own routine you will be much more motivated to do your daily stretch and hopefully you will see improvements in your stability, flexibility and core strength too.
------------------
Bio: Sam Kingston has been practicing martial arts for about 15 years. He started training in Shaolin Kung-fu and has since practiced various styles including Jujitsu, various Tai Chi styles as well as Southern Mantis kung-fu. Sam is currently blogging for Martial Arts Store, Black- Eagle and now compliments his training with a yoga workout every day. Readmore »»
