 Young figure skater at peace with the learning process and content with her skating journey We are figure skaters because we love figure skating, but very often we do things that steal the joy from our experience. We focus on our competitors, badmouth ourselves, beat ourselves up over both big and small mistakes, make excuses for bad habits that we have the power to change, fixate on the things we don’t like about our image (because societal pressure tells us we should look a certain way), spend countless hours scrolling social, and then stay up way too late because we are ruminating over the negative things we’ve experienced throughout the day.
It’s not our fault–we are biologically programmed to remember negative information and experiences more easily than positive ones. This is called the negativity bias, and it’s pretty powerful. Just because we have a biological negativity bias doesn’t mean we can’t overcome the negative, though. It’s not easy–some studies estimate that we need at least 5-7 times the positive input for each negative one. The more ingrained the negative experience, the harder it is to change. We are figure skaters, though… we were born ready to tackle the hard! Thanks to neuroplasticity, we can rewire connections in the brain not just in childhood, but well into adulthood, too. First, we have to become aware of our habits, then practice replacing them with more positive and productive habits, and finally, surround ourselves with tools and like-minded people to help us in the process. Yoga can be a big help in this process for several reasons. First, studies show what yogis already know–a regular practice of yoga that includes asana, meditation, and breathwork protects and strengthens the brain . In other words, yoga and neuroplasticity go hand in hand. Second, as I’ve written about many times, the purpose of yoga is to guide us on a path to a fulfilling, happy life, and the entire framework of the 8 limbs is designed for this purpose. (See image below) The mechanism of yoga teaches us to pause and still the mind, which helps us slow down long enough to recognize and observe our habits. And since the first tenet of the 8-limbed path of yoga is ahimsa-non-harm, it makes sense that we would work to stop the harmful habits, thoughts, and behaviors. Then, being honest with ourselves (satya) enough to avoid the consumption of negative energies and ideas (saucha) and direct our energy toward helpful thoughts and behaviors (brahmacharya) with fervor (tapas), we can change our habits. Let’s start by eliminating these three harmful habits that I often see in skating.
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Yoga is perhaps the most important component of off-ice training for a well-balanced figure skater.
This is not to say that mental training, conditioning, plyometrics, nutrition, off-ice spinning, and off-ice jump training are not important. It’s all important! And as skating folks–coaches, parents, and skaters–we have to juggle our time, money, and energies, based on all the factors and realities of our current situation. What’s right for one moment or goal, may not be a top priority for another moment. Of all the off-ice training a skater might do, though, yoga is the most well-rounded, holistic, all-encompassing piece. Yoga, when taught well, is about slowing down to cultivate awareness and self-knowledge. Yoga is the off-ice training that helps skaters assimilate all the other aspects of training, while also helping them develop an inner confidence, calm, and love that will help them withstand the chaos and frenetic pace of a highly competitive sport and world. The framework I use to teach yoga to figure skaters is based on Patanjali’s 8 limbs of yoga. This means that I teach positive mindset and training habits, philosophy, breathwork, focus, and concentration, as well as physical postures. Because while yoga is not really about developing a deeper backbend or touching your toes (even though these things often happen), it is very true that most skaters find it easiest to begin studying yoga through movement and asana (physical postures). It’s what they’re used to and what makes the most sense to them! So, I’ve compiled my favorite asanas for figure skaters to use as a starting point for their yoga practice. These asanas all have strong applications to movements or positions on the ice, so they should be familiar to most skating folks. This is the last installment of a 3-part series teaching a comprehensive list of my top picks of yoga poses (asanas) for figure skaters. To learn about the other asanas, visit here for Part I and here for Part II. 5/12/2023 0 Comments Yoga Training for Figure Skaters is Not What You Think - and Top Asanas for Skaters Part II A skater looking blissful while practicing their Biellmann When skating folks think of yoga, most of us picture a Biellmann, Y, I, or pancake. Maybe we even picture Kamila Valieva or some other uber-flexible athlete looking blissful in one of these positions. While it’s true that many yoga postures are similar to these well-known feats of flexibility, the main purpose of yoga is NOT THE POSE. You read that right. It was never really about the poses! It is true that yoga has been around for thousands of years, and that different traditions of yoga from different era and parts of India have different frameworks and beliefs. It is also true that there is no known mention of most of the modern physical yoga postures until the 20th century.
Several postures have been found engraved on ancient temples in India, and only 15 postures (yes! only 15!) were mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (an authoritative yoga text from the 15th century). But the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras make it clear that the physical practice, the asana, is to help the yogi learn to control and discipline the mind and body. The most commonly cited yoga text and framework used today is the 8 limbs of yoga outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which is the framework that I use for applying yoga to skating. (For a more in-depth explanation of the 8 limbs and a visual application to the skating journey, visit this post.) As with most traditions, yoga has evolved throughout the centuries, with different lineages of teachers filtering their teaching through their own experiences. What has remained true, though, is that yoga's purpose is to help you lead a happy, purposeful life, generally in service to others and to your interpretation of a higher purpose or power. It is NOT about being able to achieve lotus position, or stand up out of a backbend, or have an Instagram worthy Biellmann position. Yoga is the practice, and yoga is the destination. In other words, the practice is the path… For skaters, the yogic path very closely parallels the skating journey... It is showing up every day, putting in the work with excitement and joy, without being attached to the outcome. It is practicing the balance of effort and ease, contentment and burning drive. It is being ok with the unknown, giving up the illusion of control, and facing new circumstances with curiosity and grace. All of this is what leads to moments of bliss. And you don’t have to put your blade to your ear to be able to do that! Any skater can practice yoga and learn to feel that they can succeed at whatever their coaches and their life throws their way. By now you’ve probably read or heard many times that yoga can help skaters with issues they have to tackle:
performance anxiety breath control distractions negative self-talk improper goal setting unconstructive training environments and more… Plus, there are other “fitness” based areas that yoga can help skaters improve–balance, strength, flexibility, proprioceptive awareness, etc. Yoga is not enough to fix all our problems, but it can help us see them in a new light and learn to stand steady and undisturbed while facing them. It can help us turn a journey based on comparison into a journey of self-actualization. |
Author // the skating yogiMy name is Sarah Neal. I have been immersed in the world of figure skating for over four decades. I have seen firsthand the abuse that happens at the higher levels of our sport and experienced how that trickles down into unhealthy training practices and habits at the grassroots. I have seen this play out in the operations of the very institutions that control our sport. Whether for a profession or hobby, pursuing skating should be a joyful, rewarding process, an opportunity for athletic and personal growth, and a place to build lasting friendships. Archives
March 2024
CategoriesAll Athlete Well Being Athlete Well-Being Deep Connections Embodied Movement And Meditation Practices Life After Competition Mindful Living |
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