HEALTH & FITNESS

Easy Yoga for Snowsports - Core fitness

Strengthen core muscles - in the abdominals and back - with yoga before you hit the slopes and enjoy powerful, stable and injury-free riding. Practising Yoga also helps to improve balance, agility and focus.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

On the slopes, activate core muscles to enhance performance Keep your torso still while the lower body does the work

Activate the core

Ski core fitness 1 - Easy yoga for snowsports

Practise this posture, Sukhasana (the Easy Pose), regularly to locate core muscles and learn how to activate them easily.

Sit with legs crossed (right in front of left) and a straight back.
Draw up the lower abdominal muscles, broaden the upper back and release your shoulders down away from the ears.
Keep drawing up the lower abdominals while breathing slowly in and out through your nose.
Maintain the posture for at least five minutes, keeping your abdominals active throughout.

Get a strong back

Ski core fitness 2 - Easy yoga for snowsports

This posture, Sarpanasana (the Snake), strengthens core muscles in the lower back and around the spine, helping stabilise the torso.

Lie on your stomach with your forehead on the floor, and breathe slowly in and out through the nose.
Softly interlink your fingers behind the lower back.
Inhale and use the lower back muscles to lift your upper body, keeping the neck and spine in line.
As you exhale, slowly return your forehead to the floor.
Repeat for 10 breath cycles. If you feel strong enough, on the final lift hold the upper body up for three breaths.

Keep the core strong

Ski Core fitness 3 - Easy yoga for snowsports

Performing the two postures Majaryasana (Cat, above) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog, right) in sequence helps strengthen core muscles and gets you used to keeping them active when the whole body is in motion, as when skiing or boarding.

Begin in Cat, on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees below hips, and weight distributed evenly between hands and knees.
Activate the abdominal muscles and feel as if you are pushing the floor away with your hands.
Slowly inhale then, as you exhale, extend the legs to create a triangular shape with your body – this is Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale slowly as you move back to Cat. Then continue to move between the two postures for 10 breath cycles, in and out.
Hold the final Downward Facing Dog for five breath cycles then rest.
For best results, activate the abdominals throughout.