Invictus Blog

4 Ways Yoga Aids in Active Recovery
Written by Michele Vieux with Invictus Member Sheila Higgins

Yoga practices can have many different foci including mobility, flexibility, stability, breathing, developing awareness and sense of presence, mind-body awareness, and more. But probably more importantly for CrossFit athletes during this time of year – the focus on yoga for active recovery is essential for helping muscles recuperate and giving the central nervous system time to downregulate, allowing them to perform again – either in repeating this week’s Open workout or to prepare to hit it again hard when next week’s is announced.

4 Ways Yoga Aids in Active Recovery

1) Improves circulation which promotes recovery by delivering fresh oxygen and nutrients to overworked muscles and clearing stagnant blood to remove lactic acid build-up in tissues. The result? You feel less sore, and your muscles can more quickly and efficiently repair damage and store energy to fuel your next workout.

2) Releases tension and creates length and pliability in muscles. This helps to create a sense of balance in the body, which ultimately promotes greater power by countering the effects of repetitive contraction and tension that heavy lifting and intense physical training demand.

3) Gives the nervous system time to downregulate, reset, and restore. This steers the body and mind out of the “fight or flight” mode created by sympathetic nervous system control (provoked by intense exercise) and into the “tend and befriend” or “rest and digest” vibe of the parasympathetic response. This not only promotes balance between the two systems, but also gives the body a chance to focus on essential functions such as digestion, arousal, detoxification, and waste-removal.

4) Puts you into a meditative and observant state. By quieting and centering the mind, you are better able to listen to what your body is telling you about areas of tension or potential injury; to reflect on your workout; and to plan for what’s next through setting intentions or goals, working with visualization, or repeating simple affirmations. From this state of inner stillness, you can more easily identify and move beyond limiting beliefs and shift your mental state to confidently crush any challenge that comes your way.

As you can see, Yoga is all about balance – not just your ability to stand on one leg, but your ability to cultivate greater balance in your body’s systems, your muscular power, and your mindset. Balance is essential in maintaining–and improving–fitness, performance, and quality of life. In this way, how you approach physical training parallels how you approach life as a whole: if any one area is neglected or overworked, you will eventually sabotage your own success. This is why we are focusing on Yoga for our members and athletes and are excited to have one of our fellow Invicti, Sheila Higgins, at the helm of ship.

Sheila recently moved from Iowa, to California, to fulfill her calling to live a life of service and study in the field of holistic health and wellness. As a Yoga teacher, she seeks to honor, explore, and express the innate wisdom of the body through practice. Sheila blends her love of graceful, flowing movements with a strong understanding of anatomical alignment and attitude of compassionate mindfulness. She began studying Yoga in 2008 and her mission as a teacher is to provide students with a deep understanding of alignment and empower them to establish a healthy, integrated connection between mind and body through physical movement. That mission, along with her understanding of the Invictus philosophy and demands of CrossFit, are why we have asked her to lead this initiative of both education and practice at our facilities.