What does yoga have to do with mountain sports?

Learn the meaning of yoga and why it is important for your body and mind.

What does hatha yoga mean?

This is Hatha Yoga. The word Hatha comes from Sansrikt, "Ha" stands for the sun and "tha" for the moon and behind it there is effort, effort, strength and persistence.

How is it practiced? What does yoga mean?

Yoga means "to come to rest", it creates balance, improves strength and flexibility. You can get to know your body and come into balance, and injuries are also prevented. Thought blocks can be overcome, you feel calm, grounded and alive. The right breathing for every situation is learned. Yoga serves as a balance and a refinement of mountain sports, the alternation of stability and mobility is enriched and the muscles are strengthened. The spine is kept supple, the mobility of the shoulders is improved and one-sided stresses on the front can be compensated by moving backwards. The basic exercises can also be done in different variations, there is something for everyone. When choosing an exercise, the question arises as to where it is tight in the body, where space can be created and how one can create lightness in the position. The exercises also stimulate the fasciae and since the body parts influence each other, the exercises should be performed for the entire body. For many, the hips are restricted by the unnatural sitting, so the stretching of the hip flexor muscles, the glutes and the thigh muscles are particularly important. Yin yoga, in which the positions are held for a long time, would be particularly suitable for this.

What is Yin Yoga?

Yin yoga is a quiet type of yoga and is used for rapid regeneration. The deep connective tissue and the long fascia chains are stimulated, the opposite pole is opened and space and suppleness are created. The central nervous system is also positively influenced, above all by restorative yoga, in which the positions are held to balance until it is no longer comfortable.

Yoga for mountain sports, alpine sports, climbing and hiking

When mountaineering, the back can also be stressed by the heavy backpack. That is why shoulders and back need a balance. It is important to have strong abdominal muscles to protect the lower back. The legs and hips are very stressed by the long ascent and descent and should be stretched and loosened afterwards. The same applies to ski touring or ski mountaineering. But balance exercises are also very important in the mountains to avoid falls and injuries such as twisting the ankle. When climbing the upper body muscles are more stressed, so more emphasis should be placed on opening the chest muscles and strengthening the trunk. The hips should not be forgotten as they are often very stressed by getting out high, and the calves should be stretched more. In general, yoga can be practiced shortened before mountain climbing, after or on a regeneration day, since the individual positions (asana) can also be held longer. The composition of the exercises can also be chosen freely, whereby an inverse posture, a preventive, a backbend and a rotating asana should always be practiced. Before you start, you should always warm up, if you are too cold or if you practice yoga outdoors, only simple positions should be performed.