Unless you're one of the lucky ones living in a ski resort or with a season's pass to a nearby mountain, your time hitting the slopes is probably limited to a couple weeks a year. It's a sad reality that most of us have too many other commitments that keep us away from the activities we enjoy :(
So when you do finally break free from your everyday life and hit the hills, you'll want to maximize your enjoyment and minimize the souvenir aches and pains.
Yoga is an amazing way to prepare your mind and body for a successful ski vacation. It is one of your best insurances against injury and great dry land training for improving your performance.
Turning - It's all in the Hips
Most of us spend the majority of our lives parked on our butts (even most active people will still sit at a desk 8 hours a day at their jobs). This sedentary position means the muscles in and around our hips aren't very well developed - and they're the largest muscles in our bodies!
Powerful and flexible hips promote good balance and contribute to smooth, effortless turns. Weak or stiff hips cause skiers to contort their upper body to compensate and make turning jerky and more difficult. This overcompensation can lead to back pain or injury.
Yoga focuses on opening the hips and will bring you the balance and stability required to make your way down the mountain smoothly. By exercising the hips and core, muscles around the knee are also developed which protects and reduces stress on the knee joint.
Recommended Poses to Improve Hip Strength & Flexibility:
- Bound Angle Pose - This pose opens the adductors (the inner thigh muscles).
Sit on the edge of a cushion and bend your knees to bring the soles of your feet together. Place your thumbs on the balls of your feet and open the feet like a book. Allow your knees the gently move toward the floor and place your elbows on your thighs if possible.
- Pigeon Pose - This is an excellent hip stretching pose and also stretches the knee muscles and lower back.
Start on all fours. Bring your left knee forward to touch your left wrist. Move your left foot and shin toward the middle of your body so that your left foot is directly below your right hip. Stretch the right leg behind you to a straight position. Walk both hands back behind you and attempt to lower your pelvis to the floor, keeping your hips straight.
- Camel Pose - This deep backbend pose is great for opening the hips and stretches and strengthens muscles from your ankles to your neck!
Check out great step-by-step camel pose instructions here.
Core Strength - The Foundation for Smooth Movement
All movement is initiated at your core. The stronger your core muscles, the more easily you'll be able to turn and the more pressure is taken off the rest of your body. Specifically, strong core muscles promote stability and help support your lower back (which can be a nagging pain for now-and-again skiers).
Having a strong core is also beneficial for injury prevention. If you have a strong core and you fall, your back will be better supported if you bend or twist. It also helps to have strong tummy muscles to pick yourself back up again!
Recommended Poses to Improve Core Strength:
- Plank - This pose engages all four layers of abdominal muscles. Move continuously between downward facing dog and plank position to build upper body strength as well.
Start lying on your stomach in a push-up position with your hands directly beside your armpits and your toes tucked under. Push up to straighten your arms, keeping your body aligned in a straight position without sagging in the back or having your bum up in the air.
- Mountain Pose - This develops proper posture and better stability. It helps relax the shoulders which benefits skiers by helping them lower their centre of gravity.
This pose seems very simple at first glance, but is actually fairly involved. Carole Fogarty breaks down mountain pose well and in great detail.
- Tree Pose - Among other benefits, this pose helps strengthen and stretch the chest and shoulders.
Start in mountain pose. Bring one foot to rest on the inside of your opposite leg, close to the groin with your toes pointing to the ground. Bring your palms together into a prayer position. Extend your arms upward while keeping your palms connected. Focus on a spot in front of you to help keep your balance.
Lower Body Endurance - Strength and Flexibility in the Thighs
Your thighs are relied upon more than any other muscle in the body when you ski, so it makes sense that you'll want them to be fit and strong so you can endure multiple days on the hill.
For those that do ski a lot, the quadriceps can actually become over-developed which causes the hamstrings to shorten and tighten. The inner thing muslces can also shorten which causes strain on the knees and limits your range of motion.
By bringing a balance to your thigh strength and flexibility you'll enjoy long, multiple days on the mountain, manuevering with ease.
Recommended Poses to Improve Stregth and Flexibility of the Thighs:
- Forward Bend - In addition to stretching the calves and hamstrings, this pose also loosens the back.
Start in mountain pose. Bend forward at the hips (not the waist). Try to keep your knees straight and place your fingertips or palms on the ground either in front of or beside your feet (depending on how flexible you are). If you can't reach the ground, cross your forearms and hold your elbows.
- Warrior Pose - This pose strengthens the feet, ankles, quads and glutes and stretches the hip flexors and hamstrings.
Read informative and detailed step-by-step warrior pose instructions here.
- Chair Pose - Get a good thigh burn in before hitting the slopes with this quad-strenghtening pose. You'll enjoy a less painful and tiring ski vacation for it!
Start in mountain pose. Raise your arms up to the sky beside your ears with your palms facing inward. Bend your knees so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your knees will be slightly over your feet and your torso slightly angled forward. Pull your shoulder blades together.
The poses we've listed are just a guide and a small sampling to demonstrate the benefits of yoga as they relate to skiing. It's best to find a great class and learn from a qualified instructor. Many studios offer classes specifically to complement sporting programs or activities.
Tip: lululemon retail stores offer free in-store yoga classes. They have a location in Whistler so it's definitely worth checking out if you happen to be skiing there.
