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Steve Hinchliffe looks at how mountain biking

and yoga complement each other, and offers an

exercise routine that’s tailor made for mountain bikers.

Yoga for Mountain Bikers

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that there are two activities I’m passionate about; mountain biking and yoga. For me the combination of the two

is wonderfully synergistic, with each com-plimenting and helping to further develop the other. I’ve been practising yoga now for over a decade, and also teaching it for the last seven years. More and more top-level MTB riders are discovering the benefits of yoga, including World Cup DH winner Aaron Gwin, whose training regimen borrows heavily from traditional yoga; Timo Pritzel, who uses yoga to maintain his body health after many years as a world-class dirt jumper; and Ryan Leech, a founder of modern street-trials riding, who has been practising yoga for around 15 years, and who also teaches yoga several times a week. I hope this will inspire you to begin exploring how yoga can make you stronger, healthier, more flexible, more focused and generally hap-pier, both on and off your bike.

BaSic Yoga HiStorYIt’s worth noting that from its incep-

tion yoga was intended as a mental and philosophical pursuit, not a physical one. It began in India around 5,000 years ago and was developed as a mechanism through which philosophers could make practi-cal enquiry into the existential question of ‘Who am I?’ Over time it has evolved into a great variety of yoga ‘schools’ with emphasis on different techniques, but all with the same ultimate goal of answering this question. The physical postures that many people see as yoga are just one of these ‘schools’, called Hatha Yoga (Yoga of opposing forces).

The word ‘yoga’ actually means ‘to yoke’ or ‘to join together’; this can be interpreted on a number of different levels. Firstly,

it can mean bringing the mind and body together, so that the yoga practitioner can control their body to a greater degree, both physically and physiologically. Secondly, it can mean bringing the breath or respiration under control, which has direct implica-tions for the nervous system. Thirdly, it can mean gaining awareness and control of both the conscious and subconscious mind.

Just as babies learn to crawl, then walk, and finally run, so it is with yoga. If someone were to say to you ‘stop thinking now!’ it would be impossible; similarly if you were told to only take 10 breaths in the next 10 minutes. Fortunately we all use our physical bodies to a greater or lesser extent every day, so working more consciously with the body gives us a great place to start. As you continue to prac-tise yoga it becomes easier to work with increasingly subtle levels of the body and mind. As this is about yoga and cycling, we’ll start with a few basic postures, then in a later issue we will follow up with some simple breathing and focusing tech-niques. Even if you’re just practising the postures, try to keep your mind focused on what you are doing, rather than letting it wander aimlessly, or dreaming of your next singletrack adventure.

Yoga aSana awareneSS of Your BodY

Most people will first try yoga to help heal or prevent injuries; for me it was recurring shoulder injuries from intensive rock climbing. Ryan Leech claims a very similar introduction; “Yoga benefits for me began physically, my long-term injuries began to disappear, things like chronic wrist, shoulder, and elbow pain. I was stronger and more flexible, and seemed less susceptible to injury. My riding style had to become much smoother because I didn’t want to do any damage to this new

respect I was developing for my body. I credit the longevity of my career to the in-timate knowledge I gained about my body through yoga practice.”

It’s a common misconception that yoga postures (asanas in Sanskrit – the traditional language used for yoga) are all about flexibility; when taught and practised properly they will develop equal amounts of flexibility, strength (especially in your core and smaller postural mus-cles), and balance. Being more flexible will help to alleviate pain in your back and shoulders as well as allowing you to avoid injury when you ‘step off’ your bike unex-pectedly; being stronger will help stabilise your joints and give you greater control of your bike, especially in technical riding situations; and being more balanced will help keep you rubber side down (as Brian Lopes says in his book ‘Mastering Moun-tain Bike Skills’, regardless of how you achieve it, “Balance is balance”).

Before we get into specifics, there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, there is no substitute for practising with the help of an experienced yoga teacher; the type you typically find at a dedicated yoga studio, not a gym. Secondly, if a yoga teacher can’t suggest ways to vary the postures to work around any injuries/ill-ness/physical restrictions you may have, I suggest you look somewhere else. Thirdly, any yoga practice that doesn’t include at least some awareness of your breathing is nothing more than aerobics; try to find the ‘real thing’ if you want to see the greatest benefits. In particular, at the very least you should be breathing only through your nose throughout any yoga practice.

The nature of cycling means that certain muscle groups get used much more than others, and also that the cyclist’s body spends fairly extended periods of time in a relatively static position. Both of these

things lead to excessive tension in some parts of the body, and a lack of strength in others. The following sequence of asanas (postures) will help you, as a cyclist, to regain a bit of ‘balance’ in your body. In some cases we have shown both easier and harder variations of an asana; always bear in mind it is both safer and more effective to do a simple posture well than to make a dog’s breakfast of a harder one. Remem-ber to also check with your healthcare practitioner before undertaking any new form of ‘exercise’.

There are some general notes for all asanas; please pay attention to these as they will allow you to practise without causing injury to sensitive areas of the body.

1. Always keep your tailbone tucked under, especially in backward bending (spinal extension) postures. This acti-vates your lower abdominal muscles and stabilises and lengthens your lower back, bringing movement to the inherently stiff middle and upper (thoracic) spine.

2. In any forward bending posture it is much more important to have your lower back straight than your legs straight. As a guide, your lowest ribs should be touch-ing your thighs; if they’re not, bend your knees more.

3. Always think of lengthening the ‘short’ side of your body. For example, in forward bends try to increase the distance from your navel to throat, not tailbone to neck, and vice versa for back bends. In twists, always try to stretch your head

raiSed-HandS PoSe (urdHva HaStaSana)

Stand with your hands by your sides, your big toes touching and your heels 5cm apart; bring your weight forward so it’s spread evenly between your toes and your heels. Keeping your tailbone tucked under, stretch your arms out to the sides and then up past your head, raising your chin in time with your arms. Inhale smoothly as you raise your hands (easier), or inhale smoothly once your hands are raised (harder).

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away from your hips so your spine is lengthening.

4. Keep your shoulders moving down-wards and outwards away from your ears, keeping as much space as you can around your neck. Keep the muscles around your neck (trapezius) soft and relaxed as much as possible.

5. Protect your knees! In straight-legged postures your knees should never be locked out; bend the knees about 2-3% so that they look straight, but you know they’re not fully extended. Always press into the base of your big toe; this activates the muscles around your knee and helps to support and stabilise it. In lunging positions, never bend the front knee past 90 degrees as this concentrates too much pressure into the knee; keep it above or slightly behind your heel.

6. When your arms are raised keep your neck relaxed and your shoulders mov-ing out to the sides with your armpits turning towards each other. Stretch all the way through your elbows and into your fingertips; don’t have your elbows, hands or fingers relaxed and floppy. If you can keep your neck relaxed you can bring the palms together (but don’t interlock fingers or thumbs as this switches your shoulders off); if your shoulders are a little tighter you can keep your hands shoulder width apart; if you’re recovering from a shoulder injury or your shoulders are very tight, bring your palms together in front of your heart or face and just raise your chin and look up.

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Standing forward Bend (uttanaSana)

Keeping your tailbone tucked, bend your knees slightly and bend forward from your waist, lowering your arms down to the sides like a ‘swan dive’. Bend your knees as much as you need to bring your fingertips to the floor next to your heels, with your ribs and thighs touching. Keep your shoulders moving outwards away from your neck, and try to lengthen your collarbones towards your knees. Exhale smoothly as you bend forward (easier), or exhale smoothly once in the final position (harder).

Remember to keep your shoulders re-laxed and your weight evenly distributed between toes and heels. As you become more flexible you can work towards straightening your legs, but remember to keep your ribs/thighs touching, and even in the full position don’t lock your knees.

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Side StretcH PoSe (ParSvakonaSana)

Stand with your feet about 1.5m apart; turn your right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot inward about 30 degrees without turning your hips. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees and, keeping your body facing forward, bring your right elbow onto your right knee; don’t lean on your elbow, but instead imagine it’s glued to your knee and you’re trying to lift it away. From there bring your left arm over past your head so that there is a straight line from your left foot to your left hand. Pull your right knee back so that it stays directly over your heel, and turn your body up to the ceiling without arching your back. Keep your face and neck relaxed and look up under your left armpit if it feels ok for your neck. Stretch your feet away from each other. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

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HigH/Low PLank (cHaturanga dandaSana)

Move your shoulders forward directly over your hands and drop your hips a little lower than your shoulders; keep pressing up between your shoulder blades and pull your front ribs in. Inhale smoothly as you move forward (easier), or inhale smoothly once you’ve moved (harder). From here, lower your body down smoothly onto the floor (don’t just collapse), keeping your elbows grazing your ribs and a straight line between knees, hips, and shoulders, which should all reach the floor at the same time. Exhale smoothly as you lower down (easier), or exhale smoothly once on the floor (harder).

For an easier version you can bring the knees to the floor first and then lower the hips/shoulders.

High

Low

wide-Legged forward Bend w/ Bound HandS (BadHa HaSta PraSarita PadottanaSana)

Stand with your feet about 1.5m apart; turn both feet inward slightly so that the outer edges of your feet are parallel. Keep your weight evenly spread between toes and heels and without locking your knees, bend from your waist and bring your head toward the floor and your hands to the floor below your shoulders; remember to keep your lower spine straight. For many people this will be enough, however to go further, take your hands to interlock behind your back, and then try to bring your hands over your head toward the floor without shrugging your shoulders. Stretch back into your hands so you feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders; hold for five to 10 slow breaths before slowly releasing your hands and standing back up.

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raiSed-HandS Lunge (urdHva HaSta San cHaLanaSana)

Step your left foot back about 1.5m, keeping your hips facing forward, then bring your torso upright so your shoul-ders are directly above your hips. Tuck your tailbone and pull your front ribs in so that your spine is straight rather than arched, and keeping that position start to sink your hips towards the floor until you feel a stretch in the front of your left hip (hip flexors). Keeping your back leg straight, press your back foot down into the floor and press your front foot for-ward, especially into the base of your big toe. Lastly, stretch your arms out to the sides and then up past your head, raising your chin in time with your arms. Even though your arms are raised, keep your neck relaxed and your shoulders moving out to the sides with your armpits turn-ing towards each other. If you’re feeling wobbly, just look forward rather than up. Inhale smoothly as you raise your hands (easier), or inhale smoothly once your hands are raised (harder).

In the full position, your front thigh will be parallel to the floor and knee at 90 degrees, but you can bend less to make the pose easier; adjust the distance between your feet depending on your leg length. Concentrate on keeping the stretch in your hip flexors.

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downward-facing dog (adHo MukHa SvanaSana)

Bending at the waist, bring your palms flat to the floor either side of your front foot, and then step your front foot back level with your back foot. Have your hands shoulder width apart and your feet hip width. Press your palms flat to the floor, and then lift your hips as high as you can whilst simultaneously pressing your heels downwards. Exhale smoothly as you lift your hips (easier), or exhale smoothly once in the final position (harder).

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SiMPLe LocuSt PoSe (SukHa SHaLaBHaSana)

Lying on your stomach, stretch back into your toes and press the tops of your feet into the floor, then lift your knees off the floor and tuck your tailbone. From here bring your thumbs level with your shoulders and lift your chest and hands off the floor with your head moving up and forward away from your hips. Inhale smoothly as you lift up (easier), or inhale smoothly once you’ve lifted (harder).

For a less active version you can bring the elbows to the floor under your shoul-ders and pull your elbows back towards your hips as you lift up; do not push your elbows forwards!

From here we reverse the sequence; lift back up on one breath via High Plank to Downward Facing Dog (exhale), then step your right foot forward to Raised-Hands Lunge (inhale); bring hands to the floor and feet together in Standing Forward Bend (exhale); stretch your arms high in Raised Hands Pose (inhale), and finally lower your hands by your sides (exhale).

Repeat on the other side, and do the whole sequence three to five times; it’s a great way to warm up (or down)!

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warrior PoSe iii (viraBHadraSana iii)

Start with your feet together and palms together in front of your chest; lean forward, bend your right knee slightly and step your left foot back so that your back leg and torso are in a straight line at about 45 degrees to the ground. Shift your body weight forward so it’s all on your front foot; roll your back thigh in-ward so that your hips stay level, stretch out into the toes of your back foot and stretch your head away from your hips, maintaining a slight arch in your spine. If your back isn’t injured, you can try to lean further forward and raise your back leg so that your spine and leg are parallel to the ground. In either of these two ver-sions you can extend your arms past your head, keeping your hands shoulder width apart. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

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fuLL Squat PoSe (MaLaSana)With your feet parallel and hip width

apart, squat all the way down and try to press your heels toward the floor. From there, take your knees a bit wider than your shoulders, bring your palms together in front of your chest and press your upper arms into your shins, taking your body forward and your knees back. If this is difficult you can take your feet further apart, but try not to turn your feet outwards too much. If this is all easy, try to wrap your arms around the front of your shins and take hold of your outer heels. To take it further, bring your feet together (keeping the heels down) and try to bring the top of your head to the floor. It’s a great stretch for your back, calves, and Achilles tendons.

HaLf SHouLderStand (ardHa SarvangaSana)

Lie on your back with your feet on the floor and your elbows pressing into the floor next to your ribs. Using a little momentum, bring your knees up toward your chest and your feet past your head and as your hips lift up, place your hands onto your sacrum to support your weight. Try to make a slightly angular ‘C-shape’ with your body, with your upper back and shoulders pressing into the floor and hips resting in your hands. You should feel a gentle stretch through the back of your neck and shoulders. It’s important not to turn your head here, so just stay looking up, or ideally close your eyes and listen to the sound of your breath. Hold as long as comfortable, and then slowly roll back down, and lie flat (or with a roller/pillow behind your knees if your back is sore) with your arms by your sides (palms up) for a few minutes, try to relax your body complete-ly and just listen to your breath.

Photography by Michaela werner

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Bow PoSe (dHanuraSana)Lying on your stomach, stretch your

arms forward with the thumbs facing the sky; keep your thumbs facing up as you take your hands back next to your hips. With feet hip width apart, bend both knees and take hold of your inner ankles (without changing the orienta-tion of your shoulders/hands). Keep your tailbone tucked under, press your feet up and back, and try to stretch your chest up and forward; you’re trying to bend from the upper and middle back. If your lower back feels pinched, tuck under more and don’t lift so high. If you do this right you’ll get a great stretch from your knees to the base of your throat. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and after rest-ing for a few breaths you can repeat this one or two more times. Once completed, slide your hips back onto your heels and stretch forward into your hands for 45-60 seconds.

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croSS-Legged forward/Side/twiSting PoSe (SukHaSana/ParSva/Parivrtta-SukHaSana)Forward: Sitting cross-legged, stretch

your fingers forward along the floor and your chest forward toward your shins; don’t just dive your head toward the floor. Try to stretch all the way from your tailbone, through your shoulders and head, and into your fingertips. If you’re reasonably open in the hips, take your

shins further forward with your knees and heels in line with each other. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and then slowly sit back up.Side: Sitting cross-legged, take your

right hand to the floor in line with your hips; stretch your left arm up past your head. Keeping your shoulders in line with your hips, take your left hand further over to the right and walk your right hand out to the side until you feel a stretch down the left side of your body. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and

ForwardEasier

Side Twist

ForwardHarder

reverSe PLank (PurvottanaSana)

From sitting, place your feet flat to the floor hip width apart and about 60cm in front of your hips; place your palms flat to the floor about 20-30cm behind your hips with the finger facing your feet. Lift your collarbones up and pull your shoul-ders back so you feel a stretch across the front of your shoulders, and keeping that stretch, press into your toes and lift your hips so that there is a straight line between your knees, hips, and shoulders. Keep your tailbone tucked under and your stomach pulled in, and move your shoulders to-wards your hips (not your ears); keep your elbows a tiny bit bent so they’re not locked out. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and then slowly sit back down and hug your knees to your chest for a few breaths. For an extra challenge, you can do this pose with your legs straight and thighs rolling inward so your toes reach the floor.

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forearM BaLance (PincHa MaY-uraSana) PreParation

Face a wall, place your forearms paral-lel against the wall with your elbows at shoulder height and palms pressed flat. Without letting the position of your arms change at all, start to walk your feet backwards and let your head hang down completely relaxed between your shoul-ders; pull your ribs in so you’re not arch-ing your back. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths (or longer if you like!) before slowly standing back up. The full version of this posture is like a handstand, but with the forearms parallel and flat on the floor—lots of fun for the shoulders!

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Side PLank (vaSHiStHaSana)Starting from downward-facing dog,

bring your right hand to the floor in line with the centre of your body, and turn your feet to the left. Rest your left foot on your right, and press the sole of your right foot toward the floor (don’t rest on the blade of your foot). Turn your whole body to the left, and keeping a straight line between your feet, hips, and shoul-ders, stretch your left hand upwards; look up if comfortable, otherwise look down at the floor. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

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then slowly sit back up.Twist: Sitting cross-legged, place your

left hand on your left knee and your right fingertips to the floor next to your right hip. Without arching your back, press into your hands to lengthen your spine and twist around to the right whilst look-ing over your right shoulder. Hold for five to 10 slow breaths, then slowly turn back to the centre.

Once completed, swap your legs the other way and repeat all three versions on the second side.

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