If you’re a climber or aiming to begin your progression, your body should be flexible enough to bear the pressure while climbing the mountain. It’s important for you to stay physically and mentally strong to keep going. Some of you may have joined a gym to build physical stamina but working out in the gym will only make you physically stronger and do nothing for your mental strength. So, to gain both mental and physical strength, you must practice yoga.

Benefits of Yoga for a Climber

There are endless benefits of yoga for a climber including the ones mentioned below:

  1. Improved Balance
  2. Muscular Control
  3. Improved Flexibility
  4. Controlled Breathing
  5. Good Coordination
  6. Core Stability

Your body and mind will work out when practising yoga poses. It helps you gain mental balance and improves concentration power that is required the most on the mountains. It helps you achieve all the qualities that will keep you cool and motivate you to push yourself and complete your progression!

How to Practice Yoga Regularly?

If it’s possible for you to indulge into a regular yoga regime, you must join a yoga class that focuses on climbing specific poses. The more time you invest in the yoga class, the more benefit you’ll get. But, if it’s difficult for you to continue this entire regime, you should focus on those poses that you feel are important. For instance: if you feel that your core is not strong enough, then perform core strengthening yoga poses.

Here are some yoga poses that’ll prove beneficial to you:

  1. Eagle Pose

Eagle pose is also known as Garudasana in yoga. If you want to gain calf and ankle strength, try this pose. It is an asymmetric pose that stretches your upper back, shoulder, ankle, calf, thigh, and hip. Your balance is improved with this pose.

  1. Warrior I

Warrior I or Virabhadrasana is an effective pose to strengthen your quadriceps, hip flexors, and hamstrings.

It helps increase leg endurance and prevent “Elvis leg”, a condition in which the climber’s leg starts involuntarily vibrating in the middle of the climb. If your hip flexors are strong, you can take high steps whereas the strong hamstring and quads help stabilise your knees for stepping up.

  1. Seated Twist

Seated twist or Ardha Matsyendrasana is a great pose to stretch and strengthen back, shoulder, and pectoral muscles. If you’re suffering from lower back pain, this pose will surely give relief.

  1. Bridge

Bridge pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is a backbend pose that stretches your thorax, vertebral column, and neck. It strengthens your spine and improves flexibility of your back for reachy moves while climbing.

  1. Downward Dog

Strengthen your leg and arm by practising downward-facing dog pose or Adho mukha shvanasana. This forward bending pose stretches your hand, shoulder, calf, hamstring, foot arches and prevent the risk of rotator cuff injuries.

  1. Climbing Warm Up

If you don’t have much time to perform any of the above discussed poses, you must do climbing warm up. It is a combination of various moves and is perfect for the pre-climb regime to warm up yourself and get started.

Now that you know the importance and benefits of yoga and some poses too, practice them to prepare yourself for your next rock-climbing movement.