How Yoga can help with your skiing

Yoga can help you to ski for longer and to avoid injuries. Yes it’s a big claim! To benefit from yoga as a skier, you’ll have to keep practicing.

Believe it or not, skiing is an extreme sport, it may be something you look forward to once a year, or on the weekends, but you can’t simply go from chilling on the sofa and netflix, to the mountain without a little bit of preparation.

I’ve realised personally that my body doesn’t quite bounce back as quick as it used to when I was in my early 20’s.

Doing some yoga before and after skiing, can help to warm up your body before you get out on the snow. Plus help to avoid lower back pain!

You’ll need a little muscle strength, in the core and your lower body and a little flexibility.

Unless you’re coming over here to ski in Japan, where you can soak in an onsen (a natural hot spring bath) which is one of the most amazing ways to relax your muscles after a long day of skiing.

Or you’re staying at a hotel with a jacuzzi and sauna, how else will you soothe your tired muscles?

With a few yoga poses to warm up before and cool down after.

Why do yoga, when I could just stretch?

Each to their own, but you’ll find a lot more when you go to a yoga class (here’s a list of mine) than just stretching. You’ll feel calmer, you’ll gain more mobility and move in a mindful way using the most basic thing you have, your breath!

Even pro skiers like Sierra Quitiquit (mega girl crush) uses yoga as part of her fitness regime. As a pro skier and model, she’s super busy during the winter. Sierra gets how yoga can compliment her busy lifestyle and yoga helps her to move her body, plus yoga helps with her chronic pain from all her previous ski injuries.

Yoga helps you to create a mind body connection, that you miss when you’re just working out and breaking a sweat.

Yoga can also help you to slow down, stay calm, which can help with mental strength, to see the positive in a situation and you can use this on the mountain when challenges arise as you ski.

How does yoga help you ski longer and avoid injuries?

Yoga is a great way for you to warm up your body, to get it ready for a day of skiing.

For my Snow + Soul yoga retreat, we’ll be doing daily yoga classes. Getting your body warmed up and before skiing together at the best powder spot for the day. You’ll also have the chance to soak in a natural hot spring bath / onsen, to soothe your tired muscles and to get your body ready for another day of skiing.

I hope that this inspires you to include yoga when you’re next heading out for a ski!

Try the yoga video above, let me know if it helps you feel a little more in flow when you’re on the snow and share it with a friend if you enjoyed it!