I have such an admiration for people who compete in Triathlons, a race consisting of running, swimming and cycling all in one event is not easy. It takes weeks and months of training and a wide skillset to be up there with the best of the best as essentially it’s three sports in one.

Low lunge twist pose is actively involves the hip flexors just like in our standard low lunge position but with a focus on opening and stretching the muscles of the back. Pushing the hips down helps with a deeper stretch of the gluteus maximus muscles and upper hamstring muscles. The twisting and raising of the arm helps with opening the chest and the muscles of the entire back.

There are so many benefits to practicing yoga and I’ve delved into these over the last few months however one of the most important in my opinion is muscle recovery. It’s very easy to ignore the fact that to improve our performance and get the most out of our training we need to REST.

This is a symmetrical standing pose where both sides of the body are activated and stretched equally and lengthening all the muscles in the posterior chain (back of the body – hamstrings, glutes, calves etc.). As we fold forward, the lengthening of adductor magnus (groin) in particular is accentuated because we are both flexing and abducting (bring it towards the body) at the hip joint.

As I always say, warming up before any sort of exercise is important so who’s to say you can’t incorporate a bit of gentle movement such as yoga into your weekly routine to prepare and help your body’s ability to recover quicker and improve your hiking performance and reduce the risk of injury. Pre-hike warm-up will really help reduce the risk of muscle soreness and cramping, as well as post-hike cool-down and soreness relief.

Breathing is an intuitive action that we do every minute of every day and for the majority of that time, we don’t pay any attention to it, yet it’s essential for our survival.

This pose is universally known and widely used in the fitness industry and really focuses on our balance and strength and less of stretch, as the big emphasis is on the muscles at the core and the shoulders.

Did you know that the Dubs (Dublin Senior GAA football team – for those reading outside of Ireland!) are big fans of yoga and have incorporated it into previous training schedules? I might be slightly biased on this one but they are definitely onto something!

If you love sports you know that injuries come with the territory, caused by repetitive motion, imbalances in your biomechanics or in many cases both. Everyone has a story about an injury and whether minor or more serious, it’s all relative and for those who are into fitness, sports, the gym, CrossFit etc. it can be soul destroying when if and when it happens.

Bound Angle requires a combination of stability, flexibility and effort, and any of these aspects of the pose can make you confront your limitations.

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Proprioception is our perception and awareness of the position and movement of the body. It’s knowing where your body lives in space.

This is a great pose for athletes, as it relaxes the legs after running to bring a better circulation of blood to the entire legs and cools the feet. It also helps in avoiding cramps if practiced before running. Hero is a seated posture and creates the deepest flexion of the knee joints.

Tennis is a game that requires strength, flexibility and mental concentration and really works the shoulders, spine and legs. It’s fundamentally a one-sided sport therefore the dominant side will always do more work as your serve, volleys, overheads and forehand shots are hit with your dominant side only, so what happens to the opposite side?

Life can get hectic with things to do, people to see and places to go. There’s always something that needs doing and we can get caught up in this without even realising it. Have you ever moved into a different room to get something and then you can’t remember what you were there for in the first place? A classic example of lack of focus and concentration. You’re physically there but mentally miles away.

This is the first of our warrior poses and one that can be a bit tricky for those who are beginners to yoga.

Yoga and rugby are two very different forms of movement however they compliment each other nicely. Rugby is a sport that requires athletes to maintain a high level of physical strength, endurance and speed but as it’s a contact sport that can take a heavy toll on muscles, bones and joints, rugby players must also be very flexible.

Balance and stability are intrinsically linked with yoga but also the majority of other forms of exercise and sport. Not only that but it’s essential for everyday life, try carrying bags of groceries or reaching for an item on a tall shelf without either of the above or kicking a ball or lifting weights, believe me it’s difficult!

Whether you’re a master yogi or a total beginner you’ll probably know what a cat cow stretch is; it’s one of those movements that’s pretty much included in nearly every sport related warm up but especially popular in fitness and strength training due to its uses in targeting spinal mobility and control of the vertebral column.

It’s not unheard of that CrossFit and yoga are a good pairing, I’ve spoken to and know lots of CrossFitters and they all understand the importance of mobility work but it’s mostly a case of prioritising some time for it.