Yoga for Roller Derby Resources

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02 Jan 2016
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yogastrong Derbystrong Challenge Permalink

yogastrong derbystrong challenge: day 4

Sticky Post By On 2 January 2016

2015-12-30 04.52.26

Pulsing Three-Legged Dog

Props: none

    1. From downward facing dog, lift your left leg.
    2. Stack left hip over right, and keep the left leg extended. Don’t kick your leg back; you want it in line with your torso.
    3. Use your outer hip muscles to pulse your leg up and down. These are small movements, y’all!
    4. Pulse 10-20 times, then repeat with the right leg raised.

Alternative: Do this from hands and knees.

Badass challenge: Do this from plank pose!

– – – – –

You need to do this. Your body needs it. DO IT. – Jude E Boom, Boulder County Bombers

NEW Flat Mat Minimum Skills

Looking for something to help your derby hips (and the rest of your body!)? Flat Mat Minimum Skills gives you a way to learn yoga and work on rocking your WFTDA minimum skills at the same time! It starts January 4, so you can have fun over the holidays and then crush your 2016 goals.

Flat Mat Regionals

Want your body to move better so that your muscles and joints don’t feel so abused? If you already know a little yoga, Flat Mat Regionals is your jam. With four weeks of yoga sequences designed specifically for roller derby, your grumpy knees and hips will be ready to roll again starting January 4.

29 Dec 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Abs, Yoga Videos, Yogastrong Derbystrong Challenge Permalink

yogastrong derbystrong challenge: day 3

Sticky Post By On 29 December 2015

 

2015-12-29 11.24.27
Side Plank Crunches

Props: none

    1. Set up in forearm plank, and then roll onto the outer edge of your left foot and lift right arm toward the ceiling for side plank. Looking down at the floor will be the most stabilizing for your balance, and looking up at the ceiling will be the most challenging.
    2. Inhale and lift your right foot up and stretch your right arm alongside your right ear.
    3. Exhale and touch your right elbow and right knee in a crunch.
    4. Repeat 5-10 times, and then swap to the other side.

Alternative: Lower your bottom knee to the floor as you do this, or just lift your top leg and arm but skip the crunches.

Badass challenge: Look up at the ceiling rather than at the floor or off to the side, and yep, move sloooooooowly.

– – – – –

Flat Mat Regionals is the best yoga “class” I’ve ever taken–I could feel changes in a matter of a few days. Your body needs this, dammit! – Alpha Ginger, Ringleader Roller Girls

NEW Flat Mat Minimum Skills

Looking for something to help your derby hips (and the rest of your body!)? Flat Mat Minimum Skills gives you a way to learn yoga and work on rocking your WFTDA minimum skills at the same time! It starts January 4, so you can have fun over the holidays and then crush your 2016 goals.

Flat Mat Regionals

Want your body to move better so that your muscles and joints don’t feel so abused? If you already know a little yoga, Flat Mat Regionals is your jam. With four weeks of yoga sequences designed specifically for roller derby, your grumpy knees and hips will be ready to roll again starting January 4.

28 Dec 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Abs, Yoga for Shoulders, Yogastrong Derbystrong Challenge Permalink

yogastrong derbystrong challenge: day 2

Sticky Post By On 28 December 2015

2015-12-28 09.49.00

Hybrid Forearm Plank

Props: none

    1. Set up on forearms and knees, and give your upper arms a hug to find shoulder-width apart. Plant your hands and forearms down.
    2. Step your feet back to plank, and lift one arm up off the floor. You’ll be twisting from your midsection up; your toes will stay tucked under on the floor.
    3. Inhale while lifting your left arm, and exhale while lowering it back down.
    4. Alternate left and right hands for 30-60 seconds.

Alternative: Lower your knees to the floor as you do this.

Badass challenge: Move as slowly as possible, and hold for a couple breaths with each arm lifted!

– – – – –

I’m almost 50 years old, and I thought joint pain was inevitable with age and 7 years of skating. Turns out, it’s not. – Seven, Oklahoma Victory Dolls

NEW Flat Mat Minimum Skills

Looking for something to help your derby hips (and the rest of your body!)? Flat Mat Minimum Skills gives you a way to learn yoga and work on rocking your WFTDA minimum skills at the same time! It starts January 4, so you can have fun over the holidays and then crush your 2016 goals.

Flat Mat Regionals

Want your body to move better so that your muscles and joints don’t feel so abused? If you already know a little yoga, Flat Mat Regionals is your jam. With four weeks of yoga sequences designed specifically for roller derby, your grumpy knees and hips will be ready to roll again starting January 4.

28 Dec 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Abs, Yoga for Shoulders, Yoga Videos, Yogastrong Derbystrong Challenge Permalink

yogastrong derbystrong challenge: day 1

Sticky Post By On 28 December 2015

2015-12-27 13.25.19

Sliding Plank

Props: a non-carpeted floor, socks or hand towels

    1. Put socks on your hands or hand towels under your hands.
    2. Exhale and stabilize your midsection and then begin to move your hands.
    3. Inhale while sliding your left hand forward, and exhale while sliding it back. Your hips don’t wobble as you move your hands!
    4. Alternate left and right hands for 30-60 seconds.

Alternative: Lower your knees to the floor as you do this.

Badass challenge: After you finish the arm movements, come to downward facing dog and hold with the socks still on!

02 Dec 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga Basics Permalink

Are You Skipping the Most Important Part of Training?

Sticky Post By On 2 December 2015

You skate. You lift. You stretch. (I hope!) But are you skipping the most important part of your training?

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m training for a marathon. Fortunately, I already incorporate cross-training into my life with yoga and skating, so at least I’ve got a good balance of activity and types of movement.

The tough part? I’m having to learn about the most important part of training: rest and recovery. Sound familiar?

2015-04-03 11.48.27-1

Even though in theory I know that I need to rest, the reality has been setting in more and more as I increase my mileage. And in the derby world, I know that rest and recovery are two major aspects of training that are often ignored. I keep seeing challenges to do some activity every damn day, whether it’s yoga, skating, or strength training.

It’s awesome to work hard and kick ass. And it’s also awesome to not run your body into the ground.

One of my teachers started the instagram hashtag #yogaeverythirdday. I like that idea of not overdoing it, and I’d like to get you on board! Your muscles and your systems need some R&R; that’s when your muscles regenerate and get stronger.

I challenge you to take better care of yourself this next month and next year, whether it’s by incorporating different types of movement into your routine, making sure you stretch after every practice, getting a massage (just not right before a bout!), or incorporating some of my videos or a gentle yoga class into your training routine once every week or two.

It doesn’t need to be something every day, but y’all: it needs to be something.

12 Nov 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for the Back Permalink

Side Bends: The Antidote to Left Turn Syndrome

Sticky Post By On 12 November 2015

I’m a big fan of side bends these days, especially with marathon training and when I’ve been on the track or at the rink. Left turn syndrome is real, y’all.

It’s nice to move in a direction that isn’t forward or backward. They feel awesome for my obliques, hips, and low back.

Standing side bends are great, and you can do them pretty much anywhere, on or off skates, which is helpful. The catch is that you have to be careful not to let them turn into slight forward bends or back bends–and I see that happen a lot–or you’re not going to get the sweet relief that you’re craving.

Enter: the lying-down side bend, sometimes known as banana pose.

Lie down on your back with your legs stretched out and your arms alongside your ears. Maybe take hold of opposite elbows, forearms, or wrists.

Start to wiggle your legs and feet toward the right, and maybe cross your left ankle on top of your right ankle. Once you’ve moved your legs over–without picking your left hip up off the ground–shift your head, arms, and shoulders toward the right. You’re making a banana shape!

Side bend top - enhanced

Let your head rest in a way that feels comfortable for your neck; you might have it lean against one arm. And then?

Breathe. Let your body rest. Depending on where you’re holding tension in your body, you might feel the stretch up near your left armpit, or along the left side of your ribs or waist, or on the outside of your left hip and thigh.

Breathe. Rest. A few minutes to restore makes a big difference in your ability to keep kicking ass.

When you’re ready–maybe after one minute, or maybe several–switch to the other side. You might stay a little less time with legs and arms shifted to the right. Don’t feel like both sides need to be a 100% precise match, because they probably aren’t. #thanksrollerderby

Side bend side - brightened

I’ve got more side-bending and low back love coming up soon, plus more yoga for your mental game. If you’re in the off-season, now’s an awesome time to work on recovery, moving better, and feeling ready to rock when it’s time to get back on the track.

05 Nov 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for the Back, Yoga Videos Permalink

Low Back Rehab

Sticky Post By On 5 November 2015

You’ve started strengthening your low back. (I hope!) Next up: how to stretch those muscles. It’s nothing too aggressive–that’s not my style–but it can definitely help with some low back rehab.

Here’s the thing about getting rid of pain, which you probably already know if you’ve been through PT: it takes time. It’s about slow movements, undoing your old patterns, and learning how to use your muscles in a different way. What you see in the video below might not look like much (seriously), but once you play with it, you’ll get some sweet little low back stretches that’ll feel awesome after three hours of practice.

Sounds pretty good, right?

One move that’ll help with getting the low abdominal action for this stretch is right here on the blog. If you haven’t already checked that out, you’ll love the strengthening and stability that you’ll gain from it!

28 Oct 2015
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Low Back Pre-hab

Sticky Post By On 28 October 2015 With No Comments

If you’ve ever felt like your low back would never recover after practice, this video is for you.

A lot of times, the response to low back pain is to strengthen the abs, whether that’s with crunches, planks, or something else. The thing is, if you’re not also teaching your low back muscles how to support and stabilize, it’s going to cause a different kind of imbalance. It can also be super helpful to start with something a little less aggressive–as much as you might want to dive right into the tough stuff. Baby steps, y’all.

In the video, I’ll guide you through a therapeutic yoga move that’s meant to gently strengthen all of the muscles around your midsection. You know, those muscles that just happen to help you:

  1. Stabilize while you’re skating and taking hits
  2. Maintain good form in your derby stance, so that your low back doesn’t feel terrible after practice

I demonstrate the movement both from kneeling and from sitting on a chair, so if your knees say, “Hell no!” to putting any weight on them, you’ve got options.

 

 

 

 

21 Oct 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Meditation With No Comments Permalink

You Need to Up Your Mental Game

Sticky Post By On 21 October 2015 With No Comments

You want to get on the track and skate hard. You want to swing those kettlebells or lift weights. You want to work up a serious sweat. I know. I get it. I’ve been there.

Here’s the thing: you need to up your mental game, too.

27 in 5? Part physical, part mental.

Stopping that jammer so they don’t make the apex jump? Part physical, part mental.

Clearing the pack first and getting lead jammer? Part physical, part mental.

That doesn’t mean that you should take the hour that you were going to spend at the gym and instead sit in a dark room and clear your mind of all thoughts. Hell no.

It does mean that you need to spend a little time getting focused and calming your breath, also known as meditating.

How can meditation help your game?

  • It hones your focus. When you first start playing derby, it is overwhelming–and depending on how your day’s gone, it can feel like madness even when you’ve been skating for years. Especially if there’s a loud crowd in the background. If you’ve got a meditation practice, you’ll be able to better clear your mind and keep your head in the game so that you can kick more ass.
  • It slows your heart rate. When your heart rate gets over 175 bpm, your body kicks into survival mode. Complex motor skills? They start to disappear over 145 bpm. One way to slow your heart rate and keep that in check? Deep breaths. Hey, meditation!
  • It gets you in the zone. You want to find that state of being in flow: that combo of feeling confident, calm, and focused. If you’ve got a regular meditation practice, you’ll be better at keeping distractions out, as well as knowing that you’re ready to rock it.
  • It helps you feel better. There have been a lot of studies showing that meditation can help with stress and anxiety. That’s not to say it’ll fix everything, but there are proven benefits.

Ready to Get Started?

All you need is 1 – 5 minutes. Seriously. Start small!

  1. Get comfortable. Sit cross-legged on the floor. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Lie on your back. Sit with your back against a wall. Find a way to be that feels like you can stay there for a few minutes–and if it turns out you need to shift around, don’t be afraid to do a little of that.
  2. Set a timer for 1 – 5 minutes. There are meditation timer apps (I use Insight Timer.), or you can set a timer on your phone, set an alarm, or even use the timer on your microwave. Set something, though, so you don’t need to keep looking at the clock.
  3. Turn away from your timer. Place your phone screen down or face away from your clock.
  4. Breathe. Inhale, one. Exhale, two. Inhale, three. Exhale, four. Count up to 50 in that way. If you make it to 50, start over at 1 again. If you don’t make it to 50 because your mind wandered off, no worries! Start over at 1 again.

That’s it: you’ve meditated!

Try this: before practice, before a bout, first thing when you wake up in the morning, before bed, when you’re sitting and waiting at the doctor’s office, when you’re on the bench after a jam (use the whistles as your timer), when you’re waiting for your coffee to be ready, after a frustrating meeting at work, before your skills assessment, before you need to have a hard conversation with a friend or teammate, when you have a few minutes before you need to leave the house…you get the idea.

15 Sep 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

Hips Don’t Lie

Sticky Post By On 15 September 2015 With No Comments

Your hips don’t lie: they need a little more stretching and strengthening than you’re giving them!

This video will give you a little something mellow to do after practice, after a bout, after cross-training–or just because. You’ll get a little something for all around the hips, not just one part, to keep things feeling happier and more functional.

 

“Flat Mat Yoga is like having a yoga teacher with derby experience living in your inbox. It’s a great way to cross train!” – Sock Rae Blue, Carolina Rollergirls