As numerous Dahn Yoga books say, the key to good health is not to engage solely in strenuous physical exercise. Rather, one’s health benefits most from a holistic mind-body approach that stretches and works the muscles while addressing the brain’s ability to gather energy and center the self.
Recently, a UK soccer team adopted yoga as a new method for improving fitness and awareness. Dougie Freedman, who manages the Crystal Palace Football Club, told Yahoo! Sports that he has introduced yoga to the team members after Crystal Palace won just three of its past 12 matches.
Freedman, who previously scored more than 100 points as a player himself, told the news source that yoga helped him ratchet up his on-field ability during his days as a striker for Scotland.
“I introduced the yoga a few weeks ago, which was something I was taking part in towards the end of my career,” Freedman told the newspaper.
“We now do it twice a week and the lads are seeing the benefit of it. It is not just the physical aspect—it is also the mental aspect to take the pressure away and calm them down a little bit,” he added.
Maintaining good health means abandoning the one-sidedness of purely physical pursuits in favor of a holistic approach to well-being, like that which is laid out in Dahn Yoga books. Taking the opportunity to strengthen the bond between brain and body can have innumerable benefits for fitness and physical ability.
