{"id":1521,"date":"2019-03-28T02:25:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T02:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yogadirectorycanada.com\/community\/?p=1521"},"modified":"2021-04-26T18:50:03","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T18:50:03","slug":"the-best-reasons-why-should-you-combine-yoga-and-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yogadirectorycanada.com\/community\/the-best-reasons-why-should-you-combine-yoga-and-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Reasons Why Should You Combine Yoga and Cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know that yoga offers a ton of health benefits through chill poses and breathing while cycling is more vigorous and mobile. However, while these two seem like opposites, they do complement each other in various different ways.<\/h2>\n

Read on below for the reasons why should you combine yoga and cycling and how to make the most out of these two activities!<\/p>\n

Yoga Benefits for Cyclists<\/h2>\n

There are many great benefits that the perfect match of yoga and cycling can offer for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Here are just some of them:<\/p>\n

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  1. It helps to stretch and soothe your muscles.<\/li>\n
  2. It boosts your energy levels.<\/li>\n
  3. It helps prolong your time on the saddle and makes it more comfortable.<\/li>\n
  4. It hastens and helps in muscle restoration and recovery.<\/li>\n
  5. It relieves stress and calms your mind.<\/li>\n
  6. It helps manage pain.<\/li>\n
  7. Cycling works the sympathetic nervous system of big muscles and yoga works on the parasympathetic system of smooth muscles for improved rest, breathing, and digestion.<\/li>\n
  8. Yoga helps you practice diaphragmatic breathing for better lung health, capacity, and endurance<\/li>\n
  9. Yoga strengthens the core and glutes to help you hold the proper forward-leaning cycling position longer<\/li>\n
  10. Yoga trains the mind to stay more focused which helps avoid accidents while cycling<\/li>\n
  11. Yoga helps develop muscle endurance and strength without adding bulk.<\/li>\n
  12. Yoga allows you to get lateral movements as opposed to the linear movements of cycling that cause tension on the shoulders, hips, neck, knees, and other joints.<\/li>\n
  13. It gives you an overall sense of well-being. After a nice combination of physical and mental exercise, you will feel even more accomplished, relaxed, and healthy. This combination allows you to enjoy life more, be more productive, and have a happier state of mind.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How to Use Yoga and Cycling Side-by-Side<\/h2>\n

    While yoga, in general, is helpful for cyclists, there are certain yoga poses that offer specific benefits. Here are some of the ways that yoga can improve your cycling and make your body more suitable for biking:<\/p>\n

    1.\u00a0\u00a0 Prolong your riding time.<\/h3>\n

    When sitting on a bike, your vertebrae draw apart from each other to elongate the body. This happens vertically when you sit upright or horizontally if you lean forward closer to the handlebars or drops.<\/p>\n

    However, as your spine holds you up, the bones on your back get compressed over time. When this happens, you may feel pain or discomfort on your back. It can also increase your risk of acquiring bone problems and injuries as you age.<\/p>\n

    Yoga can help keep your spine loose, flexible, and long through these poses:<\/p>\n

    Downward dog<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Also called the adho mukha svanasana pose, this is the downward-facing dog pose where your hands and feet are firmly planted on the floor while the rest of the body is lifted off it. Make sure that your elbows and knees are stretched as well as your back.<\/p>\n

    You can hold this pose as is for a few minutes or you can also try to gently move your hips from side to side or even pedal your feet.<\/p>\n

    Reclined Spinal Twist<\/strong><\/p>\n