ATLANTA
— Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia slips out of his
sneakers, kneels on a yoga mat and exhales.
Sitting
on the back of his heels, Pachulia lowers his upper body onto
his thighs. He stretches his arms out in front of him. With
his body folded, only his long arms hint at his towering
height of 6 feet 11 inches. Clad in baggy gray sweatpants,
Pachulia smoothly glides from one yoga pose to the next —
Downward-Facing Dog, Warrior Pose and the Tree Pose.
It’s a
bit of an unexpected behind-the-scenes moment for an athlete
known for playing a very physical game, not afraid to mix it
up on the court.
Yet,
this player best remembered by Hawks fans for his altercation
with Celtics star Kevin Garnett in the 2008 playoffs credits
yoga with helping his flexibility and balance and making his
body feel good — before and after games.
Pachulia
also noticed something else.
"Guess
what happened," Pachulia said with a big smile. "My
jump shot got better."
Three
seasons ago, the Atlanta Hawks hired Michelle Young, a yoga
instructor, to incorporate yoga into their training regimen.
It’s
part of a growing trend of professional athletes turning to
this ancient discipline to stay on the cutting edge to help
players stave off injuries and keep playing.
The
Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers have also
reportedly hired yoga instructors.
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Meanwhile,
although the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves surely have
their own serious training regimens, neither team has a yoga
instructor.
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Walt
Thompson, associate dean for graduate studies and research in
the College of Education at Georgia State University, said
while weaving yoga into a training program is not a
particularly new idea, he believes it’s a "wise"
investment. Thompson said several studies suggest yoga can
improve flexibility and reduce injuries, especially muscle
strains and joint sprains that can keep athletes out of
action.
With the
demands of travel and an 80-plus-game schedule, Jeff Watkinson,
strength and conditioning coach for the Hawks, said players
are constantly battling muscle tightness and joint stiffness,
especially through their ankles, hips, groin, hamstrings and
low back. And yoga, he said, can help. (His favorite poses:
Pigeon Pose for hips, Triangle Pose for hamstrings, groin and
hips, and Child Pose for lower back and ankles.)
"When
I first started, I heard, ‘We are doing what and why?’"
Young said. "It was hard to wrap their heads around
something traditionally out of the norm of what an athlete
would do ... but now I hear, ‘I am glad you are here,’ and
‘This is just what I need.’ … When I can take their game
to the next level, anything I can do to give them an edge,
that feels great."
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On a
recent afternoon, Pachulia, along with Ivan Johnson, a Hawks
power forward known for his occasional surplus of intensity,
helped Young lead a yoga class for kids at the Athleta store
in Atlantic Station as part of NBA Fit Live Healthy Week. The
NBA players were there to encourage youngsters to eat their
vegetables, study hard in school, get plenty of sleep and try
new things — in this case, yoga.
"I
did yoga before practice today and practice went well,"
Pachulia, who has been grappling with a sore Achilles, told
the group of kids.
Young,
who owns the yoga studio Lime Tree Yoga in the Old Fourth
Ward, said she leads a combination of one-on-one yoga sessions
and small group sessions with the Hawks. She does not travel
with the team.
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Traditionally,
yoga is known for grace and ease and flexibility, but her
focus is on easing the tension and tightness and soreness.
Success to her is not watching a player arch his back or touch
his toes — it’s preventing a strained ankle or other
physical woe.
The yoga
sessions, taking place in a room that was once used as a
dressing room of sorts, is tailored to each player and also
modified, with props that are sometimes needed. An NBA player
nearly 7 feet tall may need a block to help touch the floor.
Other times, she’s in awe of the strength of these
super-athletes, watching the players really hold a pose.
Young
describes the poses instead of using the traditional Sanskrit
names.
"They
don’t care if I name the pose. The traditional name of one
pose is Adho Mukha Svanasana and I just say Downward-Facing
Dog. ... If they were to come in and express an interest in
meditation, I would be all over that, but given I have 30
minutes or an hour, my focus is not ‘Let’s make sure we
are doing things to open our heart,’ it’s more ‘Let’s
open our chest. We don’t want to tear a pectoral muscle.’"
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At her
studio, she charges $75 an hour for private classes, and
drop-in classes are $18. The Hawks declined to say how much
they are paying Young.
Pachulia,
who does about one yoga session a week during the season, said
he has more time during the offseason to devote to yoga.
Still, he said he tries to do 15 minutes of yoga before every
game. His favorite poses include the Child Pose and the
Triangular Pose. Once the games start, though, pliant poses
give way to banging against heft and size underneath the
basket. Tranquility has to wait until the next yoga session.
Yoga
poses for athletes Here are some of yoga instructor Michelle
Young’s favorites: Downward-Facing Dog: You are supporting
yourself with your arms and core, and at the same time, you
are getting a deep stretch you can feel throughout the legs.
This pose is a full body stretch and strengthening pose.
Cobra
Pose: Lying on your stomach and lifting up into a back bend,
this strengthens and stretches your core and back.
Corpse
Pose: This resting pose completes the practice, and even
though you are simply lying on the floor, Young said this pose
is important in helping you be mindful of how your body is
feeling.
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For
step-by-step instructions on these yoga poses, go to the Yoga
Journal at
