Benefits of Yoga for Rock Climbing

Many climbing gyms will have some yoga classes available for members and non-members. Whether your gym offers yoga once per week or multiple times every day with various class options, here are some reasons why practicing yoga regularly will help you become a better climber.

Flexibility

Yoga increases flexibility. By flowing through dynamic stretches, your body will gain more flexibility, and your muscles will learn to engage in uncomfortable, stretched-out positions. Think about how that could be useful in your climbing. Imagine that dreaded boulder problem with a high-step move, where you must keep your hips as close to the wall as possible. If you do not have the hip flexibility to keep your hips open and remain close to the wall or to lift your foot that high, the move might feel impossible. Gaining flexibility will allow your body into these uncomfortable, stretched-out positions much more effortlessly. Getting your foot up to that high foothold is not tricky. But can you generate off of that foot in an uncomfortable position? Can you engage your muscles with your foot up that high? If your answer is no, yoga is your answer. Additionally, yoga will help you build strength in unusual positions, translating to climbing quite nicely!

Balance/Stability

Another essential benefit of yoga for climbers is balance and stability. In climbing, whether you are sport-climbing overhanging routes or dancing up slab boulders, having the ability to keep your balance the whole way up the wall by manipulating your body position is crucial. Most yoga classes incorporate several balance exercises; the more you do them, the better you get!

If you take anything away from this article, remember this: Climbing is inherently hard on your joints, especially your shoulders. Joint injuries are common among climbers due to the heavy load your joints handle. An excellent way to prevent these injuries is by performing stability exercises. Yoga practices involve a lot of hand balance, including downward dog, side planks, wheel, and full inversion where your feet are off the ground. These types of balancing exercises create stability in any joint involved. Stability is when the tissues surrounding your joints build resistance to extreme movements. If you are jumping for a huge dyno, you want your shoulder joints to be stable enough to resist any abnormal activity once you catch the hold. Stability practice builds strength and resistance, which is helpful for climbers because of the stress your joints receive on the wall.

Mentality

The final reason you should start practicing yoga regularly is for your mental fortitude. Most yoga practices focus on your breath and keeping the mind from wandering away from the present. In climbing, having strong mental fortitude is the golden ticket to sending hard. It's challenging, and having a solid climbing mentality is more important than being physically strong. If you master your climbing mentality, you will climb calmer, more focused, and less fearful. You can use your breathing sequences as an advantage and climb to your potential! During yoga classes, your instructors will guide your breathing as they guide you through different poses. It's hard to keep up at first, but the more you practice, the better you can control your breath in yoga and then on the wall.