Stretching The Team in New Directions
Yoga sessions open up progam to mental, physical wellbeing
As the Wednesday workout comes to an end, the lights above the Moby Arena floor start to shut down, save for east end of the court.
There, they have been dimmed to help set the mood Sydney Clemens seeks. Mats have been arranged on the floor for the Colorado State men’s basketball team, a few extra for support staff and coaches who wish to take part in her yoga teachings.
As they all start to settle into their places, Clemens – the cousin of assistant basketball coach Ali Farokhmanesh – adds to the ambiance with a playlist of soothing music, which will crescendo during her hour-long session to fit her program.
The introduction of yoga is not new for athletic teams, not even some of the individual players, but this summer it was as an organized activity for the team as a whole. Coach Niko Medved has considered it in the past, but with Clemens moving to the area, the timing was right for four successive Wednesdays.
For him, there were too many benefits to hold off any longer.
“All of it -- mobility, flexibility, mindfulness -- all of it is really important,” said Medved, who took part a few weeks himself. “We’re not alone in this; a lot of people are doing stuff like this. I think some of it is just a new, interesting challenge for some of these guys, and they’ve enjoyed it. It adds to what we’re doing.”
Clemens has been a certified yoga instructor for three years, but she recently moved to the area to become a speech-language pathologist. Her long range goal is to someday own a yoga studio, but the chance to work with a team was a refreshing change of pace for her teachings.
She noted a yoga class in a studio is rather subdued, very focused on the individual and silent in nature. The Colorado State team brought a different and welcomed vibe to her approach, as she tried to pinpoint on areas which would help them physically, as well as mentally.
The backend of each session, she would ask what areas the players wanted to focus on, with the target areas of the shoulders and hips a regular request.
“I was so encouraged by that. It so awesome to see them really latching on to something,” Clemens said. “I love giving them something they can take away from this to use in their dorm room when they’re sore, or before a game if their mind is going all over the place; the meditation exercises, just centering. I think mindfulness is so important for athletes.”
While the stretches were key, and it became rather clear which players were more adept to the motions and others who could really see gains from added flexibility, the mental aspect was not lost. It never will be for Clemens, who feels the mindfulness which stems from the practice is just as beneficial for a person, especially an athlete.
Chandler Jacobs agreed, because that was the part the transfer guard really latched onto during her sessions.
“My mental health is paramount. That has to be the No. 1 thing. For me, this was more of a mental exercise. I can get anxious, kind of frantic, and it just slows down the breathing. It slows life down for this one hour on a Wednesday.Chandler Jacobs
It was his first time doing yoga, though he’s considered the notion in the past. He feels at this point in his life, finding peace and restful activities help to recharge his body. Jacobs pays attention to what his body is telling him, which is why he is a regular in hot tubs before practice to loosen up, as well as cold tubs at the end of certain days to recover.
When it comes to the mental, he was all about finding techniques which will help him personally, on and off the court.
“For me, I’m a very introspective and mental person,” Jacobs said. “My mental health is paramount. That has to be the No. 1 thing. For me, this was more of a mental exercise. I can get anxious, kind of frantic, and it just slows down the breathing. It slows life down for this one hour on a Wednesday.”
John Tonje found yoga during the pandemic, and while he hasn’t been able to keep up with it as regularly as he’d like, he can still pull out a mat at home and hone in on certain things when his body calls for the extra attention.
During the four weeks, Clemens taught him new exercises he knows he can incorporate, and like Jacobs, he found the mental teachings to be something not only new but extremely positive. Overall, the added flexibility his body has is what he’s found to be the biggest gain from yoga.
“Honestly, flexibility. That’s No. 1. I was doing a lot of yoga last summer, and I still reap some of the benefits from that,” he said. “Every once in a while I still do my yoga, and with this, it’s really helpful and I think my teammates are going to see some things unfold for them. There’s also a mental part of it. It really just cleanses the mind and really grounds you and makes you stay in the moment.
“Some of my teammate have tried it a little bit. A lot of people can benefit from this, especially my teammates. I feel going forward there are a couple of us who are more loose than others. It could definitely help some guys.”
Which was part of the banter Clemens enjoyed with working with a team. Some of them proved to be naturally adept to the exercises, with Baylor Hebb’s flexibility leaving some of his new teammates awestruck. Others, well, they need some practice.
Clemens started each session up front, guiding them through the steps, and once a session was underway, it was common for her to continue her teachings while walking among the players, stopping to help some stretch out properly. Throughout, it was common for her to remind them during certain positions to exhale out anything negative they didn’t want to carry with them.
Last week was Clemens’ last scheduled session, as she does begin her new job. But she’s also easy to get ahold of, as Medved is interested in bringing her back at times, maybe during the summer, but also during the season to help with recovery.
As she packed up the last time, she said she was really going to miss working with the team regularly, and many of them said they’re really going to miss her weekly sessions. Some of the players are looking to make it part of their life, and Jacobs found it so refreshing he wants to find a yoga studio to attend regularly.
Whatever they took from her teachings, she’s glad, because she is a firm believer it can make a difference in multiple areas. As a former college athlete herself, one whose volleyball career was cut short by knee injuries, she is convinced yoga saved her on multiple levels.
Her hope is they found that in some way, too.
“Whatever they can take out of it, whether it’s one stretch or the simple fact I’m going to come back to my breath and not be so judgmental of my body,” she said. “As an athlete, you’re so critical of yourself all the time. Just to have that little space to think, I love my body, it does so much for me and I appreciate it and I won’t hold any expectations or judgements towards it.”