The Truth About Recovery

THE KEYS TO RECOVERY:

1. It should happen more than once a week: No one says it has to take an hour, but you need to attribute more than one session a week to have any true lasting benefit. The beautiful thing about recovery is that you can spread shorter sessions out over time. 15-20 mins a day is perfect. 
   
   
2. It needs to be consistent: A yoga class every once in a while won’t cut it. How can you truly benefit from something you don’t commit to? Simple answer - you don’t. Make it something that happens year-round whether you're in-season or off. And please don't wait until you're injured to start prioritizing recovery! 
   
   
3. It should feel like a recovery: If you can’t repeat the sequence without fatigue then it’s too strenuous. The idea is not to deplete your energy, but to harness it in such a way that you feel rejuvenated and ready for life.
   
   
4. There's no one way to recover: As much as I'd love for everyone to subscribe to yoga, it's not the only way. There are many, many ways to recover. Hell, you could take a walk, sit in an ice bath, get a massage, read a book. Need I go on? The point is that you do something. And something that relaxes you, otherwise you won't keep it up. 
   
   
5. Recovery is HARD: Especially for athletes. There's a lot of internal dialog that has to be reworked in order to tell yourself it's ok to slow down. It's easy to go, it's hard to sit still. So know that. There are struggles to this, even if it looks easy. It's also hard because it requires discipline and attention to detail. It requires doing the things that aren’t always sexy and the things that other’s might not even notice. Do them anyways.

I struggled for so long trying to stay healthy because I never prioritized my recovery. I’d run my body into the ground and then wonder why it kept breaking down. And it was hard learning how to incorporate recovery on a regular basis. It’s the main reason  I created the Monthly Yoga Series: Yoga for People Who Workout, because I realized it takes a plan and a community. Thanks for being a part of ours! 

Until next time! 

A-