Yoga and the Dog Days of Summer by JJ Gormley
Yes, if the truth must be known, this yogi is an inveterate baseball fan. As I sit at my computer composing this article, I take in the radio play-by-play of yet another screwy Orioles' loss, including four straight ones to the Red Sox and seven straight overall.
What gives me hope, however, is baseball's long season. The season commences with the first flowers of spring and ends with mid-autumn's first hint of winter. But it's the long hot dog days of summer that best define the American pastime.
How many of our favorite players (including even the indomitable Cal Ripken) end up on the injured reserve list. Like so many cardiovascular sports, physically preparing for and playing the game of baseball can actually get us out of shape.
Players develop tight muscles through highly repetitive training and uneven use of the various muscle groups. The same holds true for just about any cardiovascular sport. No matter whether it's the competitive runner or weekend jogger, the tendency is to tighten leg muscles while the rest of the body receives virtually no attention.
How pleased I was to open the New York Times Sports Sunday section in early March to find yoga a part of the national pastime. There I saw a large color photo of a fully clothed baseball player (a Yankee, naturally) doing a respectable headstand, while his colleagues peered curiously at what must have seemed a peculiar spring training practice.
Orlando Hernandez, who goes by the sobriquet "El Duque," defected from Cuba two years ago and became a rookie major league pitcher at 32. Since his defection he's helped the Yankees win two World Series while winning each of the six games he's started. Not bad for a pitcher not known for any one exceptional pitch, just an uncanny ability to win—something the Orioles desperately need in a pitcher right now!
El Duque's teammates have yet to adopt any of the pitcher's training habits, but they do admit that they admire Hernandez's extraordinary equilibrium and stamina, not to speak of his winning results. Andy Pettitte, Hernandez's fellow Yankee pitcher, summed up the consensus view: "If I tried some of Duque's drills, I'd probably break my neck." All of which sounds like the common reaction of a level I yoga student observing a level III practitioner
Hernandez learned his yoga-like routine from his Cuban pitching coach nearly 10 years ago. It involves headstands, handstands, and a variety of stretching exercises, which all approximate familiar yoga poses. El Duque claims that his "drill" isn't just a method to keep him fit but a way of relaxing.
None of this should strike any of us yoga practitioners as unusual. We've come to appreciate ´that a regular yoga practice not only helps improve sports performance and reduce the chance of injury, but can benefit one's mental approach as well. Whether in sports or other goal-oriented endeavor, achieving peak performance lies in successfully balancing mind and body. Perhaps that explains why so many successful professional sports teams—most notably Phil Jackson's Chicago Bulls and now Los Angeles Lakers—have introduced yoga and meditation as part of their routine.
The Orioles still have the dog days of summer to improve upon their dismal spring. Perhaps in addition to contemplating bullpen changes and finetuning hitting stances, they might consider a slight adjustment in their mental approach to the game. I might even be willing to entertain a group rate.