Courtesy of Anna Carolina Luz
A black-belt and teacher at Double Five Vila Isabel in Rio, Carol Luz also teaches yoga to her students before each class. The benefits of yoga for BJJ fighters are well known, and Carol, a hatha yoga instructor, now shares some of her knowledge with Graciemag readers.
She sent in five basic yoga positions for you to do at home, thus preparing your body for a smooth transition back to training.
“With the practice of yoga,” she points out, “the weak parts of the body get stronger, and the rigid parts, more flexible.”
The positions taught in the video (in Portuguese, but should be easy to follow) are these:
1- Virabhadrasana 1 / Warrior 1 pose
2- Ardha Chandrasana / Half-moon pose
3- Adho Mukha Shvanasana / Downward-facing dog pose
4- Parighasana / Gate pose
5- Matsyendrasana / Lord of the fishes pose