Beginner Yoga For Athletes - More and more athletes are turning to yoga as a piece of their performance puzzle.  Hayley Winter, founder of the Institute of Yoga Sports Science, says “practicing sport specific yoga has reported physical benefits including optimized breathing, efficiency of motion, greater body control, increased power output, a reduced risk of injury, and improved recovery.” Additionally, she states “Practicing yoga can help athletes of all ages sharpen awareness, calm pre-performance nerves and enhance focus.  The mindset and breathing strategies of an athlete can be a determining factor between winning and losing.”

Available Times
7:15 – 8:00 PM
8:30 - 9:15 PM

Cost: $225  Bring your own mat

Dates: Mondays 9/20 - 11/15

Yoga For Athletes will be run by Tricia Pizzi.  Tricia began her yoga practice in 2002. As a multi-sport athlete who experienced some of the challenges that came along with playing and competing at a high level (e.g. stress fractures, pulled muscles, stiffness, etc), she turned to yoga to maintain flexibility, build strength, and improve body awareness. Her style of yoga focuses on proper body alignment to safely move students through a mindful practice. As a former basketball player herself, she sees yoga as a way to improve an athlete's performance from a physical as well as mental standpoint. She aspires to create a challenging and fun approach to yoga that will resonate with competitive athletes. Her primary goal is for her students to take what they have learned and experienced on the mat and apply it to the basketball court. She has received her 200hr certification from Yoga Works NYC in a style that combines aspects of Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Vinyasa flow in 2009. She also received her Teen and Kids Yoga certification with Little Flower Yoga in 2010. Tricia has been a tenured faculty member at Westfield High School for the past 18 years where she teaches social studies. Not only was she one of the coaches for the girls basketball program, but she also got a chance to hold training sessions for both the girls and boys basketball programs. She is the proud mother of two kids (Dante 7) and Vivienne (2) and married to her husband Adam. If she is not practicing or teaching yoga, you can find her at the Manasquan Inlet on her surfboard (especially in the summer!) She is excited to be a part of the Peak Sports Academy team