England manager Gareth Southgate has called for cool heads as he prepares to face bitter rivals Scotland on Friday – and has turned to sweltering hot yoga to calm players’ minds.
Southgate is renowned for his attention to detail and knowing that marginal gains can make all the difference the Football Association agreed a deal shortly before the European Championship kicked off to have state-of-the-art yoga pods that heat up to 37 degrees Celsius installed in their St George’s Park training camp.
The pods, created and provided by Hotpod Yoga, are said to be an “integral” part of the England players’ training and recovery to help them cope with the intensity of tournament football.
England’s performance staff have close links with the Rugby Football Union who recommended the yoga pods after taking them to Japan for the 2019 World Cup, where they reached the final and finished runners-up.
England’s footballers, who beat Croatia in their opening Euros match and can secure progression to the last 16 with a win against Scotland, have access to a larger yoga pod, that can hold up to 20 people, smaller ones that hold six to eight and individual pods for solo sessions.
The pods create an immersive experience. The temperature is set at 37 degrees Celsius, they are dimly lit, play specially curated relaxing music and have a signature scent. “The experience is multi-sensory,” Hotpod Yoga founder Max Henderson told i. “They are purple cocoons.”
Hotpod Yoga usually provide their own instructors to take sessions but, due to the pandemic, fit the pods with tablet computers for virtual sessions, that last from 45 minutes to an hour. England’s performance staff say the players have enjoyed the sessions.
“The heat amplifies the experience,” Henderson said. “It makes the muscles looser, eases tension, gets the heart pumping more, it adds to the immersive atmosphere.”
The yoga pods are also being used by the Great Britain women’s football team at their Loughborough training base to prepare for this year’s Olympics – and they plan to take them to Japan for the tournament.
England rugby captain Owen Farrell has described the pods as “a perfect space to just breathe”.
“Elite athletes are under constant pressure but the pods provide an amazing escape from the outside world,” Henderson added. “It offers strong physical impact in a gentle way. Hot yoga is great for flexibility, strengthening, making the body more supple, helping the body recover. The biggest benefit can be mental as well as physical.”
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3wwrX6J
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