A Pro Bowl Linebacker is Now a Yoga Instructor, and It All Started with an Injury

(Photo by Ali Kaukas for Wanderlust Festival)

BROOKLYN – It had been 15 years Keith Mitchell performed in front of thousands of fans in the greater New York City area. In his past life however, the crowd wasn’t widely splayed in front of him on yoga mats.
“I guess the more traditional way that we are supposed to greet each other in the yoga community is we say ‘Namaste,’” Mitchell, a former Pro Bowl linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, told the audience at Wanderlust 108 in Prospect Park on Saturday. “That’s so different from where I’ve come from because normally when I’d journey to the East Coast and New York City I would not be bringing peace typically. We would come here to beat up on the New York Giants and New York Jets.”

While it may seem strange to see a retired NFL veteran leading a series of “Ohm” chants at an outdoor yoga festival, Mitchell’s journey to his current profession as a certified yoga and meditation instructor actually started with a very scary moment on the football field in 2003.

Head over to USA Today's Sports Section for the amazing story of how one athlete rehabilitated himself with yoga.

That's What We've Been Saying!

Men: How to Crush Any Workout and Win More With Yoga

 

A great article about athletes performing at their best with yoga popped into the email queue today.  Jake Panasevich, trainer for MLS team the Philadelphia Union, articulates why athletes at every level should incorporate yoga into their fitness routine, and we couldn't agree more.  Read on to find out why this trainer incorporated yoga into his client's routines.

If you’re a guy who grew up in America, you most likely competed in sports. It’s part of our upbringing and a large part of who we are as a culture. Sports prepare you for life. They teach work ethic, how to win respectfully and how to lose with dignity and seek redemption. We like to work hard, physically compete and earn our victories. As the yoga trainer for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union and other professional athletes, I’m inspired to hear them rave about the benefits of yoga on their athletic performance.

If athletes at the highest level of competition are killing it with yoga, so could athletes at every level. Whether you’re competing in sports, or if you’re a recreational runner, rock climber, cyclist, weightlifter or CrossFitter, perform at your best with yoga.  Here's how to do it...