Yoga for Athletes Print CE Course

Course components are delivered as printed products:

• Yoga for Athletes book
• Study guide
• Continuing education exam

From the gridiron to the hard court, today’s top athletes—and those who work with them—know the benefits of yoga. It’s why yoga has become an essential component in training and conditioning programs. With Yoga for Athletes, you can help athletes improve performance, reduce the risk of injury, and maximize training results.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, you will be able to do the following:

• Describe the benefits of making yoga practice part of an athlete’s training program to improve overall sport performance, and select the proper yoga poses based on the specific sport participation.
• Understand which muscles are involved in stretching with each yoga pose.
• Describe preliminary warm-up poses, full-body poses, and a proper cool-down.
• Select the correct props to maintain proper form during yoga poses and demonstrate proper breathing techniques.
• Explain why the performance of core exercises in yoga practice can help prevent injury and enhance coordination.
• Understand the importance of meditation and visualization for athletes as a part of their yoga practice.
• Choose proper balance poses for improved strength and flexibility in the lower legs.

Based on the book of the same name written by Ryanne Cunningham, who has worked with some of the top names in sports, this course presents a full range of effective yoga training tools for athletes, weaving together exercises for stretching, strength building, flexibility, endurance, breathing, and balance. This combination offers an edge to the athlete and is a complement to any standard athletic training program.

The study guide includes a course syllabus, learning objectives, learning activities, and a referenced answer key. The study guide highlights the key concepts of the book in order to prepare individuals to pass the 50-question exam (composed of multiple-choice and true-or-false questions) at the end of the course.

Whether you work with amateur or professional athletes, a safe and effective yoga practice can enhance their current athletic performance and help them have long and healthy athletic careers.

Ryanne Cunningham, RYT 200, RYT 500, is a longtime resident of the Green Bay area. She operates Flow Yoga Studio, where she has trained Randall Cobb, Tramon Williams, B.J. Raji, Jarrett Bush, Mike Neal, Andy Mulumba, and other professional football players, as well as athletes from many other sports in both group and private yoga sessions. Cunningham obtained her 500-hour RYT Advanced Teacher Training certification in 2012 through a yoga center in Green Bay, where she has practiced and taught since 2002. She earned her 200-hour RYT in 2002 at Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia, and holds a Power Yoga for Sports certification.

Since 2002 Cunningham has owned and operated Advanced Massage Therapy. Her education in massage therapy covered topics such as human anatomy, biology, and kinesiology, which she uses in her yoga teachings and practices. She uses her personal experience in sports and fitness to teach students proper stretching and alignment, which benefit all yoga students.

Cunningham has been featured in numerous national and local publications, including Yoga Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Mantra Magazine.