If You Think Elite Athletes Want a Challenging Yoga Practice, You’re Going to Lose Them
I’ve taught yoga to Division One college teams for over twenty years—including the UNC football team, now coached by Bill Belichick. And here’s what shocked me early on: what elite athletes want from yoga is the exact opposite of what most yoga teachers try to give them.
When I first started working with athletes, I made the same mistake many yoga teachers make. I assumed they wanted intensity. Advanced poses. A practice that matched their competitive fire. I was wrong—and it nearly cost me the gig.
In my latest video, I break down exactly what D1 athletes actually want from yoga, why it’s completely different from what you’d expect, and how this insight will transform the way you teach every athlete you work with. Watch the full video here.
What Athletes DON’T Want From Yoga
Division One athletes don’t want another workout. They’re already doing two-a-day practices. They’re already in the weight room. They’re already being pushed to their physical limits every single day.
They don’t want complex sequences, advanced poses, or someone analyzing their bodies. They’re surrounded by experts—strength coaches with advanced degrees, sports medicine professionals, technical skill coaches. One more expert isn’t what they’re looking for.
The Three Things Elite Athletes Are Secretly Hoping For
1. Permission to Rest
These athletes are programmed to constantly perform, constantly achieve, constantly push. Their coaches demand it. Their teammates expect it. They expect it from themselves—often most of all.
When they come to yoga, they’re secretly hoping for permission to not perform for once. That linebacker who asked me for breath exercises and savasana? He wasn’t being lazy. He was expressing a deep need that no one else on his training team was addressing.
2. Tools They Can Use
D1 athletes are pragmatic. They want techniques they can apply immediately—a breathing practice before games, a three-minute routine in the dorm room, mental training tools for focusing under pressure.
They don’t want philosophical discussions or elaborate practices that only work in a yoga studio. They want practical tools that fit into their already overwhelming schedule and directly support their performance.
3. A Chance to Feel Human Again
The pressure on Division One athletes is immense. They’re constantly being measured, evaluated, optimized. They’re treated like athletic machines.
When they come to yoga, they want to remember they’re human beings, not just bodies that perform. They want connection—with their breath, with their bodies, with a sense of calm that’s been buried under the weight of expectations.
What This Looks Like in Practice: A UNC Football Locker Room
Early in the season, I walk into the locker room and I can feel it—the physical tension, the mental stress, the weight of what these players are carrying. Twenty years ago, I would have tried to match their intensity with a challenging practice.
Here’s what I do now: I start with simple breathing. Maybe some gentle spinal movements. Then I guide them into supported positions—legs up the wall, gentle twists with props, restorative shapes. For the last five to ten minutes, we do savasana. Complete rest.
And here’s what happens: these massive, powerful athletes—some of whom will play in the NFL—lie on that locker room floor and let their guards down. Their shoulders drop. Their jaws release. Their breathing deepens.
Afterward, they don’t thank me for making them stronger or more flexible. They thank me for helping them feel calmer, more centered, more like themselves.
Why This Matters for Every Athlete You’ll Ever Teach
Every athlete, regardless of level, shares these same fundamental needs. The recreational runner training for a first 5K needs permission to rest. The weekend warrior CrossFitter needs practical tools. The masters swimmer needs to remember that being human is not a performance flaw.
When you understand this, you stop trying to impress athletes and start serving them. You stop adding to their load and start providing relief. And that’s when they start requesting you specifically, referring their teammates, and building their training around your sessions.
Ready to Learn the Complete System?
If you want to learn how to give athletes what they actually need—not what you think they need—I’ve created a free workshop called “How to Double Your Income Teaching Yoga to Athletes.” In it, I share specific practices, session structures, and how to position yourself as the yoga teacher athletes are looking for.
