Lift Weights? Boost Your Results With This 2-Minute Yoga Routine

Yoga doesn’t just help you stay lithe and limber and remain in the present moment — it’s also the perfect complement to an effective strength training routine.

That’s because yoga improves balance and stability, two key elements to staying injury-free during workouts, says Kent Katich, a professional coach and yoga expert. Katich has spent the last 15 years training athletes — including NBA players Blake Griffin and Kevin Love — to use yoga to improve performance, prevent injury, and build strength.

Yoga improves stability, specifically stability in the joints and the spine, by strengthening muscles and promoting healthy alignment, Katich says. And “when we work on balance, we are forced to focus our attention and stay in the present moment,” he tells Yahoo Health. “In that sense it is a gateway to shift our awareness from the outside to the inside, a way for us to quiet our mind. When our mind is quiet we can work more efficiently and stay true to our abilities and avoid injuries.”

Want to give yoga a try to improve your strength? Katich shares five of his top tips:

1. Go slow. When you slow down, you are able to pay close attention to good alignment. And ultimately, you will work more efficiently.
   

2. Pay close attention to your breath. Your breath is your inner compass and will assist you in keeping some of your awareness inside, quieting your ego.
   

3. Be willing to use props. Blocks, straps, and blankets are frequently used in classes in order to create more space to lengthen the spine and enable more space for movement in certain joints.
   

4. Invest in a good mat. A good mat is one that can give you sufficient support and stability. Some mats are quite slippery in the beginning and just need to be used, whereas others are just simply of less quality.
   

5. Practice, practice, practice! It does take commitment and effort and it might be hard in the beginning, but it is worth it! Find a quiet place to practice and set aside time three to four times a week to practice, even if it is just 20 minutes.
   

Watch the video above as Katich leads former All-Pro NFL running back Eddie George through a balance -and stability-boosting yoga sequence, part of Gaiam’s new “Athletic Yoga: Yoga for Strength with Eddie George” DVD (available on Amazon).