Maxine Bahns got hooked on the exhilaration of athletic competition
in 2000, when she entered her first triathlon at age 30 and finished
third in her age group. "It fired me up like nothing else," says the Los
Angeles-based actress. But as she entered more and more races, she grew
increasingly uncomfortable with their physical and mental toll. 
When Melody Parker, a former professional volleyball player and the
coach of the Santa Barbara City College men's volleyball team, first
introduced her athletes to yoga, they were skeptical. But Parker, who
has been practicing for 15 years, persevered.
It's early in her morning practice when Gillian Gibree takes a familiar asana: Adho Mukha Svanasana
(Downward-Facing Dog Pose). To start waking up her arms and legs, she
presses evenly through her hands and feet. She lifts her sitting bones
skyward as she relaxes her neck and finds extension in her long spine. 
It's summer, and a hike in the sunshine beckons—but so does the yoga
class that starts in 15 minutes. Fortunately, opportunities to mix a
session of invigorating trail hiking with focused, mat-free asana
practice are everywhere these days.
If you love sports you know that injuries come with the
territory - caused by repetitive motion, imbalances in your biomechanics,
or in many cases both! But if you practice yoga, you have a great tool
at your disposal for preventing injuries. A yoga practice encourages you to take inventory of your body as you
practice.
