Page 53 - Adhiyoga Purana

🏀 The Court Meets the Mat: George Mason Basketball and the Adhiyogi Experience 🧘
In the autumn of 2002, as the George Mason University Basketball Team geared up for its rigorous pre-season workouts, a unique addition was quietly introduced into the team’s training regimen—Authentic Yoga. Guided by the revered Yoga Master Adhiyogi, this initiative would soon become a transformational chapter in the team’s development.
For Coach Jim Larranaga, a seasoned college basketball coach with over three decades of experience, physical fitness and conditioning were second nature. Yet, something was missing— something beyond the sprints, the weights, and the drills. The missing element was inner strength, balance, and the often-overlooked flexibility of body and mind. This realization led him to introduce Yoga into the team's preparation—and to Adhiyogi.
Over the course of ten weeks, Adhiyogi led the entire team through sessions designed to awaken not just the muscles, but the mind and breath. With simple, crystal-clear explanations and demonstrations, Adhiyogi introduced the players to practices that emphasized flexibility, relaxation, breathing, visualization, and focus.
The impact was immediate and remarkable. Players who had never thought about the connection between breath and performance began to move with more fluidity, awareness, and calm. Their bodies responded with more agility and resilience, and their minds sharpened.
For Coach Larranaga, it was not just his team that benefited. So moved by the transformation he witnessed on the court, he brought Adhiyogi's teachings home, starting a personal yoga practice with his wife. The integration of yoga not only enhanced his team’s performance—it touched his personal life in meaningful ways.
The George Mason Basketball Team had always been known for its hustle and strength, but now, thanks to Adhiyogi, they carried a quiet force within—a presence, a breath, a rhythm that stayed with them even when the buzzer sounded.
"I would recommend Adhiyogi to anyone interested in learning about yoga," wrote Coach Larranaga. "His enthusiasm and obvious yoga talent makes it very enjoyable to work with him."
Thus, in a setting defined by high-performance athletics, a deeper kind of training took root— one that would echo far beyond the season.
OM Shantiḥ.
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