"As an age group triathlete and coach I recommend yoga, especially Ashtanga and especially when taught by Karen Breneman. Karen is a competitive cyclist who is at home in both the worlds of aggressively contested sport and the non competitive world of Yoga. Both worlds have their ideologues and tribal affiliations but Karen makes the ways in which yoga compliments sport seem obvious and natural. Yoga minimises injury and increases the training load which can be sustained over time. In itself it doesn’t make me faster but it allows me to persist in the kind of training which might. And I find I am much more likely to sustain something which feels good and cleverly combines work with rest or relaxation.

Ashtanga isn’t just about flexibility, it helps with strength, balance and posture.

There was a debate in coaching circles about what sort of mobility exercise should precede training as a warm up and what sort is best used as a cool down afterwards.  I found the opening moves in the Ashatanga series dissolved the argument, they are best for both. If you learn nothing more than the so called Sun Salutations, and that’s a little more poetic than Mobility Exercise, you will have acquired something which will both prepare you for a training session and aid your recovery afterwards."

- Callum Hendry, age group triathlete and coach, Edinburgh Triathletes

"Competetive cycling requires structured training combined with a disciplined recovery programme.

In the last few years Karen's yoga classes have provided me with the optimum post-race or ride recovery routine; one that addresses muscle tension, muscle imbalance, postural and core stability issues, improves spinal health and aids metabolic waste removal. When combined with good nutrition and hydration it's the ultimate post-ride tonic."

"I'd have to say that it's [Yoga]  one of the best waysof getting to know your body. The benefits gained by a person practising Yoga regularly are an experience that I'd almost like to keep to myself; in fear of my competition finding out my secret! The balance between physical exertion, and mental exploration, are so valuable to a contender wanting to better him/herself in the competitive realm, that I'd be inclined not to reveal it!

Yoga has helped me get to know my body in a way that only a true reflective and introspective activity could: Identifying potential injuries before they become a problem, the improved flexibility and recovery, and the ability to actually feel your body work, have become such an advantage to me over the last couple of seasons that it's completely changed my opinion of what I once considered a 'hippy pastime'.

Practising Yoga regularly has kept me so in tune with my body that I now feel, when I'm racing, that I have such control over myself and my body I can say, "It's not as hard as when you were trying to hold uth pluthi for twenty breaths the other night".

- Andy Barlow, Two times Scottish Mountain Biking XC Series Winner, and Current Scottish XC Champion, Mountain Bike Skills Coach for Dirt School , and Yogi