Boxing Mindset: How Yoga Can Be A Game-Changer for Boxers

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” -Rocky Balboa

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Did you know that incorporating yoga into your boxing routine can significantly improve flexibility, balance, and core strength, leading to better performance and reduced injury risk?

Yoga can be highly beneficial for boxers by improving flexibility, balance, and core strength, which are vital for agility and power in the ring. It enhances range of motion and muscle control, leading to better performance and a lower risk of injury.

Yoga also promotes mental clarity and focus, helping boxers stay sharp and composed during fights. Incorporating yoga into a boxing routine aids in quicker recovery and reduces muscle soreness, making it an excellent complement to a boxer’s training regimen.

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The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managing Anxiety and Stress

Use this technique when you’re feeling anxious, stressed, or having trouble sleeping. It’s a powerful way to ground yourself and reduce anxiety by focusing on your senses.

Find 5 Things You Can See

Look around and identify five things you can see. This can be anything in your surroundings, like a picture on the wall, the light from a lamp, or the color of your bedspread.

Listen for 4 Things You Can Hear

Close your eyes if it helps, and focus on four things you can hear. This could be the sound of your heartbeat, the hum of an appliance, distant traffic, or the wind outside.

Identify 3 Things You Can Touch

Pay attention to three things you can physically feel. It might be the texture of your clothing, the warmth of a blanket, or the ground beneath your feet.

Notice 2 Things You Can Smell

Take a deep breath and focus on two scents around you. It could be the smell of your soap, the scent of fresh air, or any lingering fragrance in the room.

Find 1 Thing You Can Taste

Notice one thing you can taste. It could be the lingering taste of toothpaste, a sip of water, or just the natural taste in your mouth.

Breathe

Take a few deep breaths. Imagine inhaling calm and exhaling stress. Picture clouds passing by or imagine time traveling to a peaceful place.

This simple exercise helps bring you back to the present moment, reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation.

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WARM-UP (10 min) – Focus + Breath

• Boxer bounce + shake out (shake arms, legs like letting tension go)
• Power breaths:
• 10 deep inhales through nose, explosive exhales through mouth (“like you’re fogging a mirror”)
• Dynamic mobility flow:
• Down Dog → Plank → Cobra → Back to Down
  Dog x 5
• Lunge with twists (think “punch the sky” with rotation)
• Boat pose (core)
• Posture! Crown of you head high, shoulders back and down, heart open (let that diamond shine 💎 )

ELITE INTENSITY VERSION (Optional)

– Plank → add shoulder taps

– Boat Pose → add slow V-ups

– Guided breath → add breath holds at bottom (empty lung) 3-5 sec

COOL DOWN (10 min) – Reset Tools

• Boxer’s Breath (4-2-6 breathing):
  Inhale 4 counts, hold 2, exhale 6 (lengthen the
  exhale = calm nervous system)
• Guided Visualization:
  “See yourself in the ring. Feel your heart racing.
  Now see yourself exhale, shoulders drop. Your mind says: I’m still here. I’m ready.”
• Supine twists, legs up the wall for nervous system

TAKEAWAYS

“Boxer’s Reset” (anytime, anywhere):

• 3 deep nose breaths
• Shake out arms
• Say: RESET (This is your secret weapon. Use it between rounds, before school begins, anywhere life throws a punch. 🥊 )

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Breathing: Get “In the zone” Before The Work Even Begins

Mindful breathing is fundamental to yoga. It helps with

✅ Decreasing anxiety and stress

✅ Increased endurance by lowering your heart rate, 

✅ Maintain oxygenation levels in your muscles, clear your mind. 

This becomes especially useful during a competitive fight – or when you just want to push yourself a little harder

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The Power of Balance

✅ This can be the difference of staying in the ring or getting knocked out.

✅ Being able to hold still while in a position is the most difficult part. 

✅ The more you practice, the more steady you will get and your balance will improve over time.

How Yoga Builds Strength

✅ Activating seldom-used muscles which may be missed in traditional training 

✅ Focus on form

✅ Core (uddiyana bandha = more punching power)

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Consistent yoga practice is one of the best ways to increase overall flexibility. It is critical for accuracy, endurance, and injury prevention.

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Post-Camp Message:

Hi everyone,

It was so great to meet you all and to spend some time “in the moment” with you. Today we flowed through Salutations to the Sun, and we discovered modifications that we can implement to make things easier. Taking advantage of seemingly minor things that make a big difference – bending your knees, lengthening exhales, intentionally choosing where your eyes look – can all make the difference between making a pose feel unbearable to making it feel like home. After all, we all have a different SLOTH RATIO, so our bodies will make different shapes. These tools are always with you and yours to use!

We also learned a grounding exercise for times when our minds start to go AWOL. When our mind starts to travel into the future, it can sometimes lead to feelings of anxiety. Alternatively, ruminating about the past can leave us feeling depressed. 

Get grounded in THIS moment (your “present”) by getting in touch with your senses: what are FIVE things you can see? (actually look at them). FOUR things you hear? (outside eg cars? a fan? inside yourself if your tummy is growling). THREE things you feel (temperature? pressure of your shoes on your feet?) what TWO things can you taste? (toothpaste? breakfast?) and what’s the ONE thing you can smell? (yes, sometimes the answer is “nothing”, but check it to make sure that an accurate snapshot of reality.)

We tend to have about 60,000 thoughts in the course of a day, it is estimated that as many as 90% tend to be ruminations and tend to be negative. Ask yourself these three questions:
1) is it TRUE?
2) is it KIND?
3) is it NECESSARY?
If the answer for any of those three questions is “no”, consider letting it go. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to your best friend – be honest, be compassionate, and celebrate your wins!

Lastly, we looked at our emotions. They can feel very powerful, but that’s doesn’t mean they get to take over YOU. Acknowledge them, sit with them, hear them out, but don’t let them keep you away from your purpose. Everyone has a job to do! …and chances are that if your “work” means putting your gloves on and working it out through your body, you just might feel better afterwards! i.e.: If you’re in your head, get moving.  In life or in the ring – try to stay centred.

I enjoyed working with every single one of you. Thank you for sharing your time with your KBC yoga, breath, and mindset coach, Kat. If you have any questions, please reach out!

In the mean time, if you want to get curious about just how much is possible via time and curiosity, I invite you to see if you can challenge your brain to stay focused on the task at hand while you choose to take 10 minutes to eat a single raisin. 

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