YOGA teacher Tim Oddie doesn't want to take credit for Geelong's incredible 2007 AFL season. But he would like to point out one thing: the team came to him out of the blue in round six, after two losses on the trot, and signed up for weekly yoga sessions. They didn't lose again for four months.
"It's not that yoga is the difference, it's more that the reasons they came looking for yoga are the same reasons they are winning," Mr Oddie says.
"The way they play is very smooth and calm, in a sense. They keep their footing and don't lose their intensity and focus."
Once the realm of hippies, mystics and the disturbingly bendy, yoga is gaining increasing respect as a genuine tool for sports teams, alongside more conventional physiotherapy.
At least three other AFL teams — Hawthorn, Melbourne and Richmond — incorporate it into their training, Mr Oddie says.
And scientific evidence is mounting that yoga gives health benefits when used to combat a range of ailments from fatigue and pain to depression.
Geelong captain Tom Harley is a convert. He had been messing with yoga for a few years but Mr Oddie's strict Iyengar brand was a step up.
"In the early days when they put on the Eastern music a few of the boys couldn't keep a straight face — but I really enjoy this sort of thing," he said. "It's great for core strength and flexibility, and it gives you a chance to unwind, to get over a heavy training session or match."
Footy is a punishing game. "I can't really recall what it's like not to be sore," Harley said. "I find (yoga) a relief from the strain of playing footy. You feel better as soon as you work out, more supple in your movements."
There is also a mental angle: he finds the relaxation element just as important as the physical stretching. "It's opened my eyes to a different sense of wellbeing. It's about being more aware of how your body moves — you can let your thoughts flow without dwelling on them."
Mr Oddie tailored his Iyengar yoga program for the players, expanding on their existing stretching routines to make them more exact and focused. "They pull up a bit sore after hard training sessions and feel a need to balance that out," he said.
"They also tend to sleep better. A lot of the guys have trouble sleeping, they are so wound up, mentally and physically. You press a bicep or thigh and it's like a lump of wood; they are so strong but also tight. When they get to relax they twitch and thrash around as their muscles are letting go.
"Yoga helps them be in their body in a different way, more relaxed."
Mr Oddie says there is still a mystical "mumbo jumbo" element to some yoga, but Iyengar is "very pragmatic". He works with the team's physiotherapist to ensure he does not aggravate any existing injury.
All 16 of Australia's senior Iyengar teachers, and one from India, are attending the National Iyengar Yoga Convention in Preston next week.
