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Centurions stretching their way to shape this summer

poster - 2019-07-03T184413.886.jpg
poster - 2019-07-03T184413.886.jpg
Posted at 4:02 PM, Jul 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-03 19:53:20-04

For many teams, the summer is a time for off-season training, a time to hit the field for conditioning or head to the weight room to build up strength.

Football players at St. John Paul II High School are doing both but have added something unique to their regiment: yoga.

"Yoga is beneficial, 100%," Instructor Dyamond Brown said.

Head coach Andrew Leon is using their time on the mats as a change of pace.

"A lot of stuff you do in yoga is core strength, stretching and flexibility," Leon said. "We do a lot of banging around in the weight room so it is good to give the kids a chance to relax."

A football player's schedule is by no means light either. Starting with weights in the morning, class during the day and practice after school, yoga is providing a break from that grind.

"You go eight hours a week all year long," senior Lance Zuniga said, "Coming out here is nice to relax and reset your mind."

The yoga routine might be a break from the grueling stretch of weights and conditioning, but it is by no means easy for these players. Even six weeks into their program, they still find themselves struggling.

"There's a lot of different yoga positions that a lot of us are still working on," senior Dylan Olivarez said. "It is a lot more difficult than people think."

The team won't stop the yoga workouts once the season starts, Leon told me. They'll continue these workouts as a form of mental vacation.