Exploring the science of balance, the nervous system and the benefits of everyday movement.

Originally published in 2021 | Written by Hayley Winter 

In this blog, I explore why including a simple everyday balance challenge is important for your brain and everyday movements.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide.

A shocking statistic, and one that reminds us of the importance of maintaining our balance as we move through life.

A YSS favourite, Dr Michael Mosley, referred to this in his podcast series, Just One Thing. He said:

“Our balance is far worse now than it used to be. Having a more sedentary lifestyle comes at a cost - and that cost is a failure of balance.”

Balancing Act: The Science of Staying Upright

In our Yoga Biomechanics teaching, we explore the relationship between gravity, the ground and the body's ability to maintain balance.

Standing might appear effortless, but it'...

Originally published in 2018 · Written by Lisa Jackman, Yoga Sports Coach™

Editor's Note | Looking Back from 2026

When Lisa Jackman wrote this article in 2018, she was reflecting on a remarkable journey from competitive gymnastics to yoga teaching and eventually becoming a Yoga Sports Coach™.

Her story offers a fascinating glimpse into the experiences that brought people to the Institute of Yoga Sports Science®, often from sporting backgrounds that were quite different from traditional yoga teaching.

It also raises some interesting questions about the historical relationship between gymnastics, physical education and modern postural yoga.

We've revisited Lisa's original article to improve its flow and clarity while preserving her humour, personal memories and curiosity. Her reflections on historical connections remain questions for exploration rather than verified conclusions.

I was 47 years old the first time I ever entertained taking a yoga class.

A friend from work suggeste...

This photograph was taken in 2001, sixteen years before Dr Abby Hoffmann wrote this article. It captures an early chapter in the journey that would eventually lead to the development of Yoga Sports Science®.

Originally published 2017 · Written by Dr Abby Hoffmann

Editor's Note | Looking Back from 2026

When Dr Abby Hoffmann wrote this article in 2017, Instagram yogis were becoming increasingly influential in shaping how yoga was presented and perceived.

Nearly a decade later, social media continues to play a role in the yoga community. But Abby's original question remains just as relevant: what gives a yoga teacher professional credibility beyond their online following?

In this article, Abby explores how evidence-informed teaching, specialist knowledge and an understanding of sports science can help yoga teachers develop the confidence and credibility to work with athletes and within professional sport.

We've revisited her original article while preserving the perspective and hist...

Bonnie Strati and Hayley Winter pictured with Monty, their trusted teaching resource, at the Yoga Sports Science® studio in New York, 2017.

Originally published 2017 · Written by Bonnie Strati

Editor's Note | Looking Back from 2026

When Bonnie Strati wrote this article in 2017, she was reflecting on a journey that had taken her from being an athlete and personal trainer to becoming an Advanced Yoga Sports Coach™ and Director of Operations at the Institute of Yoga Sports Science®.

Since then, Bonnie's professional journey has continued to evolve, including becoming an author.

Looking back, her story captures something important about the early development of YSS: how people from different sporting and professional backgrounds brought their experience into the study and application of yoga within sport.

We've revisited Bonnie's original article while preserving her voice, humour and the historical context in which it was written.

My journey to yoga came through being an athlete...

Originally published 2016 · Written by Trainee Yoga Sports Coach™ Karla Oblak

The Yoga Sports Science® programme to become a Yoga Sports Coach™ is an amazing journey within the fields of yoga and sport. Two separate but integrated concepts, they bring together everything I have been looking for, and the decision to enrol in the programme was absolutely the best possible choice for me.

The journey began even before I enrolled.

When I first met YSS Founder Hayley Winter at the enrolment interview, I knew it was the right thing to do. She answered all my questions about the programme, went through the whole course outline in detail and told me that the journey to becoming a Yoga Sports Coach™ required commitment and dedication, but that it would be very rewarding.

When I heard about the knowledge I would gain, my inner wish to become a Yoga Sports Coach™ said yes!

I Didn't Know What to Expect

As this was my first online training course, I did not know what to expect.

I can say that...

Originally published 2016 · Written by Yoga Sports Coach™ Benjamin du Bernard

As a lifelong enthusiastic amateur athlete and a yoga teacher of six years, I had felt for some time that, as passionate as I was about yoga, I hadn't quite found my 'groove' where teaching was concerned.

My search to complete the picture brought me to Yoga Sports Science® (YSS), and it felt like it might finally help me bring together my two passions in life: sport and yoga.

But I hesitated!

My Doubts About Training Online

One of my doubts was the online nature of the course.

How can such a physical subject, which relies so much on personal interaction and feedback, be taught online?

Well, it can, and to amazing effect.

The subject matter is delivered in a variety of ways, including documents, videos, one-to-one and group tutorials, and webinars.

As you learn about the subjects and reflect on them through your own practice and in your own time, there are plenty of opportunities to engage with and ta...

Originally published 2015· Written by Yoga Sports Coach™ Lesley Durke

In April 2014, I finally took the enormous step of giving up my part-time job, with the security of a known, regular income, to become a self-employed yoga teacher and Yoga Sports Coach™.

This was not a random or spontaneous decision, but one that had been in the planning for several years. Yet it still took a lot of courage and self-belief to get to the stage of handing in my notice.

I had been a gymnast for over 20 years, starting at the age of three, and had spent a lifetime trying many forms of exercise and sport, including dance, athletics, climbing, fitness classes and yoga.

I had also had a career as a specialist pharmacist in orthopaedic and trauma medicine, but working for myself in a field that combined wellbeing with exercise and physiology was where my heart lay.

My Main Turning Point

I passed my yoga teaching qualification in September 2012 and set up my first class in the same month.

In September...

Originally published 2015· Written by Trainee Yoga Sports Coach™ Chrissie Tarbitt

When I first discovered Yoga Sports Science®, I have to say I was excited and apprehensive in equal measure.

Excited because it seemed to offer everything I was looking for to take my business to the next level. But could I possibly afford the time and investment when I'd only just decided to start my own business?

Following a great telephone conversation with Yoga Sports Science® Founder Hayley Winter, it didn't take me long to take the leap of faith and dive in.

I'm now halfway through the 500-hour Yoga Sports Coaching course and, I have to say, my experience so far has exceeded my expectations.

One might be forgiven for thinking that this kind of distance-learning model could compromise the quality of tuition, course content and opportunities to collaborate with fellow students compared with a more traditional classroom experience.

Not the case.

The content in the modules is superb, the learning...