Train the Body. Sharpen the Mind. Build the Human: Grit Institute’s 6-Week Yoga Series for Student-Athletes

A new performance program rooted in movement, breathwork, and mental resilience is coming to our area, and it’s not your average yoga class.

There’s a quiet revolution happening in how elite coaches and sports scientists think about athlete development. It’s no longer enough to train harder. The athletes who rise, the ones who stay composed in the fourth quarter, who bounce back from a bad game, who perform when the lights are brightest, are the ones who have learned to train their minds just as rigorously as their bodies.

That philosophy is at the heart of a new 6-week yoga series being offered through The Grit Institute, in partnership with True Light Yoga. Designed specifically for high school and collegiate athletes, this program isn’t about stretching or sitting quietly. It’s about building the complete human behind the jersey.

What Is the Grit Institute Yoga Series?

The Grit Institute’s 6-Week Yoga Series is a co-facilitated program that blends physical movement, breathwork, and mental performance training into one structured system. Sessions run 60 minutes each and are designed to be experienced once a week, though athletes can attend as many or as few sessions as they’d like.

Athletes can pick and choose which weeks fit their schedule.

The series takes a theme-by-theme approach:

• Week 1 – Awareness: Developing awareness of breath, body, and thoughts
• Week 2 – Regulation: Learning to control responses under pressure
• Week 3 – Resilience: Building the ability to stay in discomfort and push through
• Week 4 – Identity: Separating self-worth from performance
• Week 5 – Focus: Training attention and present-moment awareness
• Week 6 – Integration: Applying all skills into performance and daily life

Each session includes centering and breathwork, a movement-based flow, performance-based mental skills integration, and reflection with direct application back to sport.

A Partnership Built on Shared Values

The series is a collaboration between Grit Institute and True Light Yoga — a partnership that program founder Nick Geissler describes as deeply personal.

“I partnered with True Light Yoga because it holds a special place in my own yoga journey and personal growth,” he says. “Rachel and I share many of the same values and a deep passion for helping others improve their well-being. When I first brought this idea forward, True Light immediately embraced it, providing both encouragement and the space to bring it to life.”

True Light Yoga’s Rachel O’Brien will be actively involved throughout the series, including leading one of the weekly practices herself.

You can learn more and register at truelightyoga.org/workshops or reach out directly at gritwithnick@gmail.com.

Pricing:

• $25 per individual session
• $99 for all six sessions (when signed up at once)

The Science-Backed Case for Yoga in Athletic Training

This isn’t just a feel-good program. A growing body of research supports what elite coaches and athletes have known for years: yoga is one of the most effective cross-training tools available to competitive athletes. Here’s a deeper look at why.

Physical Performance Gains

Yoga’s physical benefits go well beyond flexibility. Research has shown it can meaningfully improve the building blocks of athletic performance.

A 2016 study found that college athletes who practiced yoga just twice a week for ten weeks showed significant improvements in both balance and flexibility compared to those who didn’t (International Journal of Yoga, via lauracipullo.com). Research has also shown that four weeks of yoga significantly reduced body weight and increased leg and back strength, with improvements seen in both intragroup and intergroup comparisons.

A literature review on the psychophysiologic effects of yoga concluded that the practice is clinically beneficial, with studies showing improved lung capacity, increased oxygen delivery, decreased VO2 and respiration rate, and decreased resting heart rate, resulting in overall improved exercise capacity.

Various studies have also demonstrated that yoga can improve VO2 max, increase efficiency among speed skaters, and reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress in athletes through breathwork (pranayama) practices.

Injury Prevention and Recovery

Yoga helps athletes become more aware of what’s happening in their bodies, so they can better identify potential problems and prevent injury. Flexibility and balance are critical components for injury prevention and recovery,  and many athletes dread traditional stretching because it does not come naturally to most.

A proper yoga practice improves blood circulation, relaxes and rejuvenates the muscles, and enhances oxygen flow, helping healing happen faster. Research shows that people who complement their training with yoga suffer less muscle soreness than those who don’t.

A research review in the International Journal of Yoga notes growing evidence supporting the integration of yoga as a practical and holistic option for sports rehabilitation, showing robust outcomes for managing pain and stiffness related to physical activity.

Nervous System Regulation and Pressure Management

Perhaps the most underappreciated benefit of yoga for athletes is what it does to the nervous system, which is exactly where the Grit Institute program focuses much of its attention.

Athletes with better nervous system function can actually downshift into rest mode faster. They can also maintain efficient movement patterns without unnecessary tension,  a component of both an effective mindset and recovery.

Yoga can help athletes work through stress by requiring them to focus on each pose, which means staying present rather than dwelling on the past or future. During taxing times, the stress hormone cortisol is elevated in the body, but practicing a series of movements, poses, and deep breathing can lower cortisol levels, helping athletes feel more relaxed and composed.

Mental Performance and Focus

According to published research, athletes who practice yoga for six weeks report feeling less stressed and anxious. It also enhances dispositional mindfulness and facilitates restful sleep, benefits that are particularly valuable for competitors susceptible to overexertion.

Yoga enhances memory and cognitive functioning. Because yoga can help athletes manage high levels of stress, practicing it over time is also reflected in increased social-emotional competence, improving both physical and mental health broadly.

A 2017 review found that regular mindfulness practice led to improved performance among a number of athletes, with positive effects on precision sports like shooting and dart throwing.

Breathwork and Stamina

Breathwork practices significantly improve stamina by enhancing lung capacity and respiratory function. More oxygen reaches hard-working muscles, boosting endurance and reducing fatigue in athletes. This also improves mindfulness, keeping athletes more positive and motivated,  which compounds the performance benefits.

Many athletes have not been trained how to breathe properly, and yoga classes effectively re-educate breathing patterns, giving athletes a tool they carry onto every field and court.

What the Pros Know

If you need proof that yoga belongs in serious athletic training, look no further than the athletes already doing it.

LeBron James told the Miami Herald that yoga contributes to his stamina on the court: “I’m not a guru about how to be in the best condition, don’t let me sit here and tell you that. But it works for me.” James has been practicing yoga since 2009, originally to address back pain, and has since spoken openly about how it sharpens his focus throughout the season.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time minutes leader, has been outspoken about his yoga practice, saying it was a major reason he was able to play as long and as successfully as he did. Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, and Kevin Garnett are all open about their practices and frequently speak about its benefits for basketball.

Blake Griffin put it simply: “It is a workout, no matter what people say.”

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll has required all of his players to do yoga during the NFL season. Tom Brady and Russell Wilson are among the NFL players who have incorporated yoga and mindfulness into their regular routines.

Yoga instructor Ryanne Cunningham, who has worked with multiple NFL players, puts it this way: “Athletic careers are characterized by a chase for a better time, a stronger body, better split-second decisions, the ability to take a harder hit, and other ways of advancing. Each athlete has unique needs, and a yoga practice benefits everyone in a special way.” (Human Kinetics)

What Makes This Program Different

This is not a drop-in stretch class. Grit Institute series is explicitly built as a performance and mental conditioning system, and the distinction matters.

The program operates from a lens of discipline, growth, and accountability. It integrates mental performance training directly with physical movement rather than treating them as separate pursuits. And crucially, it focuses on real-life application, what happens on the field, on the court, and in the daily life of a young athlete.

By the end of six weeks, athletes will have:

• Tools to regulate themselves under pressure
• Improved focus and body awareness
• The ability to use breath as a performance enhancer
• A personalized routine for competition and recovery
• Greater insight into their identity beyond their sport performance

The program is also adaptable for teams. Implementation options include full-roster sessions, position-group cohorts, off-season and in-season formats, and add-on workshops for coaches and staff.

As the program’s closing statement reads: “Most athletes are taught to push harder. Few are taught how to slow down, reset, and understand themselves. This program does both. Because performance improves when the person improves.”

 Do athletes need prior yoga experience? A: No. The program is designed for athletes at all experience levels. The movements and breathwork are taught with athletic performance, not yoga mastery, as the goal.

Do athletes need to attend all six sessions? A: Not at all. While attending the full series provides the most complete experience, each session stands on its own. One session is better than none, and athletes are encouraged to join any week that fits their schedule.

Is this program appropriate for both high school and college athletes? A: Yes. The Grit Institute series is designed for both high school and collegiate athletic programs. It can be implemented as a team, by position group, or as individual athlete development.

How is this different from a regular yoga class? A: This program is built specifically around athletic performance and mental conditioning. It’s not a passive or traditional yoga class; it combines movement, breathwork, and performance-based mental skills training that athletes can apply directly to competition and recovery.

Will True Light Yoga be involved throughout the series? A: Yes. True Light Yoga is a core partner in the program. Rachel from True Light will be leading one of the weekly practices, bringing her own knowledge, experience, and approach to supporting participants throughout their journey.

Can coaches or staff participate? A: Yes. Add-on workshop options are available for coaches and staff, making this a potential program-wide investment in culture and wellbeing.

What does each session look like? A: Every 60-minute session follows a consistent structure: centering and breathwork, a movement-based flow, integration of performance mental skills, and a reflection period connecting the session back to athletic application.

How do I sign up? A: You can register at truelightyoga.org/workshops or send an email to gritwithnick@gmail.com. Sessions are $25 each or $99 for all six when signed up at once.

The Grit Institute 6-Week Yoga Series is offered in partnership with True Light Yoga. For more information, visit truelightyoga.org/workshops or email gritwithnick@gmail.com.