There’s often a misconception that yoga people are a certain cast, wear certain clothes, and prefer, say, scented candles.
In the Modo community, we’re here to debunk those yoga perceptions. AND—we’re on a mission to communicate that the benefits of yoga are limitless! So limitless in fact, that we’re still learning.
In full transparency, I know nothing about football. So these insightful interview responses with Canadian Football League player, Drew Wolitarsky, shed light not only on the challenges of being a professional athlete, but also reminded me how the mind-body connection—and the quiet of the yoga room—can be transformative in myriad ways.
Jess: How did you get into playing for the Canadian Football League?
Drew: I’ve been playing tackle football since the age of ten. I was born in California and played there until I was 18 years old. I was recruited in high school to play for the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation I tried out for the Vikings (NFL). I was heartbroken when I didn’t make it. It felt like my dream had been crushed. I began working at a French restaurant wondering what I was going to do with my life. Then my dad reminded me that because my mother was born in Canada, I had rights to Canadian citizenship. I got my citizenship and a spot in the Canadian football League. I’ve been here for 8 years!
Jess: What did you think about yoga before you started doing it yourself?
Drew: California yoga culture seemed either very mainstream or very hippy. Neither of which suited me. I had no concept of how it could benefit one’s life. As a kid I thought: “That’s probably not something for me.”
Jess: What brought you to your first Modo class?
Drew: Modo was not the first studio I attended. I had attended a few classes early on with my parents, and then a few times by myself during football season as a hot place to stretch. But I decided to change studios, because the places I had been going felt very commercial. When I joined Modo I felt something very different. The way the teachers spoke and explained the practice was different than anything I had encountered. I could tell that their life experiences had brought them there.
Jess: What effect does practicing Modo have on your playing?
Drew: Yoga gives me both a physical and mental reset. I find myself able to get in tune with my body; what is hurting, where’s my stress, where are my thoughts, etc.
I also have a great connection with a few teachers and am able to talk about my life with them which is truly special.
Yoga keeps me healthy, because it stretches fascia, reduces stress, and in a way, it communicates to my body that I am doing everything in my power to take care of it. I truly believe in this communication between body and mind, to the point where I am verbally talking to my body before games and during yoga, giving gratitude and asking it to hold up for me and to keep me safe.
Jess: That’s amazing that you came to that on your own, because there is a growing body of research showing that mindset and positive self-talk can lead to measured increase in success and performance.
Jess: Have you ever used Modo to heal from an injury – can you describe that process?
Drew: Since doing yoga I have not had a major injury. Knock on wood. I have used yoga to rehabilitate a torn MCL at the start of my yoga-going. I found it tremendously helpful in gaining trust back into the ligament. The hardest part about an injury is gaining the confidence to get back and place the same amount of force onto it and expect it to work the same. With yoga it slowly allows you to place weight and force back onto it in a safe environment.
Jess: What’s your training regime like, and with the rigor of professional sports training why do you find the time to get to the studio?
Drew: It can be very busy depending on the week.
Wake up is around 7am and I finish game meetings, practice review. lifting/ cold tub/ recovery room by around 4.30pm. After that I come home to my wife and 5 year old. It can be hard to find time, but I make it a priority to get into the studio at least once or twice a week. I just need it for the grounding aspect as well as the stretching. Running and cutting and getting tackled on turf will take a toll on the body and without proper maintenance the body will give out.
Jess: What would you say to athletes that feel that yoga is a waste of time?
Drew: I would ask them what is important to them about their career. I would ask them if they want to play for a long time. I would ask them ‘do you know who you are in the biggest moments’? And, I would tell them that if they want to play for a long time they are going to have to find avenues to stay healthy, to take care of their bodies, to deal with trauma, defeat, injuries. The game will test you. Life will test you. I find that in these quiet moments in the hot room you have time and space that you can’t get on the outside.
It’s a time to make intentions about who and what you are going to be for yourself, your team, your family, your community. Whatever it is, you find that in the quiet when it’s just you and you.
Yoga has granted me the ability to slow down, to breathe, to gain perspective and to understand myself and my thought patterns better. I’m so thankful for this community that I’ve found and I will continue to do whatever I can to spread this truth to my team or to any other athletes on the fence.
Conclusion and Yoga for Cross Training
In addition to being an athlete, Drew is a husband, a father, a loving son and an incredible musician! Find his music on his Instagram page and follow his team the Blue Bombers. Again, in full transparency not a football expert here, but from what I hear, people loyally follow the CFL not just because of regional loyalty but because of the Field and Gameplay Differences. The CFL features a larger field, 12 players per side, and three downs instead of four, leading to a faster-paced, high-scoring game with more frequent turnovers. And the rules are unique—the CFL’s wider field and the no-fair-catch rule on punts, create a different viewing experience that some fans find more exciting and unpredictable.
So much of what Drew spoke about in this interview is true for other pro and amateur athletes that I’ve spoken to over the past 25 years of teaching. And using yoga for cross training is not only applicable for pro athletes using yoga to cross train and stay balanced, but is incredibly important for those simply jumping into summer sports—those beginning to run or bike or add a movement pattern to their lives that uses the body in the same repetitive pattern.
Yet another reason to gift yourself the self care and nervous system regulation that comes with a regular practice. Hope to see you soon in a hot room!
With love,
Jess
REFERENCES
Study by Pia Aravena and colleagues: Affirmative language shown to increase physical strength, (Psychology Today).
Psychreg’s Review on Positive Self-Talk: Positive self-talk can improve self-esteem, reduce stress, and increase resilience, contributing to better mental health and performance (Psychreg).
Jess Robertson is Modo Yoga’s Co Founder, Senior Advisor, and Community Documentarian. She is also a writer, musician, yoga teacher and Co Founder of the New Leaf Foundation. She lives in Montreal, Canada with her 2 kids.