Cycling Yoga: What A Darwin Mountain Biker Found, And How Riders Can Start

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin

Fit enough to ride six to eight hours a week, but your legs feel like knots? That is how Colin, a Darwin mountain biker, found himself. He is happy to be named, and he tells it in his own words below.

New to Iyengar yoga? Start with Why Yoga Works For Sport: Mr BKS Iyengar, His Book And His Props.

Cycling yoga: the short answer

Cycling yoga is yoga used by riders to loosen the hips, hamstrings, back and shoulders that long hours in the saddle tighten, and to stay supple the morning after a hard ride. Colin, a keen Darwin mountain biker, started yoga to loosen up, found his muscles were far tighter than he thought, and says he moves more easily and may even be a better rider.

In short:

• Riders get stiff: long hours bent over the bars, the same pedal stroke thousands of times.
• Colin’s story: a fit mountain biker who found he was cramped, stiff and knotted.
• What changed for him: more flexible, stronger core, easier movement on the bike.
• Clubs can do it too: a group class can come into your clubrooms online or at our studio.
• Online, from anywhere: live interactive classes for you, or your whole club, even in country areas.
• Try it free: 2 free classes in Darwin or online.

Who was Mr BKS Iyengar? Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. His style is sometimes called modern classical yoga. It’s the style we teach at Flametree.

The page in one picture: riders get stiff, and Colin found regular yoga loosened him up.

Colin, a Darwin mountain biker

Colin is a Flametree student and is happy to be named. This is a short summary of his own published account, in his words where quoted. It is his experience, not a trial result.

• Who he is. A keen mountain biker who rides about six to eight hours a week, with a group in Charles Darwin National Park, and has played a lot of sport over fifty years.
• Why he came. He was looking for a stretching routine he would stick to. He did not have the discipline to stretch on his own.
• What he found. “I soon learned just how cramped, stiff and knotted my muscles were.” His core strength was not what he thought it was either.
• What he did. He built it into a habit: yoga classes about three times a week while riding about three times a week.
• What changed. He became a lot more flexible, his core strength increased, his mobility on the bike improved, and he now moves more easily the morning after a hard ride. He also found breathing techniques that help him focus in the moment. “Maybe I’m even a better rider.”

Colin’s full story is in our free ebook Stay In The Game, and in our earlier post Yoga For Cyclists.

Colin’s change came with regular practice, not one or two classes.

How Much Did They Actually Do?

Colin did a lot of it, and did it regularly. About three classes a week, kept up alongside his riding. Many riders try a class or two, feel only a little looser and stop. In our experience as teachers, the change comes with regular practice.

So the thing to try is regular practice: two or three classes a week, for at least a couple of months.

Why do riders get tight?

Because cycling repeats one narrow movement for hours. This is what we see in class, in general terms. It is not medical advice.

• Thighs and hip flexors. The muscles at the front of the thigh (the quadriceps) do most of the pedalling and are worked hard, while the hips stay bent in the saddle. In our experience, these are the tightest areas in riders, and they are rarely stretched enough.
• Hamstrings and lower back. A bent-over riding position holds the lower back in one shape for hours.
• Neck and shoulders. Holding the head up while leaning on the bars loads the neck and shoulders.

More on backs, knees and hips and shoulders.

One narrow movement for hours is why the same three areas tighten.

A suitable Iyengar approach for cyclists

Open the front of the thighs and hips, balance the hamstrings, free the shoulders, and use props so a stiff body can get the shape. This is how we would start a rider in class. Detail is taught in class, adjusted to the rider.

1. Standing poses for even, strong legs. Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana), Warrior II Pose (Virabhadrasana II) and Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana), a brick under the hand if needed.
2. Hips and the fronts of the thighs. Hero Pose (Virasana) sitting on a blanket or block, and Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana).
3. Hamstrings, one leg at a time. Reclined Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana) with a belt, and a standing forward bend with the hands on a chair.
4. Twists. Bharadvaja’s Pose (Bharadvajasana) on a chair, to ease the back after a long ride.
5. Shoulders. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana) arms.
6. Recovery after a long ride. Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani) and Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) over a bolster.
7. Breath. Ocean Breath (Ujjayi) lying down.

Props are the thread: they let a stiff rider get the shape without straining.

Looking for mindfulness? Yoga and yogic breathing create it. Read Yoga And Mindfulness.

What Athletes And Researchers Have Found

• First-class cricketers gained flexibility, balance and core stability. In a trial of 82 first-class male cricketers, yoga five days a week for six weeks improved these, with gains still there at six months. Rao and colleagues, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2021. DOI
• Volleyball players gained flexibility and balance. In a trial of 26 players, adding yoga twice a week gave greater gains in flexibility, balance, endurance and serving accuracy than the comparison group. Erkan Özalp and colleagues, 2025. DOI
• Four minutes a day loosened hamstrings. In a trial of 150 healthy young adults (not athletes), four minutes of Seated Forward Bend a day, six days a week for four weeks, improved hamstring flexibility. Thapa and colleagues, 2026. PubMed
• Colin says why. More flexible, a stronger core and easier movement on the bike.

We have not found a trial of yoga in cyclists. These trials tested yoga in general, not Iyengar yoga, and researchers say longer trials in athletes are still needed. Not yet studied is not the same as not working.

The research so far points the same way, but it was not done in cyclists.

Can I do yoga for cycling online?

Yes. Individuals can join our live interactive online classes, and cycling clubs can book a live online group class that comes straight into the clubrooms on a large screen. A whole bunch can do yoga together from anywhere in Australia or the world, with the teacher watching and guiding.

Live in a remote or regional area? Many country clubs have no good yoga nearby. Online, Iyengar-trained teachers can come to you. Book a live online group class, $149 per session, or claim 2 free classes and 2 free ebooks.

Ready to give it a try?

1. 2 free classes, plus 2 free ebooks. New to Flametree, or back after 3 months or more? Choose 2 free ebooks (the sport and men’s book is Stay In The Game) and get 2 free classes, LIVE online or in our Darwin studios. Claim them here
2. Half price 10 class passes. New to yoga: 10 half price classes plus 2 free, $59.50. Done yoga before: 2 free plus 10 at half price, $104.50. Tight hips and hamstrings: Too Stiff For Yoga? 10 classes for $59.50.
3. A private lesson for riders: private class pass, $109. Talk to us first to set a time.
4. For cycling clubs: group class, $149 per session, at your club, at our Woolner studio or online. Ask us about a five-lesson or ten-session club package: contact us.

See the timetable and book here

Start free, then pick the option that suits you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do yoga for cycling online?

Yes. Individuals or groups can do our live interactive online classes. A live online group class can be brought straight into your clubrooms on a large screen, so a whole bunch can do yoga together from anywhere in Australia or the world. Book a group class here.

Can I do yoga online if I live in a remote or regional area?

Yes. With an internet connection you can join our live interactive classes from any town, with a teacher who can see you and guide you. See our live online classes.

Is yoga good for cyclists?

Colin, a Darwin mountain biker, found yoga loosened muscles he did not know were so tight, and says he is more flexible, has a stronger core and may even be a better rider. In trials, athletes who added yoga gained flexibility and balance.

How often should a cyclist do yoga?

Regularly. Colin did about three classes a week alongside about three rides a week. Two or three classes a week for a couple of months is a good start.

Does yoga help tight legs after a long ride?

Colin says he now moves more easily the morning after a hard ride. In class we use hip, hamstring and recovery poses with props, such as Legs Up The Wall.

Can our cycling club do yoga with Flametree?

Yes. We run group sessions at your club, at our Woolner studio or online, at $149 a session. Ask us about a five-lesson or ten-session club package.

Sources: Colin’s published account on the Flametree Yoga Studio Facebook page (December 2018) and in our post Yoga For Cyclists and the free ebook Stay In The Game, used with Colin’s agreement to be named. Research via PubMed, with DOIs above. Athletes’ statements are their own experience; none endorses Flametree. This page is general information.