Andre Iguodala began practicing yoga a few years ago in order to prolong his career and now he also sees the mental benefits.
Lisa Goodwin, the Warriors’ senior director of corporate communications, also works as an instructor for Core Power Yoga in Walnut Creek.
Goodwin has tutored Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, Zaza Pachulia and other Warriors, but Iguodala has taken it up most seriously.
“His body awareness is incredible. Incredible,” Goodwin said. “So I can cue him into something, and it could be a pose he’s never done before. And when we do it again, he’s in the pose exactly how I asked him to be.”
Iguodala practices with Goodwin at often as twice per week.
“It’s to keep my sanity,” Iguodala joked Monday. “That’s more helpful than anything.”
Even when limited physically in what he can do in a session, Iguodala finds the mindfulness concept as being critical to his work with Goodwin.
“This is going to sound very yoga-y,” she said. “But I remember the moment it became more than just physical to him. It was like our fourth session, it was very early, and the energy was changed in the room between him and I.
“I just felt him release and finally let him go and be thinking, ‘I’m going to get into this pose and do what she says.’ He was easing into poses with his body while his mind got there, and he was breathing properly.”
“It’s the mental training,” Iguodala said. “Yoga helps me with basketball, but it helps me outside of it more than anything.”