why practice yoga?

another person's perspective on practicing yoga. enjoy!

For all of Derrick Green’s dreams about being an elite running back, the only trait he had developed by the summer of 2010 was quick feet.

So everything had to change.

Entering his sophomore year of high school, Green and his stepfather looked at a number of elite tailbacks and overhauled his life. Better diet. Better training. Better work ethic.

And there was a challenge from his mother.

“My mom gave me a choice of either Bikram yoga or ballet, so I chose yoga,” Green said of the “hot yoga” that forces the body to adapt. “It definitely helped me a lot on and off the field as far as staying focused on my breathing. I’m definitely more flexible and just the whole mental part on the field, yoga has helped me tremendously.”

Bikram yoga become a critical part of his routine — one he may bring to Michigan when he arrives the third week of June, joining his new U-M freshman football teammates in Ann Arbor.

“The physical is just the flexibility,” Green said. “Being in that room, 105 degrees for an hour and a half, it gets to you. You’ve just got to fight through it, and you’ll definitely see the results.”

That breathing may come in handy off the field as well. Green, who became Rivals’ No. 1-rated tailback nationally at Richmond (Va.) Hermitage, will probably need something to help with the pressure and attention headed his way.

He’s about to compete for one of the most tradition-rich spots in major college football: Michigan tailback.

The greats at U-M have come in all sizes — from diminutive Jamie Morris and Mike Hart, to slender but powerful Chris Perry, to bulldozer Anthony Thomas.

Greatness is waiting for Green after former starter Fitz Toussaint broke his leg late last season, and none of the potential replacements (Justice Hayes, Thomas Rawls, Drake Johnson and Dennis Norfleet) seized the job in the spring.

“You can play a freshman running back as long as you don’t inundate him with so much information that it becomes disinformation,” U-M offensive coordinator Al Borges said in mid-May. “I’ve had a bunch of tailbacks come in and play as freshman. But by the fifth, sixth, seventh game of the season they could handle all of it.”

That’s what Green said he heard from running backs coach Fred Jackson, who was his lead recruiter, and from Borges, explaining that there is an opportunity, not a promise.

“It definitely motivates me and drives me to go hard 24-7,” Green said. “I know the spot’s available, so I’m going to do everything in my power. Nothing needs to be said. I’m just ready to get out there and get the spot.”

That commitment is what intrigued the Wolverines. A player gets ranked as the nation’s best back by having 4.4 speed at 215 pounds, not only breaking through tackles but running away from defenders — everything built from transforming his body.

“A couple years ago, I was weighing in at 268-270, running about a 5-flat (40 yard dash),” Green said. “But I was always real quick and fast. Going into my sophomore summer, I lost all the weight, I got down to 215, I started running 4.3s and I was working out everyday, watching what I was eating. I just knew at the next level I couldn’t be a productive running back at 268, running a 5-flat.

“I did everything in my power to make that whole transition.”

Sports writer Shawn Windsor contributed to this report.
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder.