Big Green Samadhi

“My mission is to try to make yoga accessible in a way that it hasn’t been before,” says Anna Jorgensen-Terry, the yoga instructor for the athletic department’s Peak Performance (DP2) program. Nine varsity sports teams, ranging from football to equestrian, participate in the classes. Her experience as a former kayak racer allows her to understand athletes, who she says can be intimidated by yoga because they are already sore. The new program uses yoga as a way to increase flexibility and focus while simultaneously aiding recovery from exertion or injury. In the past teams that wanted the benefits of yoga had to seek instruction and pay from their own budgets. Although the move reflects a national trend, Dartmouth is so far the only Ivy to assign a yoga instructor to work with athletes. Many seem to appreciate the benefits. “Since returning from double hip surgery this past summer, yoga with DP2 has allowed me to develop sustained flexibility and pain-free range of motion,” says Pat Lahey ’12, who played guard on the football team.