Welcoming footballer Ricky Williams to Hinduism, Hindus ask NFL to make yoga part of player training

Nevada (US), Sep 11 (ANI): Welcoming well known American football player Ricky Williams to Hinduism fold, Hindus have suggested inclusion of yoga into practice routine of National Football League (NFL) teams.

Noted Hindu statesman Rajan Zed applauded Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams Jr., running back for the Miami Dolphins of NFL, for turning his life around and resurrecting his career reportedly through spirituality, yoga, meditation and ayurveda. His spiritual journey, which reportedly transformed him to a healthy warrior at the ripe age of 33, could prove inspiring to other players.

He reportedly visited India, and is vegetarian and a certified yoga instructor. Name of one of his daughters is Asha and he has reportedly learnt selfless action and humility from Hinduism.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, says that many American athletes are reportedly adopting yoga practice. Yoga reportedly makes a great complement to athletic training and various types of athletes are incorporating the practice into their training for bettering sports performance by improving flexibility and functional strength, building muscle energy and stamina, preventing sports injuries, dealing with stress, overcoming back pain, improving breathing and focusing, increasing endurance, etc.

Rajan Zed stressed that yoga was a mental and physical discipline and could prove highly rewarding to NFL players. Yoga, referred as "a living fossil", was one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy. According to Patanjali, author of the basic text Yoga Sutra who codified yoga, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

Ray Lewis, famous American football linebacker from Baltimore Ravens, reportedly told the Chicago (USA) media: "I'm talking about an hour-and-a-half yoga classes at times. And the crazy part about it is, once you actually get into it a good two or three times, you really miss if you don't do it. It stretches you that much." (ANI)