The Alpino Atlantico Gallo Resort, set in tropical gardens, is a small part of the Gallo Resort.
The entire Gallo Resort covers a very large area, but the Alpino Atlantic Gallo Resort has only one building with 24 rooms, one of which is a dedicated yoga room.
Most of those who come to stay in this hotel and resort come here to take yoga classes.
After Su Dong and Ronnie arrived at the hotel on time, they did not study in the spacious yoga room like other students, but were arranged to study in a relatively small yoga room next door.
The yoga instructor is a middle-aged woman in her forties named Melissa.
According to her self-introduction, she has been practicing yoga for 30 years. She once went to India to study with the famous yoga master Iyengar for a long time. After that, she went to the United States for exchange and study for a period of time. She returned to Portugal a few years ago.
“Before you start learning yoga, I hope you can understand what modern yoga is.”
Before teaching, Melissa mainly began to teach Su Dong and Ronnie some basic theoretical knowledge of yoga.
"Different from the asana training of traditional yoga, modern yoga is more scientific and includes a lot of scientific research on anatomy. It is not without scientific basis."
"Yoga is an art of balance. It can fully relax stiff and tense muscles and joints, effectively exercise weak parts, and help your body reach a balanced and stable state, thereby improving your body's performance and reducing and preventing sports injuries."
"In fact, during my exchange in the United States, many of my colleagues told me that in the American NBA basketball program, which is known for its emphasis on scientific training, many stars are practicing yoga, such as O'Neal, Garnett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc."
"They already have a lot of data and experience to prove that yoga is very helpful for competitive sports, especially in improving athletes' flexibility and balance, and has a very outstanding performance."
At this point, Melissa herself asked the question that Su Dong and Ronnie were most concerned about.
“Does yoga work for football players, too?”
This is also what the two are most concerned about.
Nuno Cruz believes that yoga is applicable to basketball and also to football.
"There has been scientific analysis in the United States. Sports like basketball and football have a characteristic, that is, players perform repetitive movements over and over again. These movements may have been started when you were very young, and through repeated training, they form a kind of muscle memory."
"Over time, some of your muscles, bones and joints will become tight and sensitive due to overuse, which can easily lead to strain and injury, while some muscles and joints that are not often used will become fragile due to long-term lack of exercise."
"This will create a serious imbalance in your body, making it more susceptible to injury."
"Also , as professional athletes, you are under a high-pressure state of winning and losing for a long time, living under the expectations of thousands, even hundreds of thousands or millions of people. The psychological pressure is incomprehensible to ordinary people. Not only do you have to compete with your opponents, you also have to fight with yourself. It is easy for you to lose your balance physically and mentally."
Melissa clasped her hands together and looked at Su Dong and Ronnie with certainty.
"So, I can tell you that practicing yoga is not only a physical exercise for you, but also a spiritual baptism. It will not only make your body more flexible and resilient, but also keep you away from injuries. At the same time, it will make you more confident."
In a nutshell, yoga is great.
After all, he is a professional and the best yoga instructor in Portugal. What he said is well-reasoned and Su Dong is convinced.
Ronnie was a poor student, and he was really troubled by this set of theories. So, after Melissa finished speaking, Ronnie couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, Ms. Melissa, can we start?"
The answer is obvious, no!
…
Melissa then introduced the yoga class she had carefully prepared for Sudong and Ronnie.
There are two classes every day, each lasting 60 minutes. They first learn some theoretical knowledge. The purpose is to help them better master the basic theoretical knowledge of yoga, be familiar with every posture, and understand why they practice in this way and what purpose they want to achieve.
What is more important is to practice meditation and breathing.
Cultivate the body and nourish the nature. Yoga meditation and breathing can calm the mind through breathing and effectively relieve stress.
The last part is the practice class, which mainly involves some asana exercises.
Since Su Dong and Ronnie are both beginners, they have to start with the most basic breathing and some of the most entry-level postures.
But don't underestimate the introductory poses, there are actually many things you need to pay attention to.
For example, a supine tuck.
Lie on the yoga mat, slowly bend one leg, hug your calf with both hands, and then slowly raise your head to touch your bent knee.
During this process, you cannot fold your shoulders or bend your upper body. Your abdomen should be tightened, and your other leg should always be kept straight and close to the yoga mat on the ground, without moving away from it even a little.
This movement itself is very difficult, especially for beginners, but more importantly, you need to coordinate with the corresponding breathing rhythm while performing the movement.
Do this three times for each foot in a set, and this is just a warm-up for beginners.
Su Dong practiced meticulously. He was somewhat resistant in his heart and was not sure whether this thing was useful or not. But he believed in Nuno Cruz's expertise. Since Cruz asked him to practice, he would practice.
Since you are going to practice, you must practice meticulously and strictly follow the requirements of the yoga instructor for every movement.
Although Ronnie seems to be as jumpy as a monkey on weekdays, he is actually very serious when practicing.
Melissa was surprised by how serious the two young players were, because she knew very well that yoga was considered a women's sport by many people and was not taken seriously in the football field, let alone training.
But precisely because of this, she took it more seriously.
All teachers like children who study hard, and yoga instructors are no exception.
When Su Dong and Ronnie were practicing, she kept correcting their irregular movements and postures. Her requirements were quite strict. She would not move on to the next posture until they had practiced to the standard.
In this way, in the first 60-minute yoga class, Su Dong and Ronnie learned 18 poses in one go, which was said to be a complete set of 60-minute yoga courses. They will continue to follow this course for some time to come.
The homework is to practice on your own for 60 minutes after you go home tonight, and the teacher will check it tomorrow.
The moment Melissa announced the end of get out of class, Su Dong and Ronnie looked at each other and saw two words in each other's eyes.
disappointment!
For teenagers of their age, practicing yoga is really not a fun thing.
…
…
"How was it? You guys went to practice yoga this morning. How was the result?"
In the afternoon, as soon as I walked into the gym, Pepe came over and asked curiously.
Judging from his expression, if it really worked, he would definitely sign up for the class secretly.
"Yeah, that's great. I really regret not practicing earlier." Ronnie said with a feeling of regret that he had met him too late.
"Although I have only practiced for two sessions, I tell you, Pepe, I have a feeling that when I have learned the whole set of yoga moves, I will no longer be afraid of you on the court."
Pepe was a little surprised. Is it really that magical?
He didn't quite believe Ronnie, so he turned to look at Su Dong, his eyes seemed to be asking, is what he said true?
Su Dong just smiled slightly and didn't give an answer, which made Pepe even more suspicious.
"And, let me tell you, Pepe, our yoga instructor is a great beauty with an amazing body." Ronnie said exaggeratedly. His expression made Su Dong suspect that he must be thinking of Jordana at this moment.
This time, Pepe nodded hurriedly, "I know this. I've heard before that most yoga instructors are women, and they all have great figures. I didn't expect you to be so lucky to meet a beautiful instructor."
After saying that, the guy even laughed meaningfully, and with his fat face, it was really a bit...
"Melissa, our yoga instructor's name, isn't it beautiful?"
"Beautiful." Pepe nodded. "Just from the name, I know she must be a beautiful and generous girl."
"More than that, I'm telling you, Pepe, if I didn't have a girlfriend, I would swear to chase her today."
After hearing this, Pepe really believed it and sighed with some regret, "That's indeed a pity."
Su Dong couldn't hold back his laughter, which made Pepe a little confused.
"Don't bother with him. Su's mind is filled with football. He has probably never even held a girl's hand, let alone a girlfriend. When he saw Melissa, he was completely stunned." Ronnie looked disappointed in Su Dong and despised him.
Pepe nodded and advised Su Dong: "You still need to work harder and have more confidence in yourself."
Su Dong nodded in acceptance on the surface, but he was actually cursing in his heart.
Bullshit confidence!
I'm going to chase a woman who's in her forties, almost fifty?
"Pepe, how about this, you go with us tomorrow?" Su Dong suggested.
Ronnie opened his eyes and lightly punched Su Dong. If Pepe saw it, how could he still fool him?
I usually stay on this island and train all the time. It is also quite enjoyable to fool Pepe.
"I want to practice with you guys, but you know, I have something to do in the morning."
Pepe has to work part-time in a restaurant in the morning and at noon, and only works part-time in the gym in the afternoon.
One person has to do two or three jobs while also playing football and training. This guy is really hardworking .
Su Dong knew that, not to mention Portugal, even on Madeira Island, there were at least dozens of Brazilian teenagers like Pepe who aspired to become professional football players. They all came here with the same dream.
But not everyone can leave the island.
Not everyone can become a professional player.