Vivian finds serenity through sports yoga sessions

KUALA LUMPUR: These days, women’s doubles shuttler Vivian Hoo is a picture of poise and calm.

This is not surprising as the 23-year-old Vivian and her team-mates in the women’s doubles department have been attending sports yoga sessions for the last one month at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara.

The sessions are conducted by sports psychologist Sivalingam Wan Daiyar V and his team. Sivalingam is the head of the alternative therapy and clinical psychology with the National Sports Institute (NSI).

Vivian hopes that these sessions would, in some way, help her prepare to make her debut in the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, from Aug 5-11.

Vivian, who will partner Woon Khe Wei in the women’s doubles, has attended three sessions so far and seems happy with the new approach that teaches her to relax and deal with her emotions.

“It’s something new that we’ve been doing for the last few weeks. I was hesitant initially but then I was also open to anything that could help me improve as a player.

“For now, I’m enjoying it,” said Vivian, who won the 2011 Indonesian Open Grand Prix Gold with Khe Wei.

“We do stretching ... but it’s an extension of what we used to do in the past.

“We combine it with a proper way of breathing. In a way, it teaches us to be calm and more focused.”