“It has been a bit different,” said Blues forward Tyson Frizell when talking to Fox Sports about the introduction of yoga, breathing exercises, and ‘earthing’ into their training routine.
“We had yoga there on the first morning and a couple of breathing exercises, but it has been a breath of fresh air,” said an optimistic Frizell whilst in the NSW training camp.
While yoga and breathing exercises are not as foreign to some players, ‘earthing’ is a new practice to most, that involves connecting with the Earth in bare feet.
“Grounding is basically balancing out the spiritual and physical energy in your body, by connecting yourself with the earth,” explains wellness practitioner Alexis Hamer.
“Earthing allows a transfer of negatively charged electrons from the Earth’s surface into the body. Because earthing has shown to reduce blood viscosity (thickness) and inflammation, it has the potential to support cardiovascular health as well as improve immune response, reduce emotional stress and elevate moods to name a few.”
“Something different like that is really good and something the boys aren’t used to,” admitted Frizell.
The NSW lads will be hoping to carry their negatively charged electrons to a win tonight against a severely depleted Queensland side, with Billy Slater the latest big name to be left off the roster due to a hamstring injury.
NSW has only won the series once in the last 12 years, so Fitler will no-doubt be hoping his different approach, combined with traditional training methods, will give NSW the edge they need to clinch 2018’s series.