While most McLean students spend their Saturday mornings relaxing and sleeping in, the field hockey team is out bright and early. Not for practice, but for yoga. Led by the new assistant field hockey coach Safiya Armani Nawabzada, the Saturday yoga sessions are for players to get in some relaxed team bonding while also preparing them for the physically demanding week ahead.

The idea of Saturday yoga practices started last season, and since then Nawabzada has built on the idea making them more regular and structured.

“Last year we had yoga on Saturdays and they were alright,” junior Sophia Wallace said. “This year the yoga on Saturdays feels like an actual yoga lesson.”

These fun, morning wakeup calls are new and improved to the field hockey team after the occasional yoga practice in the year prior. Nawabzada is new to the McLean program, but she has been teaching yoga for 5 years.

“I’ve taught [yoga] to people in a corporate setting, middle schools and high schools which gives me some background knowledge on how to teach the field hockey team,” Nawabzada said.

Not only does Nawabzada lead yoga on Saturdays, she also joins in regular practices to run her dynamic warm ups and cool downs.

“I bring the energy to games,” Nawabzada said. “I watch over the warm ups and I know the team struggles with intensity sometimes.”

Players are grateful for the effort Nawabzada has put into warmups, and many can acknowledge how much it has affected performance.

“We’ve been super focused on making sure we don’t get injured and making sure that we’re properly prepared for our practices and games,” senior Karah Johnson said.

Even when she can’t make it to practice, her impact is prominent. The dynamic warm ups that Nawabzada has introduced have become a regular part of practice, replacing the old warm ups.

In addition to teaching yoga, Nawabzada has brought a sense of fun to warmups. She is not only helpful in flexibility, but helpful team building and enjoyment for the field hockey community.

“We always end with a community nap,” Nawabzada said. “It’s just a fun way to get the girls ready for the week ahead.”

Players look forward to these new exercises and relaxing practices as they feel like they are improving as an athlete.

“I feel like I can do the yoga poses better now, over time my flexibility has improved,” Wallace said. “This is definitely because of all the yoga we do.”

Nawabzada has added so much to the McLean field hockey community by contributing to team bonding practices and recovery exercises. Nawabzada brings energy to practice that will be looked forward to in seasons to come.

“I always try to end Saturday practice with a check in with the players,” Nawabzada said. “They tell me their goals for the week and a mental check in to make sure everyone is ready for the hard week ahead.”