Alaric Jackson isn’t your typical NFL story. He didn’t arrive in the league with a first-round pedigree or a guaranteed roster spot. He came in as an undrafted free agent in 2021, carved out a role on the Los Angeles Rams, earned a Super Bowl LVI ring, and then spent the next several years proving that the hardest-won success is also the most durable.
Through blood clots, adversity and the grind of an NFL season, Jackson has leaned on one practice that doesn’t show up in highlight reels but is essential for every Sunday he plays: yoga.
Jackson has been practicing yoga for six years, having started during his college days at Iowa. What began as a complement to his football training has since become one of the cornerstones of how he maintains his body and his mind throughout the demanding stretch of an NFL season. For a left tackle protecting a quarterback’s blind side, that kind of discipline is essential.
The Physical Demands on an NFL Offensive Lineman
To understand why mobility work matters so much for Jackson, it helps to understand what’s being asked of his body on any given Sunday. Offensive linemen absorb contact on nearly every play of a game. They fire out of a stance, lock up with defenders, redirect, absorb bull rushes and execute blocks on the move, all in a sport where the collision rates are higher than in any other team-based contact sport.
The career odds aren’t in any lineman’s favor. According to the NFL Players’ Association, the average NFL lineman’s career lasts just 3.3 years. That context makes Jackson’s trajectory, entering his fifth year, earning a three-year, $57.75 million contract extension in early 2025, all the more remarkable. He hasn’t just survived the league’s physical demands. He’s thrived despite them.
For linemen specifically, the hips, lower back and shoulders carry an enormous burden. These are the joints most taxed by the repetitive, multidirectional nature of pass protection and run blocking. Keeping those joints healthy and mobile is a professional necessity.
What Yoga Actually Does for a 300-Pound Athlete
There’s a common misconception that yoga is primarily about stretching, or that it’s better suited to smaller, more flexible athletes. The science and the experience of NFL players tells a different story. Yoga improves joint mobility, muscle strength and proper body alignment, all of which directly reduce the risk of common football injuries such as sprains and muscle pulls.
The key concept is what sports medicine professionals call joint integrity. James Collins, Director of Football and Medical Services for the Los Angeles Chargers and a 31-year NFL athletic trainer, has explained that yoga lets the joint move in every direction it can, which is something linear stretching on the floor simply can’t replicate. For a left tackle whose hips are constantly twisting and redirecting to mirror pass rushers, that multidirectional mobility is the difference between a clean rep and a pulled muscle.
Yoga also keeps muscles pliable and accelerates recovery between games. Collins has noted that for football players going through a long season, consistent yoga practice helps the body maintain what it’s built, keeping players fresher and more functional late in the year when accumulated wear starts to take a toll.
Beyond the joints, research published in the International Journal of Yoga supports the integration of yoga as a practical, holistic option for sports rehabilitation. It doesn’t just restore range of motion. It improves neuromuscular coordination, corrects postural imbalances and, through breathwork, lowers cortisol levels that can otherwise delay healing.
Jackson’s Yoga Practice: Six Years and Counting
Jackson started doing yoga in college, well before it became a broader conversation in the NFL. That head start matters.
Yoga professionals who work with NFL athletes recommend at least two sessions per week during the offseason and consistent practice on recovery days throughout the regular season. Jackson built that habit early, which means it’s now second nature and a tool he reaches for automatically rather than something he has to be convinced to do.
For Jackson, the benefits haven’t been just physical. Yoga’s emphasis on breath, presence and mental focus carries over directly to what it takes to play offensive line at a high level. A left tackle has to process defensive alignments, make protection calls, anticipate stunts and remain composed in critical situations, all while moving at full speed against the best pass rushers in the world. The mental clarity that comes from a sustained yoga practice isn’t a soft benefit; it’s a competitive one.
Gwen Lawrence, founder of Power Yoga for Sport and a veteran of 18 seasons working with the New York Giants, has specifically identified the hips, neck and wrists as the priority areas for linemen in yoga practice, which are the exact zones that take the most punishment in Jackson’s position.
Overcoming Adversity: Blood Clots and the Test of Resilience
Jackson’s yoga practice has been tested in ways most athletes never face. He’s been diagnosed with blood clots twice since 2022, first in his lungs and then in his lower leg, a medical situation that would end many careers before they got started. Both times, he worked with the Rams’ medical staff to manage the condition, return to the field and continue starting.
During the 2025 season, even after dealing with the blood clots throughout the summer, Jackson started 19 of the Rams’ 20 games, including the playoffs. Head coach Sean McVay praised his consistency publicly, calling it a “tremendous tribute” to the work Jackson put in and describing him as a player who “has shown a mental toughness, a fortitude and a physical toughness” throughout the year.
That resilience earned him the Ed Block Courage Award, given annually to a player who exemplifies inspiration, sportsmanship and courage. It’s a recognition that goes beyond statistics. It speaks to how Jackson has approached his craft and his recovery with the same discipline he brings to the mat.
The connection between yoga and managing a body under physical stress isn’t coincidental. Research on yoga in sports rehabilitation shows that the practice can reduce recurring injury risk by helping athletes understand their bodies better and make intelligent adjustments to their training. For someone managing blood clot complications while trying to stay on the field, that body awareness is critical.
A Growing Trend Across the League
Jackson isn’t alone. The NFL’s relationship with yoga has shifted significantly over the past decade. What was once viewed skeptically and even dismissed as incompatible with the culture of professional football is now being embraced by teams and individual players across the league. Several franchises, including the Giants, Saints, Chargers, Browns and Cowboys, have formally incorporated yoga into their team training programs.
High-profile players like Tom Brady, LeBron James and Serena Williams have all spoken publicly about integrating yoga into their long-term performance and recovery plans. In professional football specifically, players at every position, from quarterbacks to defensive linemen, have credited the practice with helping them stay healthy and play longer.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has recommended that cross-training programs for athletes ideally incorporate cardiovascular exercise, strength training and a practice like yoga as complementary disciplines. For a league where the average career lasts just a few years, anything that extends longevity and reduces injury risk deserves serious attention.
Why It Matters Beyond the Game
Jackson’s investment in yoga and mobility isn’t just about maximizing what he can do on the field right now. It’s about the long game in football and beyond it. He’s returning to school to complete a leadership degree, invested in AI and technology, and has been active with the Boys and Girls Club. He’s thinking about who he is beyond the uniform.
The discipline that yoga requires, including the consistency, the patience, the willingness to slow down and pay attention, is the same discipline that drives everything else he’s building. A practice that started as a physical tool in college has become a philosophy: take care of the body, train the mind and show up every day ready to compete.
For Alaric Jackson, yoga and mobility aren’t sidebars to his NFL career. They’re part of the foundation that makes his success possible.
