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Why Your Favourite Stars Practise Yoga and Mindfulness

Footballers, pop stars, superheroes and a gaming legend also need a moment. Meet seven familiar faces who have spoken about yoga or meditation—and find your own reason to try.

Published 22 September 2026 By Gopala Amir Yaffa
Even stars need a moment. Colourful Rainbow Yoga illustration with a star, game controller and musical notes. Big lives. Busy minds. Room to breathe.
Original banner illustration by Rainbow Yoga. Celebrity photo credits appear beside each photograph.

Erling Haaland scores a goal. The crowd erupts. And one of football’s most recognisable strikers sits down in a meditation pose.

Some goal celebrations involve sliding across the grass. This one comes with a reminder to breathe.

Your brain has seventeen tabs open. One is replaying something awkward you said yesterday. Another is worrying about tomorrow. Three appear to be playing music. Meanwhile, your shoulders have crept so high they are practically wearing your earrings.

Sound familiar? Famous people have busy minds and human bodies too. Behind the goals, concerts, films and livestreams are people finding ways to settle themselves, enjoy moving and cope with a lot going on. You might recognise a few of their reasons from an ordinary Tuesday.

Yoga, which has roots in Indian philosophy, can bring together movement, breathing and meditation. Meditation is a way of practising attention or awareness. Mindfulness means noticing what is happening now with a little less judgement. Think: noticing that you are frustrated before your controller finds out. These practices overlap; each person below uses them a little differently.

Haaland’s goal celebration About yoga About meditation and mindfulness

Football · Meditation

Erling Haaland makes space in his mind

The Norwegian striker brings enormous energy to football. Away from the action, he also values the chance to relax. In Manchester City’s January 2026 magazine, he explained:

“As for meditation, in the end, it's about having freedom in your mind.”
Erling Haaland playing football in 2023. Photo: Jacek Stanislawek, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Jacek Stanislawek · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the same interview, Haaland talked about the stress people carry and the difficulty of properly relaxing both mind and body. His interest in meditation makes sense alongside the demands of his sport: it gives him a way to make room for stillness in a very busy life.

For a young football fan, that is a useful image to carry. You can love a fast, competitive game and also enjoy a quiet pause. Before your next match, feel your feet on the ground and notice a comfortable breath. Your boots are ready. Give the rest of you a moment to arrive.

Read the source: David Clayton’s interview with Haaland, City Magazine, January 2026

Music · Yoga and meditation

Dua Lipa finds her feet between shows

Dua Lipa’s life includes travel, rehearsals and stages big enough to make most school assemblies look cosy. In her own Service95 newsletter, she credited her yoga teacher Annie Landa with helping her stay:

“strong, grounded and focused”
Dua Lipa performing in 2022. Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0.
Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Existing source crop.

She wrote about yoga helping her through intense days before and after shows. Later, she created a yoga session and a guided meditation for her podcast’s summer series, explaining that these practices were among the ways she found calm when life felt hectic.

There is something wonderfully ordinary about that. A person whose job involves being watched by thousands still needs time to check in with herself. Apparently, being a pop star does not come with an automatic inner-peace button.

Your version could be a comfortable stretch after dance practice, or moving to a favourite song when you get home. Pay attention to what your body enjoys. Your yoga mat is one place where nobody needs you to deliver a five-star performance.

Read the source: Dua Lipa’s own words, Service95, 31 March 2022 Dua’s yoga and meditation summer series, 5 August 2022

Gaming · Meditation

Faker practises pausing before playing

Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, is a star of competitive League of Legends. Asked about his morning routine in a 2024 interview with LoL Ninja, he said:

“When I wake up in the morning, I make a habit of meditating.”

English translation of the interview’s published Japanese text.

Faker at Worlds 2024. Interview frame: LLA, CC BY 3.0.
LLA · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

He also acknowledged that he does not manage it every day. In earlier reporting about his work with Team Razer, ONE Esports described his use of stretching, meditation and attention to breathing before matches to help him focus.

That detail about missing days matters. Even a gaming legend can have an imperfect routine. A missed morning is a missed morning. You have not been permanently banned from breathing.

Between games, try putting the controller down, uncurling your hands and noticing what is happening in your body. Jaw clenched? Shoulders up? Stomach asking whether lunch is ever coming? You are the person playing the game, and you get to decide when that person needs a break.

Read the source: LoL Ninja’s interview with Faker, 2 November 2024 ONE Esports reporting on Faker and Team Razer, 16 February 2022

Films · Yoga and meditation

Emma Watson leaves room for life to be messy

Many of us met Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: prepared, determined and usually several chapters ahead. In her British Vogue interview, Watson described practising ashtanga yoga and using meditation to work on being more comfortable with uncertainty:

“But to be more OK with the messiness of life is something I’ve been trying to learn through meditation”
Emma Watson at Tribeca in 2012. Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0.
David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

That is a reassuring reason to practise. Even the person who played Hermione is learning to live with things she cannot neatly organise. Somewhere, a colour-coded revision timetable has just fainted.

A balance pose gives you a tiny experiment. Stand comfortably, use a wall if you like, and explore lifting one foot a little. Wobble? Congratulations: you have located your balance by temporarily misplacing it. Notice how you talk to yourself. Would you speak that way to a friend? You can try again, ask for support or laugh and put both feet down.

Read the source: Violet Henderson’s British Vogue interview, originally in the September 2015 issue

Films · Meditation and mindful movement

Chris Hemsworth makes time for stillness

Yes, Thor. In a 2023 Men’s Health interview, Chris Hemsworth spoke about giving more attention to his wellbeing, including meditation, breathing practices and:

“making time for stillness”
Chris Hemsworth at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024. Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

He also described surfing as a favourite way to become absorbed in the present moment. His account opens up a helpful possibility: paying attention can happen through movement as well as sitting quietly.

Try noticing the feeling of your arms reaching or your body moving through a gentle stretch. Your brain may wander off to snacks. When you notice, you can come back. Nobody needs a superhero costume for this. Or superhero muscles. Your actual body, as it is today, is welcome.

Read the source: Ben Court’s interview with Chris Hemsworth, Men’s Health, October/November 2023

Basketball · Yoga and meditation

LeBron James looks after the person inside the player

LeBron James has publicly demonstrated yoga at an NBA event for children. He has also spoken about meditation during a particularly difficult time: the NBA’s 2020 pandemic bubble, when players spent long periods away from family.

“For me, meditating helps a lot.”
LeBron James at a press conference in 2010. Photo: SRA Sheila deVera, US public domain.
SRA Sheila deVera · Public domain in the US · Wikimedia Commons

In remarks reported by Lakers Nation and republished by SportsCity, he described breathing and centring himself. He also emphasised the value of talking to his children and his mother.

That combination matters. A quiet practice can sit alongside the comfort of people who know and love you. You might stretch after a hard day and still need to say, “Actually, something happened and I want to talk.” Your heart gets a vote too. Even very strong people need their people.

Read the source: LeBron’s remarks reported on 9 September 2020 NBA’s official video of LeBron doing yoga with children, 16 April 2009

Public life · Yoga as part of a varied movement routine

Michelle Obama keeps movement enjoyable

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has spoken about including yoga among different ways of moving. In an NPR interview, she described varying her activities so she would not get bored:

“I try to make it fun”
Michelle Obama, official White House portrait in 2013. Photo: Chuck Kennedy, US public domain.
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy · Public domain in the US · Wikimedia Commons

The same answer included doing a little yoga. Her reason is refreshingly practical: enjoyment helps movement belong in everyday life.

A yoga class can have music, laughter and room for your ideas. Invent an animal sequence with a friend. Make a circle of tree poses and see how many different trees you can become. A forest would be rather dull if everyone insisted on being the same pine. Enjoying yourself belongs in this picture.

Read the source: NPR’s interview with Michelle Obama, 7 June 2012, via North Country Public Radio

There is room for you here too

Put these stories together and the picture becomes quite welcoming. Footballers, musicians, actors, gamers and public figures have found different reasons to practise. Some value stillness. Others enjoy movement, focus or a familiar routine in an unpredictable day.

Their stories cannot promise you a Golden Boot, a world tour or a miraculous jump in your gaming rank. They are personal experiences, and different people feel different benefits. What they do show is that taking time to move, breathe and notice yourself fits into all sorts of lives.

You can be sporty, artistic, loud, shy, restless or still figuring yourself out. You can arrive with stiff legs and a busy mind. You can ask for an easier version, keep your eyes open or decide that today you would rather move than sit. Touching your toes is optional. They already know you are there.

At Rainbow Yoga, we want that sense of welcome to reach the whole circle. A favourite celebrity can spark your curiosity. Then your own body, thoughts and feelings get a say. Does this feel good? Is it interesting? Would moving with a friend make it more fun? You are allowed to find your own way in.

Your turn · One minute · No special gear

Try a one minute pause together

Here is a simple invitation to explore with a friend, your family or your class. It is our suggested activity, rather than a routine attributed to any of the people above.

  1. Choose a comfortable position, seated or standing. Notice where your body meets the chair or floor.
  2. Let your breathing stay easy. Notice a few breaths without forcing them. If you prefer, listen for three sounds around you instead.
  3. Add a small movement that feels comfortable: roll your shoulders, reach gently or give your hands a shake. With a friend, take turns choosing a movement you both want to try.
  4. Notice how you feel. Calmer? Wrigglier? Exactly the same but now aware that you need a snack? There is no correct answer. Share one word, keep it to yourself or pass.

Then get on with being you. The pitch, the music, the game and the rest of your day will still be there. You are allowed a moment in the middle of it.

Keep exploring

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