AP

The Cowboys, who have had their share of soft-tissue injuries the past few seasons, are trying something new. They are incorporating yoga into training camp.

“It’s certainly something that’s been a part of getting yourself physically ready to play for a long time,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “Flexibility is important, so you have different ways that you try to do. We’ve had yoga teachers in the past at [their home training facility]. We’ve had different people stretch our players, our strength coaches, then people from the outside. One of the challenges you have with a shortened down offseason is there’s only so many things you can do and we really emphasize the strength and conditioning, a running program and also what we’re doing with football, so you try to find spots with adding these kinds of things to your program, but our team has embraced it.”

The non-special teams players went through a half-hour session while the special teams players participated in a walk-through Saturday morning. The special teams players then worked with Los Angeles-area instructor Stacey Hickman once their practice ended.

Garrett said the Cowboys will make yoga a regular part of the training camp schedule, with sessions on special teams-only walk-throughs.

“Everybody is cool with it,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “Everybody is a manly man, and understand this is just to prolong their career.”

Hickman works with left tackle Tyron Smith in the offseason. Lewis and several other players also do yoga as part of their individual wellness plan.