Fitness Flash: Yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga Poses.

Photo Credit: Google

To consider yoga “intense” is an understatement. Instead of asking your physical body to do all of the work like in most aerobics classes, yoga asks that you work with your body and your mind too. It sounds rigorous because we can go about our daily lives without really listening to ourselves and paying attention to our needs. The idea is to listen to your body to achieve inner peace within yourself.

Yoga is one of my favorite workouts. I’m down with its relaxing, soothing approach, but as I’m also a runner, I also like how it stretches my upper and lower extremities nicely so I can prevent cramps, ACL tears, and other common running injuries. Yoga doesn’t only relax your nervous system, but it can also stretch and strengthen different body parts that you work over time. Each pose pays special attention to stretch and strength a different body region.  The key is to finding out what type of yoga works for you.

“Wow, I could use that. But, it still wouldn’t be any good for me.  I might fall over in Tree Pose and the entire class might laugh at me. ”

You shouldn’t worry about what people think because everyone there is in the same boat and trying to focus on their own needs. If you’re still nervous, you might want to try some yoga asanas (or poses) at home to get the hang of times before you sign up for your first class.

When you sign up for your first class, I would advise going to an actual yoga studio for the full benefit. Just google Yoga Studios near “insert your zip code here” and you’re set.

The most fascinating thing about yoga is that it never gets boring either. because it constantly challenges you. You’re constantly using visualization as you focus on meeting your needs and goals. The physical postures that you hold (or poses) are the exact same through each of the several different styles of yoga. However, each yoga style has a particular emphasis.  I hope the more popular ones below will help tailor the ideal yoga style for you.

Yoga Styles

Hatha - Hatha is the most basic and great for beginners. It focuses on the “eight limbs” (Yama = Regarding morals towards others. Niyama = Regarding morals towards oneself, Asana = Yoga poses, Pranayama = breathing exercises, Pratyahara = Withdrawal of the senses, meaning that the exterior world is not a distraction from the interior world, Dharana = Concentration, Dhyana = meditation, Samadhi = Bliss. Once dharana is achieved, this is is what is expected through meditation as the self aligns with the universe. This is also known as enlightenment.) Each limb relates to an aspect of achieving a healthy and fulfilling life.

Hatha is slow and relaxing, and is great for beginners and those interested in meditation.  If you are (or were most recently) pregnant, prenatal hatha classes would be your best as it can relieve lower back tension and can reduce swelling.

Vinyasa - Vinyasa is based on a series of poses and breathing-synchronized exercises called Sun Salutations. The technique is sometimes called Vinyasa Flow too, because of the smooth flow that the poses run together and almost become a dance. A Vinyasa yoga teacher will typically instruct their students to do a series of Sun Salutations to warm up the body for some intense stretching afterwards.   I heard this is a great class for those of you who like unpredictability in your yoga practice.

Ashtanga - This movement is also called flow. It is an intense movement from  one pose to the next. If a class is described as Power Yoga, it will be based on the flowing style of Ashtanga, but not necessarily strictly to Astanga. Great for immediate or advanced yogis.

Iyengar - This form of yoga practice was based on the ancient teachings of yogi B.K.S. Iyengar and focuses on body alignment. As you may have learned from general aerobics classes, even, correcting your body form is important for achieving optimal results and Iyengar helps teach your body how it should be positioned when practicing poses.  Props like blocks may be used too. Great for advanced yogis or anyone interested in anatomy or kinesiology.

Kundalini -This form of yoga practice focuses on breath and movement, challenging the body to untap energy (prana) at the base of the spine that can be drawn up through the body awakening of the seven chakras. This is more of a spiritual type of yoga, as it focuses on meditation, breathing, and chanting exclusive mantras. Are you up for the physical and mental challenge?

Bikram - This form of yoga practice was pioneered by Bikram Choudhury and his method is also known as hot yoga, which is a series of twenty-six yoga poses, including two pranyama exercises, each of which is performed twice in a single ninety minute class. Bikram is practiced in a room where the temperature can reach as high as 95-100 tempratures. Routine practice can rid your body of toxins and help make your body more flexible.  This is more suited for immediate to advanced yogis.  Wear loose clothing, take your own mat or towel, and drink plenty of water. It’s advised that you don’t practice bikram if you’re pregnant, since it can raise core body temperature.

Yoga Benefits

Aside from deep relaxation and concentration, yoga can also benefit you far beyond the nervous system. Here are some other reasons to pick up on a good habit!

• Aside from deep relaxation and concentration, yoga can benefit you far beyond the nervous system. Yes, true, there are some poses where various conditions are contraindicated and we will go over this later. But, most yoga poses put gentle pressure on our internal organs and help them to function properly. Example, gentle pressure on the digestive system can promote peristalsis and can deep relaxation may just be what you need to lower your blood pressure and protect your heart.
• You can replace a negative habit with a positive habit. A negative habit is something that you do constantly, even though you know it’s harming you, but you still do it, anyway. Take staying up late for no reason or smoking. Yoga and meditation can actually help you regain mental balance and focus on your goals. Yes, you won’t go insane and you can regain control of your life.
• You can lose weight. Oh, wow. REALLY!?  Keep reading. Although yoga itself doesn’t necessarily you lose weight, regular practice of it can help you cultivate a healthy lifestyle to lead you well on your way. Weight loss is more of a lifestyle change monitered by routine diet, exercise, and positive affirmation. As yoga helps you regain focus, this will help you make you mentally stronger from the poses and meditation which will help you get better control of your new lifestyle.
• You can be wiser. When you first sit down, I can guarantee that your first session won’t be easy. It wasn’t for me. When you really sit down and allow yourself to listen to yourself, you will realize that you will have all of these thoughts racing to your head. Maybe they are the same as your best friend, or maybe it’s something completely different. This is natural. Good thoughts or bad thoughts, the important thing to realize is that we all make mistakes that we can regret. There is nothing that we can do about the past. Instead, we can mentally focus throughout the poses and meditation and sort out our thoughts and build up our capacity to see what deserves permanent value and what is transitory. When we regain this state, you may realize that it’s possible to live a life of “no regrets.”

Meditation will present you with the ability to listen to that little voice that you’ve been silencing for so long. This little voice can be a bridge of wisdom for you which can help focus your mind on making decisions that won’t only positively benefit yourself, but others as well.

Reese Witherspoon, en route to Yoga.

Photo Credit: Google.

What should I wear?

When you’re a guy, the benefits might just be enough to sway your decision. When you’re a girl, you’re now deciding what should you wear and what to bring.  Try wearing loose clothing that’s moisture wicking, which can evaporate sweat from the skin much faster.  And nobody knows yoga better than LuluLemon! All of their yoga tanks, tops, capris, and pants are made from moisture-wicking fibers (like luon and luxtreme).

One downside that I don’t like about LuluLemon is the price. Although the quality is superior, some people may still not prefer to shell out $68-$98 for a pair of yoga pants. My best pick for an alternative is the Aerie Fit line at Aerie. They are made of good material, and some of the styles are very similiar to a pair of yoga pants from LuluLemon. Plus, as Aerie is from American Eagle, you know you can always can count on a great sale or discount when you need it.

Coming soon: Yoga Pose of the Week

Each week, I will share with you one of my favorite yoga poses and will talk about how you can do it and the benefits of doing it over time. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile,  what did you think of this post? Do you practice yoga at home or do you go to a class?  Share your yoga experiences in the comments with us!