yoga and fitness

Yoga is an effective way to maximize the joy of living in a fit and healthy body. Regular practice of yoga can give more flexibility, more stability and give your body good balance and strength.

Yoga: Need of the hour

Stress is the reason for many of the physical problems that we face today: it causes high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Yoga includes rhythmic breathing which helps release the stress from your system. This can lead to a gradual improvement in physical fitness.

Manifold effects of simple yoga asanas

The simple yoga positions gives a complex, effective and multi-dimensional training and toning to the body. For example: in the positions done on the floor: you simply lie and hold a position while you breathe and during those 40 (or more or less) seconds that the position lasts, your whole body gets a complex workout where most of the muscles of the body is trained and toned in a relaxed, soothing and aware manner.

The effects of yoga are, both, on the physical and mental level:

Physical level

• An improved blood circulation
• A stronger immunesystem
• Improved cardiovascular system, lymph system &respiratory system
• Less fatigue
• Balanced cholesterol level

Mental level

A peaceful mind complements a healthy body. Yoga releases the toxins that get accumulated in the cells of our body due to everyday stress. This makes the mind more calm and peaceful.

By regular yoga practice, you also start to burn unnecessary fat, so your cholesterol level is balanced. Another beautiful thing about the yoga practice is the feeling of freedom you get in the body and the mind as you become more centered, strong and flexible.

4 steps to a fit body with yoga

• A healthy body through yoga is just four steps away:
• Warm-up with joint movements.Includes light asanas
• Yoga postures. Can include sun salutations, Padmasadhana
• Relaxation: After practicing yoga, it is important to lie down and relax for a few minutes. Taking your attension to various parts of the body also helps.
• Pranayamas and meditation: Regularly doing pranayams and meditation adds to the positive effect of yoga.

Through this unique four-step yoga practice, your body can get a profound workout and relaxation. Practicing rhythmic breathing with yoga helps the mind to go deeper. This is a reason that many athletes today are incorporating yoga into their training programs.

When yoga is practiced in an authentic way with all the four steps intact you will feel a wonderful calmness and ease in your body and mind during the training and afterwards in your daily life. So the stress in your system gradually can leave you along with your physical problems that is caused by stress.

ow to pair yoga and strength training to reach any fitness goal you have

Yoga is one of the best things you can do to increase your overall health, on both a physical and mental level. Sometimes, though, fitness devotees want a little something extra within their workout week—whether it’s more sweat, more cardio, or something to just mix things up. The good news is that yoga pairs perfectly with all types of workouts, and fitness pros are sharing how to pair yoga and strength training (and other workout modalities) in order to reach your goals.

“The mental focus and awareness that yoga provides helps all athletes get into flow state and achieve that same focus in their sport,” says Lindsay Pirozzi, a New York City-based yoga instructor. Not only that, but practicing regular yoga fills your body with oxygen, increases your lung capacity and circulation, and boosts your posture, adds Kirschen Katz, a celebrity yoga instructor. “Every system in our body benefits. Yoga is excellent for increasing flexibility, muscle strength, and tone, and it boosts our energy and vitality,” she says.

Despite its many, many benefits, it’s smart to throw in at least one other type of workout into your sweat rotation to round things out. “While yoga marries well with any type of fitness regimen, there are specific styles to compliment each other in more efficient ways,” says Pirozzi. Here are the yoga pairings for all different fitness goals.

Iyengar yoga + running or cycling = better postural alignment

“Iyengar yoga is a form of yoga with a strong emphasis on precision and alignment with little attention to the breath,” says Katz, adding that it’s very slow-paced and simply hones in on your technique. “That’s why I like to pair it with something like running or cycling for cardiovascular activity so that you can get the benefits of cardio too.” Pirozzi adds that Iyengar yoga has a lot of standing postures, which helps a lot with balance. “That means it would pair well for golfers or other sports that require lots of balance,” she says.

Yin yoga + HIIT workouts = healthier fascia and joints

Katz notes that yin yoga is very important for helping connective tissue, joints, and fascia of the body. “It’s a static practice that is primarily done seated or lying down, and requires little muscular effort and zero calisthenics,” she says. “That’s why it would pair perfectly for those who run, cycle, do Crossfit, or any high-energy, very active bootcamp-like workouts.” Since these are harder on your joints, the static stretches of yin yoga help to repair the damage from the high-impact exercises.

Vinyasa yoga + weight training = better cardiovascular endurance

If you’ve ever taken a Vinyasa yoga class, you’ll know that it’s a more rhythmic, heart-pumping type of flow. “It’s a bit more rhythmic and gets the heartbeat up,” says Pirozzi. Since this type of yoga falls more into the cardio bucket, she recommends pairing it with weight lifting workouts. “Those who do slower weight-training workouts would benefit from giving their lungs some exercise in Vinyasa,” she says. Katz also prefers pairing vinyasa yoga with hiking, as it’s “meditative and more stamina-building, but not exhilarating like hard-core cardio.”

Restorative yoga + HIIT training = your grounding combo

“Restorative yoga is very passive, and acts as a meditative practice in which you hold poses for a much longer time than Vinyasa yoga,” says Katz, who notes that poses are typically held for upwards of 10 to 15 minutes. “It’s a slow, grounding practice that allows the body and muscles to relax and expand.” She likes to pair it with a HIIT workout regimen since it really winds you down and allows your body to recover after the intense exercises, acting as a sort of active stretch pairing for your muscles.

Hot yoga + any other workout = increased flexibility

Pirozzi says that hot yoga is particularly good for the senior athlete population, as well as weightlifters, runners, cyclers, and Crossfit devotees. “The external heat helps to expedite flexibility, which the other fitness programs can sometimes reduce since they contract the muscles,” she says. “While all yoga builds internal heat from sealing the lips when you breathe, the external heat helps to open things up a bit quicker.”

Try this beginner yoga flow to get you started:

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Some gyms and fitness studios reopen with precautions in place

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Not every gym and fitness studio chose to reopen on May 1, but for those who did, there are extra precautions in place.

One fitness studio, Pilates on Western, chose to reopen with measures like smaller class sizes and extensive cleaning.

Co-owner Gina Bruno-Dunn says she was ready to get back open as soon as possible.

“We felt like we could really control our space and make everybody safe,” she said.

There are lots of distancing measures in place. Only four people are allowed in each pilates class on spaced-out machines. A maximum of six people is allowed for barre and yoga classes so everyone can be spread out.

A significant amount of extra cleaning is taking place.

“We’ve always sanitized everything prior, we’ve just kind of upped the game, we’ve added steaming, we do the floors, we take our shoes off, we encourage everyone to wash their hands,” Bruno-Dunn said.

She says she’s not concerned about people exercising together.

“I feel like it’s a really controlled environment, you’re not really close enough to anyone that I feel like you could spread germs,” she said.

Some clients choose to wear masks when working out.

The studio moved to virtual classes during shelter-in-place, and they’re keeping that option if people don’t feel safe going in.

“Some clients have still continued to stay home and continue with the virtual. I think that that’s fine, everyone should do what they’re comfortable with. Everyone’s situation is different,” Bruno-Dunn said.

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Lockdown Transformed Her Into an Accidental Fitness Instructor

Kim Biddle used to roll out of bed to go running, laser-focused on a June triathlon. Now she starts her days doing yoga next to someone dressed like Elsa, the “Frozen” princess.

Like many people, Ms. Biddle, 37, has drastically changed her morning routine to adapt to coronavirus lockdown measures. She’s enlisted her daughters, ages 3 and 5, as yoga buddies.

yoga and fitness

Yoga and fitness

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Yoga and fitness- Adopting the language of yoga to your body