Yoga and Fitness

Anyone who has been taking yoga classes for any amount of time will probably tell you they feel much more fit then they did before taking yoga classes. This is because of the holistic ideals behind yoga and how the holistic side of yoga actually creates a fit body from head to toe.

- Yoga Fitness:

Fitness yoga is the discipline of strength training through core exercises. This can range from focusing on very specific parts of the body or focusing on a more holistic approach that includes the entire mind and body. Either way will get you fit, and it is probably good to have a combination of the two if you are serious about using yoga postures to keep fit.

- Power Yoga:

Power yoga definitely belongs in the fit category of yoga practice. Power yoga is a form of yoga that uses the yoga body postures, but in an accelerated succession of these postures. This will allow the body to strengthen very quickly, and stay very fit, but as you might have guessed, this type of yoga takes time and practice to master. This is because there are many yoga positions that must be mastered so you can do the yoga poses in a smooth succession.

- Staying Fit with Breathing:

One of the key features of yoga, whether it is yoga for meditation, strength or fitness or all three, is that yoga is about breathing. That is to say you need to breath properly while completing the different yoga poses. This is an added benefit to staying fit with yoga, because yoga will actually help you to breath more properly while doing other exercises as well, and will remind you to breath properly throughout the entire day, promoting fitness.

- Some of the Different Types of Yoga Fitness Include:

- Ashtanga Yoga is a type of yoga that means eight limbs. It is a quick paced yoga style, and is one of the more intense types of yoga. It is based on a progressive set of sequences of asanas which are synchronized with proper breathing. This is one of the more physically demanding types of yoga available.

- Power Yoga is seen as a western interpretation of yoga and is based on Ashtanga yoga. It also involves a series of poses in succession of each other.

- Vinyasa Yoga, which means breath synchronized movement is another intense type of yoga that is fast paced with an emphasis on breathing techniques. This type of yoga may begin with sun salutations and then might move to intense stretching exercises.

- Bikram Yoga is also known as hot yoga and is practiced in 105 degree heated rooms. Typically, this yoga session includes 26 different poses and is often practiced with a Bikram Yoga class. The hot temperatures will loosen muscles and there would obviously be profuse sweating as well. Some of the appeal to this type of yoga is the idea that it also cleanses the body due to the intense perspiration in the 105 degree temperature room.

- In Conclusion:

There are a lot of different types of yoga out there, and for fitness, there is no shortage of yoga styles that will suite your needs. We recommend trying them all out, and then deciding which one is best for you. Remember that yoga will provide an overall fitness that is hard to match with other types of fitness exercises.

By: Seth Daugherty

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