Yoga. Just the sound of the word can turn people off. I can picture my mom with her floor mat sitting cross legged and stretching her facial muscles and believe me the memory is not one I really care to have, so believe me when I say yoga and strength training are not two things I thought really belonged in the same sentence. But I can admit when I am wrong, and I am wrong on this one. Yoga isn't what I remember and to be honest, I think twenty or thirty years ago, it didn't get a good introduction to America.
As I said, times have changed. Now most gyms offer yoga classes and they aren't just about stretching, although 'just' the act of stretching can increase your strength and fitness all by itself. Yoga is a total mind-body connection experience that can really take you by surprise as you exit the class for the first time. You will be challenged and you will use muscles that you didn't even know existed. And you will be challenged no matter what type of yoga class you take.
So with that let me also say that all yoga is not created equal. There are classes that challenge you more and are more 'athletic' as opposed to stretching and breathing. If you take bikram, vinyasa, 'power yoga', or ashtanga yoga you are in for an endurance building challenge. Those are among the yogas that will give you more of a strenuous workout and can improve your core strength and give you cardio-vascular conditioning. That is accomplished by constant motion between the asanas (poses).
Because yoga techniques generally only work with body weight the entire practice is more 'gentle' with its demands upon you. For this reason it is often used as a therapeutic method to help with healing injuries and pains. The stretching combined with strengthening can help with all sorts of injuries from repetitive strains to back pains. As with any sort of training you don't want to just jump in without checking first with your doctor or therapist, but generally speaking, because of the nature of yoga, it is complimentary to most recommended courses of action for physical therapy.
Yoga classes can be found at most gyms, but you can also find a lot of instruction and videos that can take you through routines at home. I would recommend taking a class with an instructor for anyone who is interested in getting into it, because a certified instructor can help you understand the routines better and help prevent bad habits before they can start. Form is very important in all training and yoga is no exception.
So if you are looking for something to break up your regular routine (and I highly recommend changing up fitness habits to challenge your body) think about checking out a few yoga classes. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and glad you did.
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