You think your workout is complete and there is no need to incorporate yoga?
Think again!
There are actually plenty of good reasons to integrate yoga into your workout routine.
Read on for the details..
Is your workout making you flexible enough?
Let’s face it–a normal workout will build strength, stamina and endurance, but flexibility
lags far behind with such practices.
Together flexibility and strength make a deadly combination.
Yoga has the potential to give your body flexibility which will help you fight with much
more vigor.
You can also avert injuries–another good reason for you to do yoga.
While we are sleeping, fascia builds up.
It makes your body tight exposing one to injuries.
Yoga breaks fascia and hence protects you.
Apart from this, different types of yoga let your body develop in a myriad ways.
It helps you develop mental toughness–needed in a fight–or when stuck.
And it trains the mind to keep calm.
Now that you are aware of the benefits yoga can provide, here are a few ways you can
incorporate it into your workout routine…
Warm Up Your Body For Some Intense Workout
Yoga can activate your senses, especially when you have scheduled it in the wee hours of the day.
In the morning, when your body just isn’t ready for jumping jacks, yoga has proved itself fruitful.
You can begin with deep breathing before performing other poses.
It helps greatly by creating a larger room for oxygen eventually having an impact on your
overall workout.
This powers the workout with a good amount of blood throughout your body while also lowering
the blood pressure.
Best exercises for warm ups include child pose, cat cow stretch, bird dog, and some intense ones
like warrior-I, warrior-II, downward facing dog.
End with some restorative exercises like pigeon pose, lizard pose and needle-thread pose.
Help In Recovery Post Workout
You give ample time to your body to recover in between sets and otherwise by doing exercises
on alternate days.
Do you think it’s sufficient?
Practically, it isn’t.
Physical stress tests your endurance which you must build, but overdoing it may take a toll
on the body.
Practicing Shava Asana, a yoga pose, relaxes both mind and the body.
Taking deep breaths is a way to allow oxygen to travel far and wide in the body and thus plays
a vital role in physical restoration.
Yogis often believe in quick cleansing for physical restoration.
Don’t rush it.
Cleanse with body cleansing wipes and allow your body to cool down before you indulge
in the quintessential shower.
This brings us to the cooling down regime.
Yoga can be incorporated into that too.
Yoga can warm up your muscles and ligaments, reduce lactic acid in the muscles, and help
greatly in combating muscle soreness post workout.
A Full Day Can be Dedicated To Yoga
Indeed, it will be fruitful, if done sincerely.
On a day off from the hard core workout, don’t just laze around.
Practice yoga.
Or try to make space for yoga in your workout schedule.
Dedicate a minimum of 30 seconds and if possible an hour.
What it can do is interesting to note:
*You may have been practicing a side more than the other or favoring it more.
Yoga corrects the not so flexible part of the body.
*Adds a range of motion
*Builds strength
*Raises core strength in full body movements
Yoga Exercises You Should Do
Here are a few yoga poses with explanations to help you in your practice:
Bridge Pose
Bridge pose is a good warm-up exercise, good for the glutes.
You need strong glutes for strength, balance and preventing injuries.
Lie on your back.
Push feet into the floor, raise your hip.
Squeeze your glute cheeks.
Bridge pose boosts stability, develops muscular balance to aid in injury prevention.
Lizard Pose
Lizard pose increases hip-flexor length.
It can be done to warm up or to condition the muscles.
This pose employs upper body strength.
Get into an elbow plank position.
Bring right foot forward towards the right hand.
Hold on to this position.
Switch sides.
Puppy Pose
Puppy pose builds strength, improves back flexibility.
Start from quadruped position.
Bring your forearms to the floor and hips up.
Try to make your legs as straight as possible.
Push chest backwards towards the legs.
Your calves and ankles also benefit by becoming more flexible.
Boat Pose
Boat pose helps in strengthening the core.
Sit on the ground/mat with back leaning backwards at an angle of 45 degrees.
With feet firmly on the ground and knees bent, straighten your arms, keeping them
beside your thighs.
Keep back straight, core tight and belly button pushed in.
Want to make it more challenging?
Lift your feet and make legs straight.
Before a workout, there is nothing better than this to activate the core muscles when you hold it
for a short time.
If you can hold it for a long time, it will make the core really strong.
Child Pose
Kneel down on the floor.
Bring your big toes together and sit down on the heels. keep your knees hip-distance apart.
Push forward and place your hands on the floor.
Lengthen your front torso, then lift the tailbone to push upwards.
Hold for 1-3 minutes.
Feel the stretch all along your posterior.
It is a relaxing pose.
Good for lower back stretch.
And Finally…
The Corpse Pose
No, it isn’t for flexibility.
It just can’t do that.
This is a yoga pose for allowing your body to recover well.
This time can be utilized for overcoming stress caused, if any.
How will yoga help in the long run?
Incorporating yoga into your workout will yield better, faster results.
It can also add a holistic angle, helping you have a relaxed workout and life thereon.
Final Thought
Presuming you have made up your mind to incorporate yoga, make sure the one who is training
you is actually a trained professional or else you will not reap the benefits.
Remember, proper technique is extremely important when one is doing yoga.
About the Author
Rebecca Dawson is a fitness coach with a masters degree from the Univ. Her passion revolves around encouraging others rediscover their lifestyle and inspire them to live a healthy lifestyle. Her keen interest in health can be seen in her writing. You can read her views on the use of tea tree oil soap, body wipes and sports specific products.
Do you practice yoga?
How do you incorporate yoga into your lifestyle?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
Thanks for this. I’m getting ready to start incorporating regular yoga into my fitness routine. I’m starting with a 30 day challenge tomorrow with my boyfriend. Thanks for sharing on Coffee and Conversations 🙂
Starting a workout using Yoga is more suitable for my needs. Every single picture is beautiful and serene. The people in the photos looks calm and happy. Beautiful post
I do yoga every day. As a 58 year old Crossfit athlete, it is essential! I need to always be working on flexibility and range of motion. My day just isn’t the same if I don’t do at least 10 minutes of yoga in the morning!