What yoga style is right for your fitness goal?
Yoga can be a great way to improve your
overall fitness and health. But where do you start? Dr. Robin Armstrong,
Vancouver Chiropractor and Yoga Instructor, highlights 4 styles of yoga :
Hatha, Power Flow, Yin, and Restorative, with an example pose of each style.
Goal: Increased
Fitness, Solution: Yoga
You’ve finished with the leftover
turkey, started saying no to seconds at the dinner table, and dusted off your
running shoes. It’s that time of year again – time to get back to
your fitness routine. The New Year is an excellent time to
evaluate your routine and set your
fitness goals for the upcoming
year.
Variety in your activities ensures
that you will keep your interest high and your fitness even
higher. Whether you are cross training to support your sport, or
have specific goals such as increasing your strength, mobility, or balance, it
is important to choose activities that specifically support your goals.
Yoga is increasingly becoming a
popular mind-body fitness trend. Owning incense and flexible
hamstrings are not a prerequisite however. From elite athletes
to those seeking to age gracefully, yoga can be an excellent addition to your
fitness routine and can help you work towards attaining specific fitness goals.
The popularity of yoga has resulted
in many different styles of yoga that provide a variety of
benefits. Most styles of yoga will include elements that increase
strength, improve balance, decrease tension and stress, and increase breath
awareness. Certain styles tend to highlight one or more of these
areas more brightly.
Your Goal: Improve Cardiovascular Fitness
Your
Yoga: Power Flow
Power Yoga, also known as Flow Yoga, or Vinyasa Yoga, is known for its continuous flowing style linking one movement to the next. This continuous flow allows your heart rate to stay elevated as you move from one pose to the next. Your heart rate may not get as high as on your favorite trail run, but imagine the concept of circuit training, moving from one exercise to the next, so that your heart rate stays continuously elevated.
The Sun Salutation
In the sun salutation series, you
move from standing, to a forward fold, step to a push up, lower to the floor,
back bend from the floor, then into downward dog pose (making a ‘v’ shape with
your body).
Stand with feet together, big toes
touching but heels slightly apart so that the sides of the feet are parallel.
On an inhale breath seep your arms out and up creating the shape of a sun rise,
looking up at the palms. On an exhale breath, dive forward, hinging
at the hips, allowing your hands to move to wards the floor, coming into a
forward bend. Inhale, bringing the hands to the shins as you look
up, lengthening the spine. Exhale and place the palms firmly onto
the floor, stepping back to a high push up with arms straight. Lower
slowly down to the floor, keeping the body in one firm piece –no sagging or
popping up in the hips. Inhaling, press into the palms so that the
chest comes up off the floor but the hips stay on the floor, lifting your upper
body into a back bend. Exhale, curl the toes under and push the hips
up and back so that you are making a ‘V’ with your body and the weight is
equally distributed between your hands and feet. Let your head be in
line with the spine.
Breath here in Downward Facing Dog
pose for five breaths.
Next we will reverse all the
motions. Step your feet to meet your hands on an
exhale. Inhale the hands to the shins again, looking
up. Exhale fold forward once again. Inhale raise the arms
up above the head, returning to standing, and then exhale the hands to the
sides.
Repeat 3-5 times.
Your Goal: Improve Balance and Coordination
Traditionally yoga is more than just the physical poses but also encompasses breathing and meditation exercises, as well as a belief system and ‘code of conduct’. Hatha is the traditional word to describe the physical component of yoga. In Western society Hatha has come to represent a specific style of yoga that takes a little more time moving from pose to pose. The standing poses challenge your balance and proprioception – the sense of where your body is in space.
A recent study in the Journal of Strength
and Conditioning examined the effect of a regular yoga program in young
adults. Specifically they followed participants over 8 weeks,
looking at upper and lower body strength, co ordination, and
balance. The researchers found substantial increases in balance – up
to a 228% increase - and increased co-ordination, particularly in the lower
limb musculature of the knee extensors.
Eagle
in a Tree
Start standing with both feet firmly
rooted on the mat. Pick up your right leg and cross your thigh over
your left so that you are standing on your left foot only. Bring
your palms together at your chest and slowly begin to sit lower and lower into
Eagle Pose. Breathe here for 5 breaths.
Without touching your foot down, uncross
your top leg and bring the sole of your right foot to the inside of your left
shin. Imagine your right hip opening so that the knee can point out
to the side. Press your foot into your leg, and feel your leg
pressing back into your foot for Tree pose. Breathe here for 5
breaths then slowly lower your foot to the mat. Switch sides.
Your Goal: Increase
Flexibility Your
Yoga: Yin
Yin Yoga is one of the newer yoga
styles on the yoga scene. The name comes from the concept of Yin and
Yang, opposites. The Taoist interpretation of the body is that there
are Yin and Yang tissues of the body. Muscles are Yang, connective tissues and
joints are Yin. The theory is that Yin and Yang tissues do not
respond to training in the same way, and to get improved results all tissues
need to be targeted in specific ways.
Yin Yoga attempts to target the connective
tissue of the hips, pelvis and lower spine. Yin postures are held three to five
minutes at a time. In a Power Yoga or Hatha class you may
practice as many as 20 or 30 different poses. In a Yin Yoga class
you may only practice 10 different poses. The emphasis is on a
deeper ‘opening’ or increase range of motion in the joints. Yin Yoga
is also a great complement to a more ‘yang’ practice of Power Yoga.
Butterfly
Pose
When practicing Yin Yoga on your own, it
is helpful to get a timer so that you don’t constantly disturb yourself by
looking at a clock. Set the timer for at least 2 minutes up to 5
minutes.
Sitting on the floor, bring the heels of
your feet together. Move the heels at least one foot away from your
groin, making a diamond shape with your legs. Softly fold forward,
draping your body over your legs. Breathe here, allowing your breath to
soften you in the pose. If you are feeling discomfort in your knees,
adjust the position of your feet either closer or further away. You
may also support your head or under your knees with cushions. Hold
for 2-5 minutes.
Your Goal: Decrease and Manage Stress
Your
Yoga: Restorative
It is now commonly accepted that
stress can be extremely damaging to our bodies. In Restorative Yoga,
props are used to support the body. The poses create specific
physiological responses, which can reduce the effects of stress-related
disease. Things like blankets, pillows, chairs, and the wall are
used to allow you to fully rest in poses, while at the same time increasing
range of motion and flexibility.
A recent study examining the use of
Iyengar Yoga (a style that utilizes a number of props) to control depression
found that participants had significant reductions in depression, anger, and
anxiety.
Supported
Backbend
For this pose you will either need a
sausage shaped pillow, known as a bolster, or a thick blanket that you can roll
up to approximately 2-3 feet long and ½ to 1 foot
wide. Set up the pillow or blanket so that when you lie back on it,
your head is supported and it is just above your waist. Lie back,
allowing your feet to flop open, legs apart. Take your arms away
from your sides with palms facing up. Breathe naturally, closing
your eyes. Similar to the Yin poses, you may find it useful to use a
timer so that you can relax into the pose, holding for 2-5minutes.
Yoga
can be a great tool to bring variety to your workouts, achieve your fitness
goals, and increase your overall health. When you choose activities that
specifically target your goals, you will be much more effective at achieving
the outcome you desire.
