Selecting and Effectively Using a Yoga Class
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Selecting and Effectively Using Consistency in your yoga practice, whether taking a A Complete Physical Activity Program yoga class and/or doing yoga at home is key to A well rounded program of physical activity A Yoga Class experiencing the many benefits yoga has to offer. includes aerobic exercise and strength training Yoga can comprise the whole of an individual’s exercise, but not necessarily in the same session. exercise program and be done daily or most days of This blend helps to maintain or improve the week. Alternatively, yoga can be practiced less cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and overall frequently as part of a regular exercise program in health and function. Regular physical activity will conjunction with activity that is more specifically provide more health benefits than sporadic, high- geared to develop various aspects of health-related intensity workouts, so choose exercises you are fitness (i.e., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular likely to enjoy and that you can incorporate into strength and endurance, and flexibility). your schedule. Yoga offers a great way to stay active when you are ACSM’s physical activity recommendations for healthy adults, updated in 2007, recommend at traveling. You can take a foldable yoga mat or yoga least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical gloves and socks on the road and practice in your activity (working hard enough to break a sweat, but hotel room, or take a local drop-in class in your still able to carry on a conversation) five days per destination city. week, or 20 minutes of more vigorous activity three days per week. Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation. Typical aerobic exercises include walking and running, stair climbing, cycling on a stationary or moving bike, rowing, cross-country skiing, and swimming. In addition, strength training should be performed a minimum of two days each week, with 8-12 repetitions of 8-10 different exercises that target all major muscle groups. This type of training can be accomplished using body weight, resistance bands, This brochure was written by Christina A. Geithner, Ph.D., ACSM Health Fitness Specialist. Contributing author: Jennifer A. Jens, free weights, medicine balls or weight machines. B.S., ACSM cPT. ACSM grants permission to reproduce this brochure, if it is reproduced in its entirety without alteration. The Prior to beginning any exercise program, including the activities depicted in text may be reproduced in another publication if it is used in its this brochure, individuals should seek medical evaluation and clearance to entirety without alteration and the following statement added: engage in activity. Not all exercise programs are suitable for everyone and Reprinted with permission of the American College of Sports some programs may in fact result in injury. Activities should be carried out Medicine. Copyright © 2009 American College of Sports at a pace that is comfortable for the user. Users should discontinue Medicine. This brochure is a product of ACSM’s Consumer participation in any exercise activity that causes pain or discomfort. In such Information Committee. event, medical consultation should be immediately obtained. ACSM… Ad vancing Health through Science, Fitness and Medicine and Power yoga). Short descriptions of some of the What is Yoga? different styles are provided below: Yoga is an ancient Indian practice and type of mind- Staying Active Pays Off! Those who are physically active tend to live body exercise that has been in existence for • Ananda – Provides a tool for spiritual growth longer, healthier lives. Research shows that even thousands of years. The term yoga means “yoke” or while releasing tension; uses silent affirmations moderate physical activity—such as 30 minutes a “union,” and yoga practice involves breath work day of brisk walking— significantly contributes to while holding poses. (pranayama) to connect the mind and body, as well • longevity. A physically active person with such as to connect our thoughts and feelings with Ashtanga – A vigorous practice incorporating a risk factors as high blood pressure, diabetes or movement. fast-paced series of sequential postures that even a smoking habit can get real benefits from increase in difficulty. • regular physical activity as part of daily life. Yoga provides a number of well-documented Bikram – Designed by Bikram Choudhury as a physical, mental, and emotional benefits. These method of staying healthy from the inside out; As many dieters have found, exercise can help include reduced blood pressure, enhanced feelings involves practicing a series of 26 traditional Hatha you stay on a diet and lose weight. What’s more, of relaxation, stress reduction, improved digestion, yoga postures (13 standing and 13 sitting) in a hot regular exercise can help lower blood pressure, better posture, increased strength and flexibility, and environment (near 100º Fahrenheit); guaranteed control blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels improved balance, among others. Yoga also has to make you sweat! • and build stronger, denser bones. been show to benefit individuals with chronic Hatha – A more relaxed, slower-paced practice diseases and disabilities through improved body that includes breathing and meditation exercises; The First Step awareness and orientation, the development of emphasizes breathing, strength, and flexibility; Before you begin an exercise program, take a focus and concentration, the encouragement of good for beginner exercisers or those new to fitness test, or substantially increase your level of learning and creativity, and increased awareness of yoga. activity, make sure to answer the following our connectedness to others. • Iyengar – Developed by B.K.S. Iynegar, one of questions. This physical activity readiness the most influential yogis of his time; focuses on questionnaire (PAR-Q) will help determine your proper alignment with the use of props; poses are suitability for beginning an exercise routine or Selecting a Yoga Class typically held much longer than in other styles of program. You can choose from a wide variety of yoga classes yoga. offering different types of yoga and different teachers • • Has your doctor ever said that you have a Jivamukti – A highly meditative yet physically and styles. Selecting an appropriate class and challenging form of yoga that includes vinyasa- heart condition or that you should teacher for your level of experience, health and/or participate in physical activity only as style sequences of poses asanas, chanting, fitness goals, and preferences can help yoga meditation, readings, music, and affirmations. recommended by a doctor? become an enjoyable experience that provides the • Do you feel pain in your chest during • Kripalu – Developed by Amrit Desai and the staff benefits that you seek. at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in physical activity? • In the past month, have you had chest Massachusetts; three stages make up this Types or styles of yoga vary in pace and emphasis pain when you were not doing physical practice: will practice, willful surrender, and from slower-paced practices that include breathing activity? meditation in motion; characterized by trusting the • Do you lose your balance because of and meditation (Hatha yoga) to faster, flowing body’s wisdom to move in a way needed to dizziness? Do you ever lose movement sequences combined with rhythmic release tensions and enter more deeply into consciousness? breathing (Vinyasa-style yoga, such as Ashtanga meditation. • Kundalini – Incorporates postures with dynamic Safety heart rate and respiration, increase blood flow to the breathing techniques, chanting, and meditating to muscles, and prepare the body for more intense There is an inherent safety partnership that exists awaken the energy at the base of the spine and activity. The warm-up may be followed by a work between the participant and the instructor in yoga draw it upward through each of the seven energy phase of more intense activity, which would be practice. The yoga instructor should be certified centers of the body (chakras). different from one yoga style to another. For through or hold one or more credentials from an • example, the work phase might include a greater Power Yoga – Developed by Bender Birch; a established and respected organization and have number of repetitions, holding poses for a longer challenging and disciplined series of poses experience teaching yoga. Some certifications, such period of time, and/or using more explosive designed with the intention of creating heat and as Yoga Alliance’s Registered Yoga Teacher – 200 movements such as jumping into or out of poses energy flow. and 500 hours (RYT-200 and RYT-500, • (e.g., forward fold to plank). A yoga class should end Sivananda – Developed by Rama Berch, who respectively), require completion of a certain number with some type of cool-down, which may include created the yoga program from Dr. Deepak and type of trainings along with a specified number lower-intensity exercise, stretching, twisting poses, Chopra’s Center for Well Being in La Jolla, Calif.; of hours of yoga teaching. Ideally, the yoga and a final relaxation. geared toward aiding participants in their journeys instructor should minimize risk of injury to toward self-discovery. participants as well as have CPR/first aid training in • For participants, it is vital we listen to our own Svaroopa – Incorporates proper breathing order to be prepared to respond appropriately