That's Fit

I've heard people say that yoga isn't a very good workout, in the sense that it doesn't burn many calories. My reaction? Pffffftttt ... they obviously haven't tried the yoga class that I go to. It is hard. I've been doing it for a long time and I still feel sore after every single class. I sweat buckets. I often collapse halfway through a plank pose in utter exhaustion. The class moves through poses very quickly and it's hard to keep up at times. And before you disregard my claims by thinking I must be weak or lazy, I can assure you that I am in pretty good shape. But it made me think: Perhaps it's not the best for burning calories, but yoga is challenging at the best of times and it's certainly done wonders for my body.

Power yoga is basically what I described above. It incorporates traditional yoga moves that are higher in intensity and proceed faster than regular, more traditional yoga. Yoga is supposed to be about meditation, but in Power Yoga there's little time to relax because, as I mentioned before, the poses are intense. And while they're held for about 10 breaths or so, there isn't really time to get used to them too much.

So if power yoga for you? If you want to build muscle but not bulk up, the yes. If you want to increase your overall body strength and tone your body, yes. If you want to pursue a fitness program that helps you escape from the stress of every day, yes. If you want to have fun and create a greater sense of mind-body awareness, yes. If you strictly want to lose weight an be done with it, you might want to try a more traditional exercise program, like step class, because while yoga is great for the body, it's not the most effective workout in terms of calories burning according to this article. Don't get me wrong, it's a great workout, and it has helped people lose weight, but yoga on it's own might not shed those pounds. What it will do is tone your body and hopefully calm your mind, which I think is worth it's weight in gold. Yoga is life-changing and more of a lifestyle choice than a quick-fix for losing weight.

Are you a yogi? how has it changed your life?