In today’s lesson we’re going to answer your questions on YOGA – “and is it really useful?”
Take care…
For a more detailed answer see Ross’s written response below.
Yoga has been around for thousands of years, but its popularity has increased in recent decades (at least in western cultures). Even though yoga is a mainstream activity with classes being available at most gyms and specialty yoga studios all over, there is still a lot of confusion about yoga.
Some of this confusion stems from the fact that there are many types of yoga from relaxing to strenuous and the experience of each class can be very different depending on the instructor. Some classes contain a strong religious component, while others have none at all. These differences result in varying ideas about what yoga is and what it does.
Admittedly, I am not yoga expert, but I am familiar with various types and I do understand the exercise mechanics behind yoga. Therefore, I will focus my response on basic physiological aspects of yoga and stay away from discussing the different styles and approaches.
My simple answer is that yoga is definitely useful, but only for certain things and many people perceive the benefits of yoga as not being as important as benefits from other types of activity. Exercise goals are typically things like burning lots of calories to lose weight, improving performance in a sport, or increasing muscle, but these are not the primary effects of yoga.
In my opinion, yoga is more about overall physical health than it is about improving physical performance. Yoga excels in areas such as breathing technique, flexibility, and balance/stability. These are not things that are usually at the top of people’s list when it comes to training, but they are still important.
Take breathing as an example. Breathing is something everyone does every day and it seems simple, but many people breathe incorrectly. Deep breathing is important for getting enough oxygen, especially during exercise and some people only take shallow breaths that are not very productive.
In addition, when many people take deep breaths they use incorrect technique. When you breathe in, your stomach and chest should expand (move away from your body). It is common for people to breathe in and pull in their stomach at the same time, but this is backwards. Yoga teaches how to improve breathing technique and get the most out of each breath.
Along with breathing improvement, this also results in increased relaxation. Almost everyone is under a significant amount of stress and relaxation is more important than ever. Most people never take the time to relax during the day and yoga can help you relax and reduce your stress level as well.
Poor flexibility is another common problem for people and yoga unquestionably improves flexibility. Flexibility is not something that most people give much thought to, at least not until they get older and start having muscle/joint aches and pains. Poor flexibility causes a lot more problems than people realize and it is amazing how much better people feel when they improve their flexibility.
Balance and stability are also things that many people do not think about when it comes to exercise, but they are important parts of health and fitness and they become more important as you age. They are also critical for optimal athletic performance and even professional athletes perform balance and stability exercises, but most people don’t include them in their workouts.
Action Step: Yoga may not be as exciting as other forms of training, but it does offer a lot of benefits that many people do not get from their typical workout routine. Personally, I would not use yoga as my only form of training, but it makes a great compliment to most traditional types of exercise.
If you don’t like yoga, similar benefits can be gained from other types of exercise, such as Pilates or Tai Chi. Even taking time out of your day to do some relaxing deep breathing and stretching can be very helpful and they can be done anywhere without equipment. Complete health and fitness involves more than cardio and resistance training and yoga is a great way to round out your training program.
By Ross Harrison
VFT “Awesome” Fitness Expert 
VirtualFitnessTrainer.com
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