Yoga
Please find a brief description of our Yoga classes below (Hatha with some elements of Vinyasa)
Hatha
-It’s all about the basics
-Slow to medium paced class
-Hold each pose for a few breathes
-Considered a gentler form of yoga
-The Sanskrit term “hatha” actually refers to any yoga that teaches physical postures (Sanskrit is the classical Indian language and is used in yoga to define poses and practices)
-The word “hatha” can be translated two ways: as “willful” or “forceful,” or the yoga of activity, and as “sun” (ha) and “moon” (tha), the yoga of balance
-Hatha practices are designed to align and calm the body, mind, and spirit in preparation for meditation
-Best for: Beginner to intermediate; because of its slower pace, hatha is a great class if you’re just starting your yoga practice
Vinyasa
-Vinyasa is a term used to describe a specific sequence of poses (Example: Chaturanga to Upward-Facing Dog to Downward-Facing Dog)
-Get your flow on in this dynamic practice that links movement and breath together
-In most classes, you won’t linger long in each pose and the pace can be medium to quick, so be prepared for your heart rate to rise
-Music is played, enabling the class to match the beats to the sequences of the poses
-Best for: Most athletes, including endurance runners, are drawn to Vinyasa class because of the continuous movement
-Yoga: 7 Forms of Movement
7 basic forms of movement that are vital to health and performance:
Standing Poses – Build leg-strength as well as flexibility in the hips and hamstrings
Balancing Poses – Increase body awareness and stabilization
Backward Bends – Improve posture, respiration, digestion, and elimination
Forward Bends – Promote health of posterior chain and help balance autonomic nervous system
Inversions – Improve immune function and enhance circulation in legs
Arm Balances – Build core and upper-body strength and improve balance/body-awareness
Twists – Improve posture, shoulder-mobility, respiration, digestion, elimination, and health of spine and nervous system
-The students gradually build a “toolbox” of poses that fit both their bodies and their goals
The Athletic Performance Benefits Of Yoga:
-Yoga class is not a replacement for conventional (or unconventional) training, but it can enhance it
-By improving not only flexibility but also posture, body-mechanics, and awareness, yoga can make every form of training more effective and efficient
Regular yoga practice can provide the following and more:
-Increased Power
-Better Endurance (By opening up posture, yoga significantly increases respiratory capacity, and can also enhance circulation, digestion, and efficiency of motion, which all further improve energy and endurance).
-Better Balance: Along with opening the body, yoga builds greater body-awareness, including balance, stability. As a result, not only is performance enhanced but our training becomes far more effective.
-Better Injury Prevention: By improving body-mechanics and awareness, yoga dramatically reduces the risk of injury, both in training and competition, in turn increasing competitive longevity and allowing more consistent progress in our sport.
-Enhanced Recovery: By enhancing circulation, yoga not only increases strength and endurance but also allows muscles to process metabolic byproducts more quickly, powerfully speeding healing time and re-growth.
-Improved Focus: Regular practice dramatically enhances our clarity and focus. Why does this matter? As Ultraman world-champion Rich Roll states, “When you look at the highest level of sport, all athletes are incredibly talented and train incredibly hard. So what distinguishes the Olympic champion from the ‘also-ran?’ The mind.” Practiced regularly, yoga can give the awareness and mindfulness we need to take both training and performance to the next level.
-Improved stress management: You can see why so many professional athletes have come to consider yoga as indispensable to their training as strength or conditioning.