According to my brain-Wikipedia, there lots of styles of classes within a single yoga studio. From Yin (fondly nicknamed 'adult nap-time') to Power (high focus on strength, with high intensity energy). Each studio offers one of a dozen different forms of yoga – much like martial arts has many subcategories. So when say ‘yoga’, you can safely assume I mean a 1-hour class that asks you to transition from one pose to another without stopping. Each pose holds for 5-15 seconds, and can be modified to be harder or easier. Each pose is unique in its demands a random combination of endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility of every muscle group you have. Yoga demands high levels of focus (attention and mindfulness of the movement), alignment (practical and safe usage of joints/muscles), and scalable progressions (extremely entry level and there’s always a next challenge). SOLID!

Now, I’m not a trained yoga teacher, but I have enough experience and had enough conversations to draw some helpful conclusions for you. Coming from me - a body-weight exercise practitioner/trainer - I want to give yoga big, resounding props. Even from a purely physical standpoint yoga scores high in by giving its participants a well-rounded fitness; not to mention the mental and emotional benefits that are propagated thoughtfully in each class.  Your attitude and mood affect what/when/how/why you use your body! So that is to say that yoga trains the WHOLE person versus just their body…NICE!

For the average person, that proposition is hard to top. The only thing better would be personalized instruction from a private instructor/trainer (hi). If all of my clients did a regular yoga 2 times per week after they finished a 6 month program with me, I could not ask for much more. I would feel extremely confident that they would maintain the level of functional fitness we achieved together for many, many years, and be set up to appreciate the values that yoga espouses.

A few of these values I’ve seen in Houston yoga that I share in are:

•  An atmosphere of non-competition and acceptance; everyone having an identity above their physical performance

•  Process is valued over a destination. Transformations aren’t rushed, just like a tree isn’t rushed to bear fruit. A detachment from needing results as a prereq. for happiness or self-esteem.

•  The reverence for the beginner stage. Patience and accepting exactly where someone is.

•  Importance of breath for many reasons

•  A non-struggle mentally when applying effort during exercise

The truth is that the main goal behind the organization of a yoga-style class is inner peace. All other benefits of practicing yoga (flexibility, musculature, etc.) seem to be a byproduct (which makes sense because mental health is only amplified by a clean-running body). So to say that yoga is the best way to get physical results I would have to admit ‘no’ and I’ll tell you why in a second. Yet, to be fair, fitness is more than just technique; it is attitude and consistency and community that yoga develops better than most other disciplines of fitness. Because ultimately it comes down to what exercise are you most likely to enjoy and stick with long term! A good workout that you enjoy and stick with is better than a great workout that you can’t force yourself to suffer through.

Yoga movements, however, have the potential to be everything you need to get a very, very respectable level of athleticism. Keep yoga in a supplemental slot as a way of rounding out your fitness regimen. And as always, one-on-one instruction is generally better than a group class. 

What are your opinions about the place yoga

has in the fitness world? comment below.