How to Integrate Yoga & Working Out

Are you looking for a more holistic approach to diversifying your workout routine? Adding yoga to your workout routine is beneficial for those that engage in any kind of cardio and/or strength training workouts. Yoga is a spiritual discipline that finds its origins in the Hindu religion. It combines breath control, meditation, and bodily postures into a practice that can improve health and relaxation. While you don’t have to be a Hindu to reap the benefits of the practice, people of every religion and nationality have found a way to integrate yoga principles into their lifestyle.

Yoga is great to add to your daily workout routine because it integrates elements of mind, body, and spirit that many other forms of exercise can leave out. The result is a workout routine that is holistic giving you a greater ability to concentrate, calm your mind, stretch your muscles, as well as enjoy a great physical workout.

Do yoga on your days off

If you visit the gym at least three times per week, you may want to think about adding yoga to your routine on your days off. Learning various yoga positions can improve your stamina as well as teach you proper breathing techniques. Engaging your body in yoga, cardio, and strength training exercises will improve your gym workouts as well as the flexibility of your muscles. Yoga also has the ability to tone your muscles at a faster pace. If you want to get the best out of both worlds, you can talk to a well trained yoga teacher about how participation in yoga can enhance your gym workouts.

Integrate yoga into your cardio and strength workouts

Yoga is great as an activity unto itself, but it can also be integrated into your cardio and strength training workouts. Proper workouts begin with a good warm up and end with a cool down. You can use gentle yoga stretches and breathing to warm your muscles and ligaments. After your cardio workout, you can use yoga stretches to gently calm down your muscles, and lessen the amount of lactic acid in the muscles. Doing so will decrease the presence of post workout soreness. The meditation portion of yoga can also help to relax your body and mind after a thorough workout.

Why is yoga so popular?

The reason yoga continues to grow exponentially is because there is a yoga practice that suits just about anybody. No matter your age, physical ability, level of fitness, or your experience with yoga as a practice, there is a class that will fit your lifestyle.

Once you successfully integrate yoga into your daily or weekly workout routine, you will find that your muscles will develop at a much faster pace. Learning proper breathing technique is one of the greatest lessons for those who do heavy weightlifting. Weightlifters at all levels are usually taught to hold their breath while exerting extra energy. Holding your breath can be harmful in that it decreases the amount of oxygen flowing in the blood. The decrease in oxygen can lead to muscle cramps and other injuries that can keep you from your regular exercise routine.