Build strength and flexibility through 'Yoga'

A person’s strength can improve and their flexibility increase when they devote themselves to regular yoga practice for about one month. When doing yoga workouts for strength and flexibility one should not think of those exercises as stretching per se, because static stretching decreases performance. Rather, the yoga postures used are isometric contractions which go hand in hand with specific breathing patterns so that the person can achieve flexibility and strength. A person does not have to be very mobile or flexible to start using these poses, and the routines do not have to be lengthy ones over many days each week. A variety of preparatory poses can be used by individuals of different backgrounds so that yoga is amenable to whatever age, athletic goal or injury a person might have. Yoga poses should be done after training sessions so that the body has time to recover. Yoga is both restorative and intense, and the body will need to recover from those poses.

Through yoga exercises, physical strength is promoted since the body learns to use its various muscles in new ways. Although the poses are done in different orientations, each of them challenges different muscle groups as they help the yogi to become acutely aware of his body and the manner in which it functions efficiently. Yoga poses eventually increase the yogi’s range of motion thereby increasing their flexibility. Through regular practice, the yoga poses will also add strength to the body’s muscles including the back, the core, thighs, arms and legs. As the yogi continues to perform yoga exercises for flexibility, the body realigns itself and the pressure on the joints is relieved.

Doing strength workouts should have their own time followed by or intermittent with flexibility workouts. The flexibility drills can even be done on a day when the yogi is relaxing from the normal strength workouts. With the proper range of motion in place, the yogi gains the most out of the strength work, with the correct alignment and body posture. Therefore, it is important that the yogi strikes a balance between flexibility exercises and strength exercises.