Gone are the days when yoga classes were in semi-underground circles and passed information about poses and asanas from hand to hand on ordinary sheets of typewritten text. Nowadays, there are probably no people left who have not heard anything about this ancient system of mind and body exercises. It is present in television, magazines, and, even more, in the circle of your friends and relatives. I’m confident we can think of close friends or family members who do yoga.

And nevertheless, one can only be amazed at the scarcity and limitations of our knowledge if someone asks: what is yoga? After all, it’s not just stretching exercises, as some people think. It confirms that many athletes practice yoga classes in addition to their workouts.

Competently constructed classes can improve every aspect of your physical fitness – from endurance to strength, mental health to general physical well-being. In this article, you will see that this exercise system can benefit professional athletes and those who are engaged in fitness and want to improve their physical health.

What is yoga, and why is it needed

We all know that yoga, as well as martial practices, is part of an ancient tradition. Even in ancient times, striving for greater self-knowledge, yogis realized that our physical condition significantly influences our mood and mental abilities.

They found that by practicing specific physical postures (asanas), one can become more peaceful and achieve the total concentration of attention.

Also discovered is that by returning the body to its natural state, many physical abilities for improved, which some of today’s outstanding athletes consider the main direction of their training.

Of course, if you have read several articles or watched several videos about yoga, you may be skeptical about such seemingly dull and slow workouts. After all, it seems that interval training or exercises with weights are much more exciting and compelling.

But don’t jump to conclusions. After all, the point is not that this system of exercises can replace traditional training, but how it can strengthen it.

What does yoga give to everyone?

Yoga workouts can take any form but remain effective and efficient by improving flexibility, posture, body mechanics, and inner consciousness. Regular practice of such classes can give the following:

Increased energy

It is well known that energy, strength, and speed are directly related to the correct mechanics of the body. When our body is proportionally developed, it is much more efficient and acts better in all directions. Whatever your sport, a well-prepared body will help you avoid energy leakage when performing regular physical movements and allow you to do them with incredible speed, accuracy, and efficiency.

Increased stamina

Using various physical poses in yoga increases breathing abilities and accelerates blood circulation. Digestion increases the body’s overall endurance, which you can notice during running workouts and other aerobic activities.

Improving muscle strength

No weightlifting with its free weights will replace the strength acquired in exercises with its weight. As noted by various athletes, this activity system helps develop those muscles that remain unused in other sports. As a result, such muscle groups remain weak and underdeveloped.

Balance training or sense of balance

Physical poses force the use of balancing skills, which improves the sense of balance and helps in the future to control your body better and avoid unnecessary injuries and falls.

Increased flexibility

Practicing these exercises increases flexibility and ease of movement, which expands your capabilities in all ranges. In particular, athletes in sports requiring swinging movements (tennis, golf, and others) can help a lot. Flexibility also;

Speed up recovery

Yoga helps to recover from injuries. Increasing blood circulation and lymphatic flow allows the muscles to process metabolic byproducts faster, powerfully accelerating healing time and re-growth.

Improved focus

Finally, (and this is one of the main ones) classes give you awareness and focus. Why does it matter? Let’s look at the sport of the highest level. Many athletes are incredibly talented and hardworking. But what distinguishes a champion from a loser? 

Only consistency and awareness. And this system of exercises gives it not only to professional athletes engaged in fitness. You already realize how tough it can be to get back into working out at the gym.

However, it was evident that this list could continue. In addition to the above, it has to improve immune function, balance hormonal balance, and stress management, which is especially important for athletes. Do I need another reason to do yoga?

For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, such classes can become an essential part of the training process, helping, as I noted above, in injury prevention, recovery, and strengthening of strength. But where to start yoga classes? Such an abundance of disciplines frightens some beginners. Whether you are a skier working on your strength, a runner who wants to calm down your sore muscles and relieve tension, or diversify your fitness classes, there is a yoga style for you all. Let’s look at them in more detail.

Vinyasa or Energy Yoga

Vinyasa means “movement with breathing,” but in Europe and America, it usually implies yoga classes in which you will go through a series of poses faster with vigorous continuous movement. “Energy yoga or Vinyasa is like a description of a liquid that flows intensely and, remarkably, in different classes, the pace and strength can vary significantly for any request,” says Mary Hayano, manager of the national network of Planet Granite yoga classes.

Suppose you want to increase strength and flexibility while leaving a feeling of light physical training after class. In that case, trying yourself in Vinyasa or energy yoga classes is an excellent opportunity to push your physical boundaries and stop in time – this is especially important for athletes who are used to going beyond them. “I have a lot of similar types in my classes, where they learn to perform physical movements without the intention of aggression and an attempt to seek perfection,” says Hayano.

Bikram or hot yoga

This type is also known as “hot yoga.” Classrooms for classes are usually heated to 35-40 degrees Celsius with humidity up to 40%. The courses are also known for their repetitions of 26 poses and two breathing exercises. This style of yoga does not focus on the continuous flow or synchronization of movement and breathing but rather on the stationary performance of asanas for a longer time.

You can try Bikram Yoga to observe how your body reacts to the same movements on different days. You may be more or less able to focus on a task depending on factors such as your recent eating and sleeping habits and how tired or energized you feel. Seeing the positive effects on your mind is a bonus to studying the teachings.

Ashtanga

Ashtanga is similar to an energy yoga class in connection with the sequence of lesson segments. The six pose segments range from essential simple elements within themselves to more complex ones. Each group of poses by itself represents a different activity and is wholly composed. Ashtanga offers strength training for the whole body and stretches all muscles from head to toe. Since classes in classes, you can observe your progress in changing and improving your body.

Ashtanga is an excellent choice for athletes or amateurs who want to work out muscle groups that do not receive full-fledged study in basic training. However, those recovering from injuries should avoid working with this style due to the high intensity of poses.

Iyengar Yoga

One of the defining characteristics of this yoga is its highly qualified teachers. They need to have been disciplined for a minimum of six years before they may teach in formal settings. During lessons, special attention is given to the correct alignment and stabilization of the body during asanas. 

Teachers use their hands to help students adopt the correct, safe body position in this pose, often using their hands as support. After the poses, they move on to the successive asanas, which are more complex. Some yoga schools offer to study the anatomy of the body in addition to working on the mat. It is that this provides an intellectual basis for understanding movement in poses.

For those who are interested in long-term injury prevention, the nuances of proper yoga technique, and body awareness, Iyengar is an excellent choice. If you are prone to injury, then in Iyengar, you will receive many personal recommendations. Also, for those who want to learn the capabilities of their body in more detail, you will learn the patterns of functional movement. As you progress into Iyengar, you will find that your body of individual blocks of bones, muscles, and tendons is vital for athletes. It will also be essential to learn how to manage all these parts.

Japanese Yin Yoga

As the name indicates, Yin yoga originated in Japan. Asanas may be similar in form to ancient Indian poses but differ in words. “The duration of the poses is from three to five minutes, which allows you to achieve deep stretching, concentrating on ligaments, joints, fascia, ” says Caroline Hill, Yin yoga instructor from Montana (USA). “I like to describe this type of yoga as a search for an interesting form for meditation for a few minutes.

Sometimes the most challenging part of the pose is to freeze and breathe without unnecessary movements. It is easy to achieve poses, and additional devices help in this. Once you have reached the carriage, your muscles do not work, and the body relaxes. When leaving the Yin class, your body, mind, and spirit should feel rejuvenated.”

“The life of this city is full of people who do extreme things and get their pleasure. But this is not always what their bodies need. We often forget to take care of our bodies, which help us to conquer the peaks and descend from them,” reflects Caroline Hill.

“For me, Yin yoga is a way to silence animal instincts and rejuvenate your body. It is necessary to admit that we demand too much from him, and we need to give him time to relax, recover and gain new strength.”

Restorative Yoga

This type is by a careful performance of all asanas. Teachers guide students into relaxed poses using a large amount of additional equipment as stands and supports. As in Yin yoga, the poses for several minutes at a time. However, restorative yoga at deep stretching. Instead, it slows the mind, body, and breathing to a light rhythm.

Classes of this type of yoga are for unhurried, relaxed people – you are not waiting for a strenuous workout, and you are not waiting for a brutal stretch. You have to leave concentration and be calm in this class. So these classes are ideal for a distracted mind, and a tense body may not be wrong for a runner running 160 km a week or a cyclist deliberately ignoring signs of fatigue. In these cases, a restorative yoga course on a rest day is the ideal solution. These exercises will not give a big load on the joints and muscles but will allow you to take care of the overloaded body.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini is far from Hatha Yoga. Classes include performing kriya (a combination of movement and dynamic breathing) instead of asanas and pranayama (breathing exercises) separately. All class members wear white, and classes focus on releasing the energy that is said to have curled up at the base of the spine through singing, breathing, and meditation.

Kundalini is suitable for people who are looking for real spiritual yoga. Kundalini is not a product for everyone, and not everything in it can supplement physical training is mainly spiritual and meditative – only the mind without affecting the body. However, this style is quite widespread, and if you encounter Kundalini in your life, you can take it as a chance to work on your mental calmness and concentration as critical qualities for all spheres of life.

For beginners: Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is the most common form and is a suitable style for beginners because it consists of a series of relaxed, uncomplicated poses that are easy to perform. Beginners who aren’t sure where to begin or don’t think they’re highly flexible will find a lot to like about Hatha Yoga.

For advanced training: Energy Yoga

Ashtanga vinyasa yoga is one of the branches of Hatha yoga. While the latter style is “soft,” the former involves a series of poses performed in a fast, continuous sequence. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga is often known as “energy yoga” or “flow yoga” because of the nature of the movements. It is excellent for athletes who want to keep fit while resting.

When feeling pain in the muscles: Hot yoga

Are you ready to turn up the temperature controller and take your workouts to a new level? If you think of yoga as a light stretching routine, your preconceptions will be when you try Bikram yoga, often known as hot yoga. You’ll sweat like crazy doing Bikram yoga because in a heated room (between 35 and 42 degrees Celsius). Sweating serves to rid the body of toxins and other impurities. It’s excellent for athletes and anyone who are into fitness because it increases lung capacity and loosens up tight muscles.

For Recovery: Iyengar Yoga

Injured athletes can turn to Iyengar Yoga for healing and recovery, as mentioned above. This style focuses on gentle and gradual stretches that strengthen and align the muscles. Supports, belts, and other auxiliary equipment can facilitate the pose’s execution.

I hope that now there is no question for you, “what is yoga for” because it can improve your results in sports and fitness, prevent injuries, and cure muscle pain or tightness.

And if you have goals in your sports activities or fitness classes, try to answer a few questions. Don’t you have enough concentration to achieve your workout goals? Do you want to increase the strength of the muscular corset, the sense of balance, and flexibility? Do you need time to decompress and chill out after a rigorous workout? If you said “yes” to any of the following, you could skip the yoga explanation. You can improve your fitness and recovery speed by working out twice or three weekly.