Get stronger, leaner and improve your overall health by adding weights to your Asana practice. I am teaching an awesome sequence this week which will rev up your metabolism, accelerate your heart rate and get all the muscles working! Try to carve out just an hour this week, reap the benefits for a long time.
The practice of Yoga is no doubt ancient, but it always lends itself to contemporary additions and variations. One such amazing variation is including weights into asana practice.
I love the way hand weights add an extra layer of strength, awareness and stamina to each posture that we do in class.
I notice that my mind is more present into the experience of each asana unfolding; the muscles of my upper back & shoulders working a lot deeper; my heart rate increasing as I increase the number of dynamic repetitions that we do the movement for!! Feels amazing & light at the end of practice!
Benefits of practicing Yoga with weights :
- Improve the strength & longevity of the bones : As women & men age, they can lose up to 1-2% of their bone mass annually. The good news is it’s reversible. Women who participated in a study with McMaster University found that a yearlong strength-training program increased their spinal bone mass by 9%. In this week's class, you will be learning Low Lunge / Ashwa Sanchalasana, Locust / Shalabhasana , Deep Forward bend / Prasarita Padottanasana with weights.
- Strengthen and improve the efficiency of the heart - In order to improve the cardiovascular endurance of the heart, it is recommended to do 30 minutes of exercise thrice a week. This class is a perfect way to build that routine into your exercise regimen. The Chair pose / Utkatasana Twist variation is sure to get your heart rate up and the blood pumping to every muscle group!
- Keeps us leaner and lighter - It's a well-known fact that muscles burn more calories than fat. Increasing your muscle to fat ratio can ensure that your active muscles are burning more calories throughout your day. This can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is always good for our joints!
I can go on & on about the benefits, but stepping on that mat and exploring this practice is the goal, isn't it?
What are you waiting for ?
Don't listen to the million reasons the mind thinks up; it's raining outside, the kids are home, there's work to be done, I can try next week, I feel tired, it's too cold etc :)
We all have a million reasons not to join class;
But the ONE reason is 'Yourself' - Taking care of your health, strength will enable you to take care of everything else a little better.
Join me this week; weekdays or Saturday or Sunday.
Remember "Every small step in the right direction counts".