yoga – Betsy Schow

Fitness Tip: Don’t Overlook Yoga

In an effort to burn the most calories in our workouts, yoga and other stretching often gets overlooked. It’s true, that unless you do hot yoga, or power yoga, you won’t burn a lot of calories in an hour. But physical fitness needs to go beyond the calorie count. Yoga is great for body and mind. It improves flexibility and aids in injury prevention.

One thing I hear a lot of is, “I can’t do yoga. I’m just not very flexible.” Well, duh. That’s why you go to yoga. It’s not about putting your feet behind your ears. It’s about being in tune with your muscles and making progress. Egos get left at the door. I teach yoga and I can’t reach my toes in forward fold with a flat back. It’s all about the process.

So keep in mind that while yoga is low calorie burn, it creates those long and lean beautiful muscles we all want.

Yoga Pose: Chaturanga

It’s a fun word to say, but a pain in the butt to do. Part of the sun salutation, in power yoga, between nearly every pose you go through a vinyasa and do plank/chaturanga/updog/downdog. Great core and arm workout, but your arms will be shaking by the end.

Here is what chaturanga looks like.

Start at plank, otherwise known as push-up position. With the hands directly below the shoulders, inhale then exhale- lowering yourself slowly while keeping the belly tight and the back and bum in line. Stop and hover just a few inches above the ground. This is chaturanga.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, that’s me. If I can do it, so can you.

Exercise for the Soul: Strong like a mountain

The picture above is me in “Mountain” pose for my yoga certification. The purpose of this pose is to stabilize and have a strong base for your practice. That got me thinking. How often are we off kilter in our lives because we don’t have a strong base to come back to? It’s hard to find balance without roots. My life has been crazy lately, and I need to identify my place of strength. Someplace safe where I can go back to and recover. Become strong. Then go out and take on the world again. That is what mountain pose is for in yoga. Either the one pictured or with hands in prayer. In between sun salutations or poses, you can return and center yourself before taking on the next pose.

Today I am going to practice Mountain both in yoga, and finding in finding my emotional base.

Exercise for the Soul: Yoga

So one of the things currently topping my To Finish list is getting certified to be an instructor in Yoga.

Yoga is something I discovered on my path to fitness and I fell in love. Yes that’s right, I tolerate running, but for me, yoga is an exercise I actually look forward to doing. And it is exercise. I can get more sore doing some practices of yoga than running 5 miles.

The word yoga is the Sanskrit to English translation, meaning yoke. To unite or join. That’s the purpose of yoga, to bind your mind and body together- working together in harmony.

I enjoy the idea of an endless path. There is no true mastery of yoga, no ideal end result. Just the journey and enjoying wherever you happen to be on it. If you can’t touch your toes, its ok. Just grab onto whatever you have. Try to inch a little farther each week.

What a great metaphor for life. There is no ideal end result that says, Yes this was the perfect example of a life well lived. All we can ask for in life is to do our best, and hope that gets a little better each day.

In the coming weeks, I want to share the poses I am learning. I would invite you to try them and find a community yoga class near you. You won’t regret it.

Exercise for the Soul: Box Breathing

Here’s an important part of exercise often overlooked…breathing. It’s automatic, so we tend not to think about it, but breathing can be the key to weight loss and fitness success. Proper breathing reduces stress levels, and helps facilitate fat loss. It also provides oxygen to the muscles, allowing them to work harder and get stronger. Some experts claim you can even lose a size just by breathing. I don’t know about that, but I know my mental and physical well being have improved dramatically, just by taking the time to breathe properly.

Here’s an exercise called boxed breathing:

Step 1: Sit up straight, making sure your lungs are not constricted by poor posture.

Step 2: Close your eyes and clear your mind

Step 3 Close your mouth (unless you have hayfever) and breahte in deeply through the nose for 4 counts.

Step 4 Hold breathe inside for 4 counts, allowing it to fill your body.

Step 5 Exhale for 4 counts.

Step 6 Complete the box by holding breath again for 4 counts.

Repeat at least 5 times for a calmer more focused you 🙂