Yoga is a great way to improve your overall health, from relaxation and stress relief to muscle tone. But there are many different types of yoga classes, so it’s important to find the right one for you.
Start with a beginner’s class or a slower-paced class like Hatha yoga. If you’re more experienced, try an ashtanga or vinyasa class.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are a key part of yoga classes. They help calm the nervous system, reduce muscle tension and improve sleep.
There are a wide variety of breathing techniques that are practiced in yoga classes. These techniques, which are also called pranayama, are based on the ancient practice of controlling vital life force energy in the body.
The most common type of breathing exercise in yoga is ujjayi pranayama, also known as the victorious breath or ocean breath. This exercise focuses on breathing deeply and increasing the activity of the vagus nerve, which is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Another common breathing technique in yoga is sitali, which is also called the cooling breath. This breathing exercise is great for beginners, as it helps cool the body while calming the mind.
Strengthening Exercises
If you’re looking to build muscle, a yoga class can be an effective way to achieve your goals. However, a yoga class doesn’t have to be the only form of exercise you incorporate into your fitness routine.
According to Tiffany Russo, a managing partner at CAMP LA, yogis should look to add other movement modalities to their workouts to enhance their results. Adding weights, resistance bands, kettlebells or high intensity interval training drills can all be beneficial for building strength in yoga poses.
New yogis will naturally build strength in their major muscle groups, such as core, back, arms and legs, when they practice a variety of yoga poses regularly. They will also begin to develop the smaller support muscles they may not have noticed were there before.
Flexibility Exercises
Flexibility is one of the most important aspects of physical health. It can be negatively impacted by age, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and improper posture.
Yoga classes provide an excellent opportunity to improve your flexibility through a variety of stretches and poses. These stretches can target major muscle groups and deeper-seated stealth muscles that may not be working as effectively.
However, it is important to listen to your body and avoid trying to force a pose or doing too much at once. If a pose feels uncomfortable or painful, release it right away.
Relaxation Exercises
Yoga classes often include a variety of relaxation exercises that help you unwind from the day. These exercises are especially helpful if you are experiencing high levels of stress, as they will naturally trigger your body’s relaxation response to reduce anxiety and tension.
Moreover, they will also improve your sleep quality and enhance your natural healing properties.
In fact, yoga has been shown to boost the immune system by helping you fight stress-related illnesses.
Some of the most popular relaxation exercises in yoga include Savasana (Corpse Pose), deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation. You can practice these techniques anytime you need to relax your body and calm your mind.
Social Interaction
Yoga classes aren’t just about learning how to do poses — they’re also a great way to socialize and make new friends. Research suggests that people who practice yoga feel better about their relationships and have a stronger sense of belonging to their community.
The study, which was conducted at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and was based on interviews with practitioners, found that yogis had improved their interpersonal relationships in several ways: They felt like they were more patient, kind, and self-aware; they believed they could weather relationship losses better; and they felt spiritually transcendent.
To encourage more social interaction in your online yoga classes, leave a few minutes for students to chat with each other after class. This can build upon the embodied connection that’s already been fostered during the class.