You had to know that I was going for the obvious when I got to Y – X was harder to deliver on, but in fitness, Y almost always stands for yoga. You don’t have to be in perfect shape or uber flexible to do yoga. In fact, yoga is not only a great way to get in shape, it’s also a great way to calm your mind and increase your sense of personal focus.
As a workout form, yoga is more than 5,000 years old. You use a series of positions, poses and postures to stretch, shape and tone your body. You can perform mantras or not at your own discretion. Many modern yoga classes have abandoned any religious aspect and simply focused on the physical.
Core Strengthening
Yoga is more than a flexibility exercise. It also builds core strength. There are poses that require you to hold a certain body position, one foot firm on the floor, one leg extended behind you and slightly elevated with your arms raised upwards on a diagonal palms facing each other. It’s difficult and holding this pose for longer than a minute can actually make me ache, but you are using your entire core to create stability so that you can hold this pose.
The deep stretches associated with yoga also utilize all the major and minor muscle groups – engaging and releasing them. There are multiple styles and levels of yoga to provide for you whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced yoga enthusiast. Many fitness clubs offer yoga classes to their members and you can buy a standard, beginning yoga DVD for less than $12 at Wal-mart, Target or other super center.
The primary gear you need for yoga is loose clothing and maybe a yoga mat if you work out at a club where they have hard wood floors. At home, I don’t use the mat at all.
Check out more great articles on yoga.