Is Yoga Enough?

The question is: Is yoga enough? Can you achieve your physical goals by only practicing yoga? The answer is, of course, it depends.

Are you carrying weights during your normal daily activities? Are you moving throughout the day, climbing stairs, chasing kids?

Self test your physical conditioning. Can you sprint a block without getting winded? Can you balance on one foot? 

No one is denying the benefits of yoga, of which there are many. I think we as teachers and practitioners need to be honest with ourselves about whether yoga is contributing enough physical stresses to create strength, mobility and balance. 

I enjoy listening to Jason Crandell on Yogaland, who is a proponent of strength and functional anatomy in the context of yoga. He teaches the use of active strength versus passive strength. This idea explores the use of muscle engagement in postures as a complement to using binds and straps to achieve maximum flexibility. There are some great examples on how to use muscle engagement in familiar postures. For just one example using side plank, when you come down to the forearm, the action is powering the obliques rather than relying on the stability of the shoulder joint. Test this out and see if you can feel a difference. 

Using active strength in postures will create challenges for the super flexible, whose mobility allows them to achieve postures without engagement. This approach will also allow the inflexible to focus more on engagement and powering up the muscles rather than struggling to arrive at the perfect yoga pose.

I have always held the mantra, I exercise so I can do what I want when I want. I always want to be comfortable hiking mountains with my family. I want to be able to lift and move 30 quart pots of chowder at work, or simply carry all the groceries in one trip. I want to trip, but not fall. I want to have strong bones and a strong mind. I personally have found that combining THRIVEFIT and kettlebell training with yoga is the best of both worlds.

For more learning options of Jason’s, go to www.jasonyoga.com or the Yogaland Podcast.