Healthy — Yoga Version

We are into my 3rd edition of Living Healthy. Today we speak about exercise and keeping your body in peak physical condition. While there are many ways to do this as we all know; I want you to focus on Yoga and the different kinds of Yoga available for practice.

Why Yoga? I believe that essentially, yoga is a form of health regeneration for the body, mind and heart. The process of Yoga is very meditative, and if you select the type of yoga that is best suited to your needs you can sculpt a strong, tight, and sexy body that feels amazing to be in from the inside and outwardly.

Personally, I got into yoga 2 years ago when I was forced to give up going to the Gym, lifting weights, or exerting in any form of physical activity that put pressure on my blood flow. Naturally being a heavy gym and cardio maniac, I had to find an alternative that maintained my need to remain in peak physical condition. Yoga gave me a wonderful outlet to calming the body and the mind.

Over the past couple of years, I have experimented with many types of Yoga; some which will definitely appeal to you; I list them below;

1. Ashtanga Yoga

This is the most well-known form called “Surya-Namaskar” or Sun Salutation Yoga. It is a pre-set form of flow movements that awakens all parts of your bodies by going through a regular sequence of poses at the speed that matches your breathing. The breathing system is at the core of Ashtanga Yoga, it guides the entire process and gives you an opportunity to be in the moment, as well as relax the mind to a meditative state. Breathe evenly and move through the flow in a prescribed manner; before progressing further towards more difficult positions that rely on balance and flexibility.

2. Vinyasa Yoga

This type of Yoga is a slight change over Ashtanga Yoga; as it follows a more “flow-process” which means the body moves from one position to another in a fluid-like state. It is often said that no two vinyasa classes are the same as you progress through different asanas as the body feels necessary. Here again, we are connected with the flow of the breath and you move from one position to the next accordingly. Seamless transitions from one pose to the next are the key for the flow to keep going through. You can use this type of Yoga to develop strength and power in certain parts of the body.

3. Anusara Yoga

This Yoga evolved as a progress from the traditional Hatha Yoga and is very specific to heart-opening, energy spreading and even has a few tantric elements incorporated in its process. It developed in the west and incorporated aspects of the Hindu styles to provide a more spiritual experience than other kinds of Yoga. The breathing in this is very smooth and it helps to open the chakras.

4. Yin Yoga

This is by far my most favorite form of Yoga to re-balance the energies in the body. Especially after taking a few days off from Yoga; I like to engage in an hour-long practice of Yin-Yoga which focused on stretching out the joints of the body and with poses that can last up to 5 minutes each. With regular easy breathing into the posture, it helps to increase the flow of blood circulation throughout the body. With time, your flexibility improves, and your body feels lighter and more active.

5. Hatha Yoga

This is the most widely practiced form of Yoga across the world. When people refer to Yoga it is usually stemmed from Hatha Yoga which is the father of all the new styles mentioned above. It is Yoga focused on flow, stretching, breathing, and a form of activating energy points throughout the body to give you a meditative state of being throughout the day. The poses here are incorporated as exercises across multiple sporting activities as a form of developing flexibility, balance and calmness.

I also give a special mention to Pilates which is very good for ab development and strengthening that can be added to any of the above routines or even as a stand-alone practice.

I usually practice the different forms of Yoga mentioned above on a daily rotation basis. Sometimes, if one type is more interesting to me; I will repeat it over the course of a few days before moving on to another style.

Some links on YouTube that are great for starting the process:

- Alo Yoga

- Boho Beautiful (a favorite)

- Five Parks Yoga

- Move with Nicole

- Sarah Beth Yoga (a favorite)

- Yoga with Adriene

- Yoga with Tim

- Yogi Approved

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Let me know which Yoga you utilize; share any links that are helpful in your practice.