I’ve spoken with several people over the years who, when asked what they do to stay in shape, mention that they take yoga. Some of the common reasons they list for loving (and only needing) yoga include:
“It really stretches me out and I’m much more flexible”
“It’s so good for my balance”
“I’ve gotten so much stronger but without getting bulky”
“It’s so relaxing”
Maybe it's just me but this doesn't look very relaxing.
I certainly can’t argue with how yoga makes people feel but I can try to shed some light on what people think about it, coming from a training and conditioning perspective. Disclaimer: I am not a yoga expert nor do I know all of the poses and sequences. I have taken a few classes with different instructors so I have experienced enough to get the gist of the practice. My knowledge of yoga may be superficial but my analysis of it stems from my years of training and learning about scientific-based principles of human movement and function. Ok, now that we’ve gotten acquainted…
I do agree that yoga will help improve flexibility and balance and is probably quite relaxing, especially the corpse pose at the end when you lie on your back and melt your troubles away. I love the fact that yoga teaches you how to manipulate your body in space with control. And, practicing yoga will improve proprioception—a fancy way of describing where your body is oriented in space—especially because it is done barefoot and there are an enormous amount of sensory receptors on the bottom of the feet (that get deprived of a lot of information when we wear shoes).
However, there are some limitations to only doing yoga that you should consider in order to be a more informed practitioner and to balance out your fitness program (listed in no particular order):
1. No external loading
It is true that yoga gets you strong enough to move your own body weight around, but developing greater strength can only be developed when lifting external loads. Force production is dependent upon increasing either the mass moved or the acceleration of the object through space (Force = mass x acceleration). This first point addresses the mass component of the force equation.
2. A focus on slow movements
While moving slowly can help you learn new movements, yoga tends to stick to slow contractions or entirely isometric holds. This emphasis completely neglects the development of the fast-twitch fibers, which are essential for increasing acceleration and, therefore, force production (second part of the equation above). I know that “power” yoga classes have popped up in an attempt to meet this need but they still don’t address the fundamental aspects of power as seen in the power equation (Power = force x distance).
3. No pulling
Yoga tends to focus on a lot of upper-body movements with an emphasis on pushing variations (pushups, headstands, etc). In order to balance out planes of motion we must do pulling exercises as well as pushing. This is especially important when many of us sit at computers, carry kids, drive, cook, and do a majority of tasks in front of us. In order to balance these forces out and do critical pulling movements (rows, pullups, etc.), you would need an external weight or object which, as stated in point 1, are not tools not utilized in yoga.
4. Excessive mobility
A recent article in The New York Times highlighted how yoga has the potential to cause injuries from a desire to push oneself deeper into postures that may actually be harmful. Likewise, my friend and long-time A.R.T. practitioner, Dr. Louis Angulo, has treated several yogis over the years due to such injuries. Developing greater range of motion at the joints is important to be able to lunge and reach for objects without restriction, but increasing mobility for its own sake is somewhat pointless and potentially dangerous. Yogis need the commensurate strength to stabilize the joints that have experienced increased mobility developed during yoga practice.
5. Lack of transfer to “real-world” situations
I admit that watching skilled yoga practitioners is pretty cool, especially when they can do poses like this:
However, I find myself asking “What purpose does this serve outside of yoga?” Now, perhaps I am not that creative and some of my readers could find a use for this position. However, this position isn’t called for in either daily activities or in sporting contexts so why bother spending so much time and effort trying to achieve it? While traditional weightlifting moves don’t look nearly as eye-catching, squats, rows, and presses have a nice degree of transfer to “real-world” demands.
6. No unpredictability
This last point is one that could be made of most types of movement forms (pilates, weightlifting, aerobics classes), in which the teacher/coach has the client doing a series of movements that are known in advance and don’t require instantaneous adjustments. That is not to say that a teacher doesn’t improvise and change the plan based on the client’s performance and progress. Specifically, I am referring to the type of environment that we encounter during “real-world” activities and how they tend to be constantly changing, forcing us to adapt our movements in the moment. This unpredictability adds layers of cognitive engagement (sensory, processing, memory, and attention systems) that are a hallmark of open-skill activities like tennis, driving, and rush-hour commutes (click HERE to see a previous article I wrote on this subject).
In summary, yoga is a great supplement to any training program that involves:
- Lifting heavy things
- High-intensity, fast-paced bursts of activity
- Endurance-based cardio
- Pulling movements
- Transferable movement abilities
- Rich cognitive environment
Keep on Movin’
-CA
6 comments
Iris Sinkel says:
June 5, 2012 at 1:01 pm (UTC -5 )
Carolyn, thanks for your articles. I really enjoy reading them. This last one touched one of my hot buttons though, and motivated me to comment.
My idea of yoga is that it is a spiritual practice and that is why I love it. It is meant to center one in the here and now and bring the body, mind and spirit into harmony. There is a lot of emphasis on breathing and meditating. The one time I was introduced to it in a gym setting, it was a dreadful experience because no attention was paid to the totality of the person, just getting in and out of the poses. In my opinion, yoga does not belong in a gym, and is not meant to be just another way of getting exercise. I use the breathing techniques all the time for various reasons: to be centered, to get calm, to meditate. I use mountain pose anytime I am waiting in a line. I use other parts at all different times for various reasons including the spiritual ideas. I love yoga and yoga loves me! Just wanted to share…….. Namaste! Keep up the good work!
Jason Machowsky says:
June 5, 2012 at 2:28 pm (UTC -5 )
Totally agreed, great insights. I just wrote a couple posts about why I love and hate yoga as well:
Love: http://www.JasonMachowsky.com/Newsletter4-12.html
Hate: http://www.JasonMachowsky.com/Newsletter5-12.html
Check ‘em out and let me know what you think.
carolynappel says:
June 6, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -5 )
Iris: I appreciate your comment and honesty and I totally agree with you about yoga primarily being a physical practice to enable deepening spiritual awareness and relaxation. In fact, when preparing for this article, I spoke to yoga instructor who has practiced both here and in India. She reiterated that the emphasis of yoga in the US is physical, where people think of it more as a workout, whereas in India, the poses are a vehicle to achieve a deeper spiritual experience (in addition to better health via improved organ, lymph, and muscle functioning).
I didn’t focus on these elements in this article because it was geared more towards how people use yoga as a workout. I certainly am not qualified to evaluate yoga’s emotional and spiritual components so I chose to focus on what I am trained to discuss: the physical aspects (please read Jason’s comprehensive articles referenced in the previous comment for another perspective). In no way am I putting it down or minimizing its value and I hope you continue to benefit from your practice. Thanks!
Marlene Arvan says:
June 6, 2012 at 5:23 pm (UTC -5 )
Well. I was going to get all high & mighty and say “What the heck are you talking about?” — especially after admitting that you’ve only been to a few Yoga classes. Granted. You are the bestest of trainers and I so admire you in that respect. But, until I read your last paragraph (& how many people read these things all the way thru, after all?) where you mention that Yoga is a “supplement” to a training program , well that’s when I would concede that your blog ended on a correct note. What I would like to say about Yoga is that it’s not only getting your body to move and stretch but it also works on & develops your mind & your heart center. (That’s a place that we don’t really explore so much as Personal Trainers). There is so much that is given in a Yoga class that has only something to do with the Asanas that we practice. You may as well
just take a stretch class and forget about the “Yoga” entirely if your mentality is that Yoga is how you get your exercise. I feel like I’m writing a “Letter to the Editor” which, of course, I have
NEVER done, but I want you to explain the WHOLE picture.
Alex Z says:
June 8, 2012 at 10:33 am (UTC -5 )
Always a fun topic and has been debated for MANY years. For starters I hate doing yoga, mostly because I’m terrible at it, but therein lies the issue and the reason that I think Yoga in fact is significantly undervalued in terms of the role it plays in overall fitness (but make no mistake it should not ever be the only means of being fit).
In speaking about function and translation to real life situations, I actually think at times yoga is more transferable than just doing a deadlift in the sagital plane. Take for example the movement that you posted as “what is the purpose outside of yoga” well for starters this individual is overcoming MANY common restrictions that plaugue are nations ability to move. For example, good range of motion around the hip joint in both extension and flexion are limitations and this move would address that, secondly there is a fair amount of Thoracic spine rotation, which is a major limitation given the advancements in technology.
Secondly, I think yoga can have a profound affect on weight loss due to the increase in parasympathetic tone, which will result in a drop in norepinephrine, epinephrine and cortisol, all of which can burn your adrenal system, increase stress on the body and make us store fat. Lastly, the fact that yoga positively affects are fascial structures, which do play a role in strength, power and movement capability, I believe that yoga can have a direct impact on our ability to generate more force, increase capacity to store and release energy, and recruit more fibers from biomechanical stand-point for force output.
Not disagreeing with much of what you’ve said, just thought I would add some different perspective on it.
carolynappel says:
June 9, 2012 at 7:24 am (UTC -5 )
You make some great points Alex. I agree that any activity that reduces stress has positive value, from an endocrine standpoint to a psychological one. Also, the different types of movements in yoga do help address many of the common deficiencies in ROM experienced by office workers. As varied as the backgrounds are of those who do yoga, I imagine we could find an almost endless amount of reasons why people might benefit from it. I just want to make sure that yogis understand the benefits of adding other types of movement practices into their lives to be well-rounded (just as I would be more well-rounded if I were to do yoga).