#9 - Power Yoga

Yoga Inspired Illustration by AllyLouiseCreative on Etsy

In an ideal world, I'd be able to chill out enough to go to yoga and not be thinking I could be getting a better workout if I'd chosen to either go to a cardio class or go do a workout on my own. It's hard for me to remember that working out is more than just burning calories. Yoga has tons of benefits even if it's not a calorie torcher.

Yoga has been shown to:

• improve mood
• decrease depression
• improve flexibility
• relieve stress
• decrease back pain
• improve sleep
• improve self-confidence
• improved muscle tone and strength

Each semester our campus gym has new classes. This semester I noticed they are offering "power yoga" which is supposed to be an intermediate to advanced class and is supposed to actually make us sweat. So today, I decided the class would be my new thing for the day. I hate going to new classes mid-semester when i feel like a lot of the people in the class have been going regularly, know the instructor, know the moves, etc. So it's the beginning of the semester, the class is new, it's the perfect time to join in (if there is really a perfect time!).

How was it?
My heart rate actually got up a little a couple times which was a new thing for me for a yoga class. I could feel my muscles working towards the end of the class so that was nice. :) This class is also taught on Sundays and is a 90 minute class. The instructor said we'd have more time to "flow" during that class which I suspect will help keep my heart rate slightly elevated. I like that idea.

The kink that I had in my neck is gone too. I didn't realize how much I was trying to ignore it until the instructor had us tilt our head to the left and right. Ouch! But after class the tension was gone. Yay!

The pose in the photo above is HARD!! I was able to hold it for a few seconds at a time without crashing but it's really hard to balance like that. It's even harder to balance like that once you start giggling because you keep falling over. I must practice this pose! It's pretty awesome! :)