What is power yoga? GREAT QUESTION!
What’s up everyone? My name’s Kelly and I’m a leader at Bulldog Yoga where we think the more approachable yoga can be, the better.
“Our goal is pretty much yoga with no intimidation.”
Everyone eventually develops their own yoga preferences and it’s great to know about all different types of yoga.
The more you practice, the more you learn and eventually, you’ll learn what works for your body, whether or not you crave fast flows or slow burns.
Yoga is for you by adding in some dynamic aspects to your yoga practice, like fun flows, awesome music and a not so serious tone you’ll get can also be transformed into an awesome cardio workout.
Because of that, power yoga is my workout of choice.
So What’s Power Yoga?
I think it’s a lighter way to add in some fun elements to your practice, but still get an awesome whole body workout.
So you might be asking:
“What is power yoga?… Can I keep up with it?… Is it for me?”
Let’s find out!
Power yoga is a fitness-based physical yoga practice that focuses on increasing your flexibility, your strength, and your stamina. So the strength building and cardio combination means that you get a workout that’s both: Rigorous & Revitalizing.
Power yoga involves flowing through and holding postures to gain strength and build internal heat, so anatomically everything makes sense even though it’s really hard work.
You’re using the pace of your breath to determine the pace at which your body moves.
Power yoga is best for people who are looking for enough melodic flow to help them increase their flexibility, build strength, and feel refreshed?
Sample one of our most popular power yoga classes
Be prepared to sweat!
In fact, Yoga Journal listed increased flexibility and increased strength as the two top benefits of yoga.
Well, there certainly are modifications that you can make to a power flow and props are easily added to a power yoga practice — Those looking for a more restorative flow might want to steer clear of power yoga to start.
However, it can be adapted for those who are new to the yoga practice.
You can just start off holding poses for a little bit longer – start at a slower pace, and then amp your way up as you start to feel more comfortable. The more you practice power yoga, the easier it gets because your muscle memory eventually starts to kick in and you’ll remember how your unique body looks and feels in certain poses
Before going into any style yoga class, be sure to check in with your body because you know it better than anyone else.
Pay attention to places you might be feeling uncomfortable that day. Pay attention to places that you might’ve had injuries in the past and just be mindful of them as you flow through your practice.
Know that you can slow down or modify your practice with props whenever you need.
Power yoga has a reputation for being really fast paced, but you really can take it at whatever pace you feel comfortable.
Notice your breath – Like I said before, the faster your breathing, the faster your flow is going to get and the slower, calmer, more controlled your breath is. The slower, calmer, more controlled your practices.
Also, know it’s okay to take breaths during power yoga.
Child’s pose, downward facing dog, laying on back, or standing tall in mountain pose at the top of your mat are all awesome postures to take when you really need a reset.
Take a moment. Take a breath, redirect your attention back inward and see how you feel before going back into your flow.
If you’re practicing in a heated room, be mindful of how your body tolerates high temperatures.
Sometimes we have the tendency to get over seated when we’re breathing in our strong yoga breasts, the internal fires building, you’re getting hot, you’re getting sweaty, everything’s fueled up.
Just take a second and pause.
You might be wondering if power yoga can serve as your only workout of the day, and the answer to that is, heck yeah, it’s all I ever do!
Yoga is a full body workout and the strength building and cardio elements of power flow can easily replace the hour that you’ve spent at the gym every day.
The heat you generate in your body during a power flow helps you burn more calories, stimulates weight loss, and actually maximizes your blood flow according to a study published by the Journal of Health Psychology.
In addition to improving your mental acuity and your posture, yoga can also help relieve tension because it helps you release toxins through your sweat.
So there’s your power-packed breakdown of what power yoga is!
Now, be sure to follow the Bulldog Yoga YouTube channel to keep up with the videos we’ll be posting every month to help you increase your knowledge of what exactly you’ll get is.
See ya Bulldogs!
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