Why Should I Add Cardio Yoga To My Workout Routine?

By now, you’ve read the title of this post and we can guess what you might be thinking. “A cardio yoga flow? Like, a yoga cardio workout? I feel pretty good about my workout routine. I’m not sure I need a yoga cardio workout.”

You have your regimen dialed in and you’re not sure you’re ready for a plot twist, especially when pretty much everything in our world has been so topsy turvy with change recently. According to Men’sHealth, the toughest step to make is the first one … and it’s usually the most rewarding! 

Adding a Cardio Yoga Workout Plan to your routine can help re-energize you.

But hear us out: there are a lot of good reasons to add a new cardio yoga flow to your schedule.

To be more exact, there are five reasons and we want to break them down for you… now. 

1. Killer Cardio Workout.
2. Additional Health Benefits.
3. Taking Advantage of Key Yoga Benefits.
4. Online Yoga is Super Accessible.
5. A Fun, New Workout to Help.

#1) Yoga can be a fantastic cardio workout

More often than not, yoga gets a reputation for being slow breathing, deep stretching, and mindfulness. That brand of yoga definitely has its place in any self care routine, but don’t let your preconceived notions of the practice fool you, because a cardio yoga flow can also get the heart rate pumping and the sweat flowin’. 

Let’s talk more specifically about power yoga, shall we? That’s the kind of yoga we practice around here, starting with our beginner yoga plans and beyond. Power yoga lends itself to a cardio yoga workout. It’s pretty much the best of all worlds because it has all of the benefits of yoga (more on that below!) and is also great for strengthening, stretching, and more. 

Power yoga is essentially a cardio-driven, butt-busting type of workout yoga. You might want to check out this YouTube video to get a visual of what this kind of cardio yoga flow can look like. 

According to the Mayo Clinic,

“There are a few key elements of a cardio workout, also known as an “aerobic exercise.” Cardio workouts — including yoga cardio workouts — involve repeated movements of the large muscle groups in your arms, legs, and hips, an increase in your heart rate, and faster breathing.”

Because of the changes to your heart rate and breathing pattern, this kind of exercise maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood and helps you use it more effectively. 

And guess what? Yoga with cardio checks all of those boxes! So there’s never been a better time to get started with a cardio yoga workout plan that will kickstart your (inevitable) love affair with cardio yoga flows. 

#2) There are a lot of added benefits to a cardio yoga flow

Now that we’ve established that cardio yoga is, in fact, serious cardio exercise, let’s talk about the benefits of cardio! Cardio can get a rap, but that’s only because it’s challenging, and cardio yoga flows are no exception.

Still, there are tons of benefits to cardiovascular exercise, which can serve as useful motivation when you’re tired and want to call it quits! 

According to Healthline,

Here are some of the best-known benefits of a yoga cardio workout:

• Decreases your risk of heart disease and keeps your heart healthy
• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps regulate your blood sugar
• Reduces chronic pain (including knee pain!)
• Can help you get better sleep
• Strengthens your immune system
• It can boost your happiness and mood! 
• ​Per ​​Parade, yoga is one of the best exercises to strengthen your core.​

Who wouldn’t want to experience those benefits? Try adding a cardio yoga flow to your routine!

#3) Yoga has some of its own health benefits

In addition to those benefits of cardio workouts, yoga has some health benefits of its own — and those are worth mentioning, too! After all, one of the best things about a cardio yoga flow is that it gives you the chance to reap the benefits of both cardio and yoga… all at once! 

Here are a few of the unique benefits of yoga, according to Harvard Health… 

• Improves your body awareness and body image. 
• Can help you practice mindful eating, which may contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle.
• Helps support your weight maintenance goals. (If that’s important to you!)
• It boosts your muscle strength and become more flexible.
• You will see improvement in your endurance. 

Say it with us again… who wouldn’t want to experience those benefits? We’re pretty sure the answer to that question is “no one.” It’s a good thing that workout yoga with cardio is an option!

Check out all of the benefits of cardio yoga in this video:

#4) Cardio Yoga Flow is super accessible

Other types of cardio exercise might require additional equipment, more space, or other people. One of the coolest things about making a cardio yoga flow part of your wellness routine is that you don’t really need any of those things. In fact, all you really need to do a cardio yoga flow is enough space to move your body and (ideally!) a yoga mat or other soft surface. 

Thanks to our online yoga classes, you can get moving with a serious cardio yoga flow wherever you are and no matter what your schedule looks like. You can stream a wide range of classes on your favorite device — including the classes in our beginner yoga workout plan or all of the classes you need to participate in an online yoga challenge. 

With that kind of accessibility and convenience, there’s no excuse to skip out on your cardio. 

#5) Did we mention that it’s fun?

Too often, people pass up the opportunity to get their bodies moving because they don’t actually enjoy the activity. Obviously, those people have never tried a cardio yoga flow… because a yoga cardio workout is a good time. 

The amazing soundtrack to our cardio yoga flows adds a major fun factor.

And it’s pretty clear: It’s impossible not to be in a good mood when you’re getting a yoga workout while jamming to awesome music.