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Friday, September 11, 2009

Yoga with Weights

Yoga has been very popular for many years. There are endless different types of yoga; some are done in a hot room, some in a cold room, some to music and some in silence. But the newest form of yoga is done with weights. I have to admit I was skeptical. I thought it was a little gimmicky to just add weights to your yoga class and say that it is new and better. However, after I tried it, I knew it was no joke.

Since I couldn’t find a Yoga with Weights class near me, I used a video by Fitness Instructor Sara Ivanhoe. You can download it at ExerciseTV.com. The video started off slow but ended up being fun and challenging. The weights bring together yoga and weight lifting to give you a different kind of workout. I haven’t found many other videos on this type of class but I think there may be more to come.

The idea of Yoga with Weights is to combine the yoga postures, held in proper alignment with weights to add resistance. 1, 3 or 5 pound weights can be used safely. You can use hand held weights during the class and you can even add ankle weights for some of the moves. The weights make the postures harder and can actually help stabilize your body. According to Sherri Baptiste, creator of the Baptiste method of Yoga with Weights and author of Yoga with Weights for Dummies,

“The exercises combine and synchronize the balance of hard and soft, strength and grace, and stability and flexibility, so that your entire body is engaged in a challenging and exciting new way. You'll want to experiment carefully with the different weights, and choose the size that gives you the best workout.”
Yoga has always been a great workout to tone and lengthen your muscles, but the addition of weights can really help tone your muscles faster. It is quite challenging to hold the poses while engaging the muscles needed to hold the weights in place. You will see results from this workout. In fact, I felt even more focused on the muscles while using the weights.

You don’t need any special training to try the class. If you have taken even a few yoga classes, you will be able to do it. You can stick with the basic yoga poses at first and just hold them for 30 seconds with the weights. You can work up to more advanced poses, ankle weights and longer holds as you progress and become stronger. Even if you never liked yoga, give this a try. It is different then a traditional yoga class. You might find it more interesting. You still need to focus and use proper breathing techniques, but the weights can help take your yoga class to another level. It might be just the thing to shake up your workout routine.

- Jennifer

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Labels: Exercise, Fitness, Jennifer, Physical Activity, Yoga