If you have never tried yoga, you may be under the assumption that yoga is stretching and relaxing and just being all around zen. It is true, yoga can be all of these things. But if you end up in a Vinyasa Flow, Power or Ashtanga class, you are bound to see those are only the byproducts of our more physical practices.

One can experience the strengthening benefits in most yoga practices. Yogis (the enduring term for people who practice yoga) move through a wide range of motions in classes, and use their bodies as resistance and support. One of the most recognized yoga postures, Downward Facing Dog, is a perfect example of this. To hold yourself in an inverted “V” shape you must start to strengthen your upper body and back, work through restrictions in the shoulders, and increase flexibility in your hamstrings.

In Gentle yoga classes, there is an emphasis on ground work and active stretching while cultivating a meditative state. Some Restorative classes ask yogis to go inside and create strength of mind rather than body. And for some, this is harder work than the physical postures (asanas).

HATHA YOGA, THE BALANCING OF FORCES

Hatha yoga is a category of yoga practices that are active and include standing postures. These include:

• Vinyasa
• Power
• Ashtanga
• Iyengar

Hatha, deriving from the words Ha and Tha translates to mean a balancing of the vital energy and mental forces (think breath and brain).

From Does Yoga Really Do the Body Good? by Mark Anders:

“the regular practice of Hatha yoga significantly improved the subjects’ flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and balance. After eight weeks, the average flexibility of the yoga group improved by 13 percent to 35 percent and the gains were significantly greater than the non-yoga group, especially in shoulder and trunk flexibility, and ankle range of motion”

THE SCIENCE BEHIND STRENGTH OF MIND IN YOGA

Ask any yoga student who has been dedicated to their practice and they will tell you how yoga has changed their thinking and made them stronger. Why is this?
“Each basic developmental movement pattern is coordinated by a specific area in the brain.” – Linda Hartley, Wisdom of the Body Moving

All of the developmental movement patterns that have shaped you from the time you were in your mother’s tummy wore grooves into your brain, essentially programming your mind to think in a certain way. Yoga postures address these patterns and give students the opportunity to rewire their brains through movement in their bodies.