Yoga is NOT a Workout
I see too many yoga students approaching their practice the same way they approach a workout. They push too hard, they breath too hard, they want to feel the ‘burn.’ But Yoga is NOT a workout. The big difference between a workout and a yoga practice lies in the nervous system, which has two halves: voluntary and autonomic. The autonomic nervous system controls basic functions like heartrate, breathing, blood pressure, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system also has two halves: sympathetic (known as fight or flight) and its complement, parasympathetic (often called rest and restore).
When you’re at the gym or out for a run, you’re in a sympathetic state (fight or flight): your heartrate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing are increased. That’s right, exercise is stress. But it’s good stress if you don’t overdo it. Is there such a thing as good stress? Stress and its partner in crime, cortisol (nicknamed the stress hormone), get a bad rap. Without cortisol, you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning, meet deadlines, learn new skills and concepts, or respond to life’s challenges. Think of exercise as a vaccine; It’s a little dose of something potentially harmful that will protect you from something really dangerous in the future.
So if a little bit of stress isn’t bad, what is the problem? The real problem is chronic stress. If you never give yourself a break, stress will wreak havoc on your health and well-being. Chronic stress ages you, weakens your immune system, disrupts your sleep, makes you more susceptible to illness and injury, zaps your energy, contributes to belly fat, and causes muscle tension, pain, and headaches. The nervous system needs a break from chronic stress. And that’s where yoga comes in. If you are instead treating yoga as workout, the practice becomes one more stressful demand you’re piling on to your nervous system.
Yoga can be the tonic to the stress of life, work, and working out if you remain in the parasympathetic nervous system during the practice. Parasympathetic (a.k.a. rest and restore) is the complement to fight or flight. This means no huffing and puffing, no holding the breath, no straining, and absolutely no grunting in yoga. Stay relaxed and keep breathing through the nose to receive the healing benefits of yoga. You can really manage stress by choosing classes such as Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga. If you find yourself in a challenging class, remember you can always modify and rest as needed. We yoga instructors really do mean it when we say you can come into child’s pose at any time.
Are you practicing Saucha by keeping your workout and yoga practice separate?
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.
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