4/9/2024 0 Comments Hatha yoga class sequence![]() And a subtler version of the same dynamic is at play with verbal or predetermined choreography. This is especially true with hands-on adjustments. The right of students to determine what’s best for their own bodies, and to retain autonomy around their choice of variations-whether and how to be touched, when to rest, and even how they’re observed or their experience named, has become a big topic. But sequencing is important and complex! (Isn’t it?) And what external guidance teaches, in part, is that someone else knows what’s best for your body. ![]() Whether that someone is a distant founder of a lineage or the person walking around the room calling out pose names and alignment cues, it’s still external guidance. This was about how we were teaching the practice.ĭespite the many differences between the styles of yoga I have mentioned, one thing they all share is that the sequence of postures is chosen by someone other than the practitioner. It wasn’t the economics, social justice issues, or other structural aspects of the yoga studio system, though there are certainly problems with those as well. And as I took other teachers’ classes, I had the same misgivings. It’s a lovely structure for the physical part of yoga practice, based in the simple reality that warming up with easier versions of shapes makes the difficult versions both easier and safer.īut as I improvised variations of basically the same thing day after day, year after year, I came to feel that despite offering a lovely flow of postures (along with whatever wisdom teachings I could weave in), the class format itself might actually be limiting students’ progress. When I taught vinyasa classes, I always improvised my sequences, moving my students through a pretty standard progression of warm-ups and foundational poses to a “peak pose” or two, and then ending with inversions, corpse pose ( śavāsana), and breathwork ( prāṇāyāma). In other styles-like the vinyasa or “flow” that has become the norm in many yoga studios, or Iyengar-style classes that focus less on movement and more on alignment in held postures-teachers talk students through their own sequences, either planned in advance or improvised on the spot. In some styles, like Ashtanga or Bikram, the sequence is predetermined, and teachers may give alignment points or other reminders as everyone moves through it, either together (Bikram), or self-paced (Ashtanga). ![]() And the sequences can be thought of as choreography, though we don’t often call them that. As a group movement sequence done in rhythm, yoga class can be structurally similar to dance or exercise classes, which are certainly part of its modern heritage. Ideally, incorporating a variety of yoga practices with other types of physical activity will have the best outcomes for your cardio health and body strength.For many practitioners around the world now, yoga is synonymous with “guided group posture practice.” We get together, line up in parallel rows on sticky mats, and perform a sequence of physical shapes ( āsana), often linked by transitional movements and combined with rhythmic breathing. How you practice it - the intensity, the type, the frequency - determines what benefits you’ll get from it. The research is mixed because yoga is an umbrella term. A 2013 systematic review published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that yoga may help lower blood pressure, a key marker of cardiovascular fitness. However, studies have shown that yoga improves markers of cardiorespiratory fitness. ![]() In other words, the jury is still out as to whether it actually improves your fitness levels.Ī clinical trial published in 2007 in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that yoga equates to low levels of physical activity and wouldn’t be enough to improve cardiovascular fitness. The research on yoga as physical activity is a bit mixed. In addition to cardio and strength benefits, yoga as a practice often involves deep breaths and meditation. A 2011 study concluded that yoga assists in the reduction of stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, in improving sleep, and in enhancing overall well-being and quality of life. Yoga can also be beneficial for mental health and stress management. A study published in 2016 in the International Journal of Yoga found that after 10 weeks of regular yoga, participants had improvements in flexibility and balance as well as an increase in joint mobility and range of motion (ROM). The benefits of yoga can be vast, and it may be an effective way to enhance athletic performance.
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