Is Yoga enough as a fitness routine?

Over the last decade, yoga has begun to become the preferred form of working out for many people. It is an ancient practice that, unlike the typical gym, treadmill or weight lifting routine, gives you all round fitness that includes strengthening, breathing control, stretching, and balance. This makes it the complete package for physical, mental and emotional fitness.

While most of us might presume that lying on a mat and practicing Yoga might not really achieve that full body workout, it is important to know that Yoga goes beyond stretching. For a full body workout, we need aerobic exercises, muscle strength and endurance training and flexibility moves. 

The basis of Yoga has to do with flexibility. When the stretching is held for a couple of minutes or more, it gives our muscles the kind of workout that may not be achieved in a traditional strength training session. The best part of Yoga is that we develop an awareness of our body, including what and how we eat, our other fitness activities and the effect all this has on our body. 

Yet, in spite of the many benefits of Yoga,  it’s does not fully substitute other forms of exercises, particularly when you become proficient with it – as it does not challenge you. So when you reach that stage, you do need to build in some cardio and weight training in your fitness routine, complemented by a couple of days doing yoga. 

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Stay healthy!
Vidya Sury