Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, FL provides the opportunity to get fit, but we hope you use that opportunity and engage in active pastimes and hobbies to improve and use your newly gained fitness. People normally nod and agree when I mention hiking, basketball or bike riding, but look a little puzzled or shake their head when I mention yoga. There are
Yoga is not a religion and there's no religious services.
Most of the classes in yoga taught today focus on form and movement, not on the philosophies of the early forms of yoga. It is linked to Hinduism, but not part of the religion. It does emphasize quieting the mind and self-realization, and discovering the quiet within you and self-awareness. It is designed to help unite body, mind and spirit. In fact, there's a form of yoga, called Christian yoga, that started in the 1940s. Most yoga classes focus only on form. However, if you're in a class where you feel it goes against your principles or still believe yoga itself is, don't do it. No matter how good something is for your body, if it doesn't resonate well with your spiritual side, it's not a good outlet for you.
Yoga is too simple and only good for flexibility is another misconception.
Modern yoga is quite difficult or can be easy enough to do for an out of shape senior or person who never worked out previously. There are all levels of fitness and types of yoga. The key is to find one type that's right for you. Some of the more difficult poses build strength and provide a great core workout. It is a challenge to flexibility, but also provides cardio and builds balance and strength. In many cases, you're using muscles that normally sit idle or using muscles in new ways on a different plane. It can be extremely tough.
Some people think all yoga is the same.
As noted before, there are all levels and types of yoga. There's Bikram yoga, Hatha yoga, hot yoga and Kundalini yoga. There are more than thirteen types of yoga and different subsets in each group, with hot yoga often being Vinyasa or Bikram yoga that focuses more on the conditions of the room----hot and humid. Ashtanga yoga, also known as military of yoga," is considered one of the more difficult types and Hatha yoga, Iyengar Yoga or a hybrid form being more popular for beginners.
- You don't have to be flexible to take yoga classes. Many people feel yoga is just for the very flexible, but that's like saying weightlifting is for the very strong. It helps you become more flexible, but you don't have to start out that way.
- Another misconception is that yoga is just for women. It's like saying ballet is just for women, yet many football teams use ballet to train their players. You'd be surprised how strong you have to be to take some types of yoga classes.
- Some people think yoga is all about meditation and not a real workout. It all depends on the type of yoga you're doing. You'll often be using muscles you haven't used for a while in ways you don't normally use them, even if the class is considered simple.
- Just like all forms of exercise, yoga provides health benefits. It can be a good supplement to our program of fitness. We provide a complete program but staying active when you're not here is always a plus.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness
