Yoga: The Perfect Complement to Your Exercise Routine

Want those #gainz? Add yoga into your routine. You might be surprised how this mindful practice helps every aspect of your physical practice

If you’re a weightlifter, HIIT workout enthusiast or runner, you may be wondering if yoga is the right addition to your exercise routine. The good news is, it is! Yoga is a versatile and holistic practice that can benefit people of all fitness levels and goals.

In my own life, I’ve found yoga an absolutely essential part of whatever other types of exercise I was doing – when I ran OCRs, yoga was my rehab from whatever craziness I’d put my body through over the weekend. When I wogged 5ks, yoga was my support system to keep my hips and knees ready for action. When I dabbled with lifting weights, yoga was my balance – keeping my muscles from locking up into little blocks of wood. Office work? Forget about it – yoga was the one thing I did to nourish my body so my hips, low back and shoulders would quit screaming at me by Thursday.

Here are just a few of the ways that yoga can complement your other workouts (or the rest of your life – *cough* sitting at a desk for too many hours a day or hunching over your phone *cough*):

Improve flexibility and range of motion. Yoga poses stretch and lengthen all of the major muscle groups in the body, which is essential for good form and performance in all types of exercise. By stretching and strengthening your muscles and joints, yoga can help you move more efficiently and reduce your risk of injury.

Overall strength building. While yoga is often thought of as a flexibility practice, it’s also a great way to build strength. Many yoga poses, such as planks, chataranguas (yogi push-ups), and even the class standby pose down dog requires you to support your own body weight. Bonus: if you practice Hatha style yoga, you’ll be locked into these isometric holds for minutes at a time. Tell me that’s not strength building. Have you *seen* the crazy things people can do with “simple” bodyweight? Arm balances and core work galore! That leads me to the next point:

Strengthen your core. A strong core is essential for good form and technique in pretty much any type of exercise you want to do, not to mention protecting your back and adding to your body’s overall ability to continue on in a pain-free manner over time. Think planks, boat pose, and half moon – all poses that help to strengthen your core muscles and improve your stability and balance.

Improved balance and coordination. Yoga poses often challenge your balance and coordination. By regularly practicing yoga, you’ll improve your ability to control your body and move with precision.

Injury prevention. Yoga, when done mindfully and with good alignment, can help to reduce your risk of injury in a number of ways. By improving your flexibility, mobility, strength, and balance, yoga can help you to move more safely and efficiently during all types of exercise. Additionally, the added core muscle strength provides stability and support to your entire body.

Reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Yoga can help to reduce muscle soreness and fatigue after your workouts by promoting blood flow and circulation. This can help you to recover more quickly and get back to your workouts sooner.

Faster recovery in general. Yoga is a great way to help your body recover from workouts. The poses help to stretch and lengthen your muscles, and the deep breathing exercises help to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Yoga can also help to improve your sleep quality, which is essential for recovery.

Improve mental focus and concentration. Yoga’s mind-body nature also helps to improve mental focus and concentration. This can be beneficial for all types of exercise, but it can be especially helpful for HIIT workouts and running, which require a high level of mental focus.

A whole host of other mental and emotional benefits. Where do I start here? As a physical practice, yoga can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help to improve sleep quality and boost mood. As a mental practice, yoga can get your body in touch with your mind – and lead you to yourself. Yoga can get you in touch with your deeper levels, and absolutely help you figure your issues out. And those are just the start. If you want to get deep about it, yoga can save your life. But this is an article on how it can help with exercise …

How to incorporate yoga into your exercise routine

There are many different ways to incorporate yoga into your exercise routine. You can take a yoga class at a local studio, or you can practice yoga at home using online resources or video tutorials.

Ahem. Like my classes!

If you’re new to yoga, it’s a good idea to start with a beginner class. This will help you to learn the basics of the poses and avoid injury. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start to explore more challenging poses and sequences. If you’re anxious about starting yoga in a safe manner – or just starting in general – reach out! I’d love to speak with you. I *was* you.

As for when to practice, you can practice yoga before or after your workouts, or on a separate day. If you’re practicing yoga before your workouts, focus on poses that warm up your body and prepare you for activity. If you’re practicing yoga after your workouts, focus on poses that help your body to stretch and recover. Think flow style movement-based classes beforehand and more static hold classes or stretches after.

Here are a few specific yoga poses that are especially beneficial to work into your routine:

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): This pose stretches your hamstrings, calves, and lower back. It also helps to strengthen your core muscles. If you have a wrist or shoulder injury, take care with this one – I have a ton of options available for you if this is one of your worries. Reach out or come to one of my online classes! I’m happy to share.
Warrior Pose II (Virabhadrasana II): This pose strengthens your legs, glutes, and core muscles. It also improves your balance and coordination. Actually, the entire series of Warrior poses does this. Want to find strength in balance? Warrior 3. Want to absolutely burn your quads? Warrior flows. Want to light your entire legs on fire? Warrior flows from a teacher who loves to focus on functional or alignment-based yoga. Sneaky but effective.
Plank Pose (Kumbhakasana): This pose is a great way to strengthen your core muscles, arms, and shoulders.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): This pose strengthens your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It also helps to open up your chest and shoulders.
Child’s Pose (Balasana): This pose is super gentle and thought of as a resting pose, but it’s still a great way to relax and stretch your back.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are many resources available to help you create a yoga routine that’s right for you. You can find yoga classes and workshops at local studios, or you can search online for yoga videos and tutorials. Come talk to me! I offer classes for all levels, and absolutely love problem solving for my students. With a little practice, you’ll be reaping the benefits of yoga in no time!

If you’re new to yoga, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

Start with a basic yoga class that is appropriate for beginners. Classes labeled beginner or basic are great, but that doesn’t have to be the only class you go for. Read the description of the class – most teachers will mention whether the class is suitable for all levels (including beginners) or not. When in doubt, reach out! Ask the studio if it’s an in-person class or the instructor if it is not.
Listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard. LET ME REITERATE. LISTEN. TO. YOUR. BODY. Especially your joints. Joints don’t stretch. Be nice to your tendons.
Focus on your breath and form. If you lose your breath at any time or your breath becomes, ragged, Back Off. Pull out of the pose a bit or take a rest in child’s pose until your breathing is back to deep and regular.
And lastly, like with any exercise program, if you have any injuries or health concerns, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting yoga.

I hope this lights a fire for you and you’re ready to supplement your routine with yoga. If it has, shoot me a message over on Instagram or Facebook to let me know.

Want to see what else I’ve got to offer? Hit me up! I teach group classes, have a growing list of tips and tricks available and work with people one-on-one either in person or online. Join our community! I’d love to hear from you.