People enjoy different forms of workout, while some prefer to burn calories in the gym, other prefer more holistic fitness routines such as Yoga. Both workout options have their merits and while hitting the gym show quick results, Yoga offers long-term benefits and aims at physical as well as mental fitness.
Practicing Yoga
While gym requires membership and dedicating time to get there and spend at least an hour, all one requires for yoga is comfortable clothes, a yoga mat and a little room to move. You can practice yoga for as little as fifteen minutes to as long as you would like to. Also unlike gym workouts where you concentrate on one body part every day, in yoga you calisthenics the entire body every day.
Busting Yoga Myths
Popular belief is that yoga is for toning the body and isn’t very effective for burning fat. Sun salutations and certain other yoga poses repeated in measured pace while regulating your breathing will be as effective as any other cardio exercise. Further, while in the gym you rely on lifting rods and dumbbells for burning fats, in yoga you lift your own body, which not only offers great strength training, but also builds resistance and stability.
Cost Effectiveness
Yoga is much more cost effective than gyms, joining a yoga class is cheaper than a gym membership. However, even after you quit the yoga classes, you can continue practicing by yourself at home. Further, low-cost yoga training DVDs are available at all leading stores, you can also view videos on YouTube or visit websites dedicated to yoga to learn about new postures.
Variety in Exercise
There are innumerable yoga postures that you can practice, and if you want to tone up any single part of your body, you can choose to do the postures to strengthen that part of the body more. You need not start on headstands or other challenging postures, but work your way to these tougher postures by starting with some easy poses, which will be just as beneficial.
Mind and Body
Yoga is workout for both body and mind; it will give you a wholesome workout. The various yoga postures, breathing exercise and meditation will make you more self-aware and change your approach towards life, your eating habits and your body.
