Focus on your inner self
Concentration, breathing through your nose, brisk movements and the focus on the inner self: that is power yoga. You do the new training in the gym, but not in tight suits and not on hard beats.
Power yoga fits in nicely with the current trend of slowing down and the growing need for a healthy mind in a strong body. Although the American power yoga guru Bryan Kest emphasizes the interaction between body and mind, there is nothing floaty about this sporty variant of yoga. It is not for nothing that gym owners offer power yoga.
For everyone
It is a sport that unmistakably leads to a strong and flexible musculature and a good condition, because the participant is constantly in motion. Power yoga is good for everyone. Young, old, stiff or trained: everyone participates at their own pace and level. One warning: don’t go too far. Power yoga shouldn’t hurt.
Basic postures
Power yoga, like Pilates, has basic movements on which the sport is based. You will often encounter the following postures:
plank position
The plank pose is part of the warm-up. In this exercise you push from your shoulders, let your head hang relaxed and let your fingers and palms have full contact with the floor. In the meantime, don’t forget to breathe through your nose. Your buttocks are level with your shoulders, and you rest on your toes. Take a deep breath in and out through your nose five times while holding this position. On the sixth breath, gently bend your elbows and, on the exhale, slowly lower down. Keep your elbows close to your body and make sure that your chin touches the floor before your stomach and hips. Then place your feet on the floor with your toes outstretched completely relaxed.
Cobra
The plank pose is followed by the cobra, also a basic position of power yoga. You push yourself up, with your arms as straight as possible, so that your chest lifts off the floor. Keep hands flat on the floor. The back becomes hollow, the shoulders are low, and the shoulder blades are pressed together. Bring your head back as far as possible to get a full stretch on the spine. Keep the hips on the floor. Inhale as soon as you start with the cobra. During the stretch in your back, the muscles in the front and back of your upper arms are loaded and therefore stronger.
Down looking dog
As you exhale, move from the cobra position to the down looking dog position. Put your toes back on the floor, extend your arms all the way out and push your buttocks toward the ceiling. Just think of a dog that stretches after sleeping. Make sure to keep your elbows as straight as possible and push your heels into the floor, stretching the backs of your legs. Relax your head and neck and breathe in slowly (through the nose). After these 3 basic positions, you will do many other exercises that bring your body into balance and make it flexible.
Many gyms now offer power yoga. Inquire near you!
