Yoga as a Workout?

YOGA AS A WORKOUT???
by Shannon Connell

Years ago when I went to my first yoga class, I remember thinking... "I really hope I get something out of this". I'm the kind of person that you might call a "workout-aholic". I fiend for the calorie-torching, muscle building, heart pumping, legs shaking kind of workout that leaves you head-to-toe sweaty. While the work is definitely hard and sometimes you want to bail out 1/2 way through, you know that the sweet reward is that total feeling of release and knowing that you earned what you burned!
"How in the world", I wondered, am I going to get that out of a class for stretching?!"

This particular class I took started out with some deep breathing to clear our minds and already I was thinking... "I'm bored. I need to sweat. Let's move already!". As we stood up to begin the yoga flow, I began to feel myself challenged and looking around the room to watch the more advanced people around me as I had no ideas what the sanskrit names for the poses meant that the yoga teacher was using. That first class moved a bit too fast for me and I left a little frustrated because I couldn't focus on the workout and instead was looking around the room most of the time trying to catch on. When I did finally figure a pose out, I noticed how weak my body was...I couldn't hold many of the postures and found myself in a heap after the class was over. The defeat and the accompanying soreness the next day were enough to keep me interested and I was back at another class the next day.

I began doing yoga 2-3 times a week and tried to fit it into my running and "spinning" schedule. I tried many different instructors, styles and studios to get a feel for things and landed most often in the Bikram Yoga Classes because I felt such a great feeling of detox after one of those classes. The only thing I didn't like about the Bikram was that it was pretty stationary and we didnt' flow a lot. The sweat was great but it also kind of disgusted me to have other people's sweat flicking around me and the room!

After a while the Bikram yoga bored me because it is the same poses every class and it didn't move quick enough for me. I decided that I wanted to find a way to incorporate the kick ass detox I got from a bikram class in a more fun and challenging environment. I began studying with a teacher in NY about 7 years ago who really resonated with me and from there got certified and began my own quest to teach as I would like to be taught.

My yoga classes focus on 5 things: Core, Postures (Asanas), Breath (Pranayama), Continuous movement and FUN! The last thing I ever want is for someone to leave one of my yoga classes because they are bored! The combination of all of these things leads to a strong steady practice that is challenging but enjoyable. I speak in real life terms to issues we address on the mat and how that can relate to the outside world and make a different playlist for each class so the music is always pumping and never boring! When you are moving from your core and breathing properly in a continous flow of movment, you build heat quickly and burn more calories. When I owned my studio in New York, we had a company that came in and monitored our 60 minute classes for calorie burn and the average amount of calories that were burned in one of my 60 minute classes ranged anywhere from 600 - 800 calories!!!! In addition to the calorie torching benefits, you receive a myriad of health benefits from yoga which include everything from decreased stress, to detoxification, to anti-aging effects! It is the perfect addition to any workout routine and a way to keep your body young and your mind more focused and clear.

I'm happy to say that yoga is much more than just a workout for me... it is my lifestyle. It is something you can choose to incorporate once a week, a little at a time or as a part of your life and when you do, you will notice some amazing shifts in your life. It is my desire to sharing to share my love of yoga with as many people as I can in this lifetime and I encourage you to come take a class.... even if you are not the "yoga type". You may just find yourself surprised. This is not yoga like you know it... THIS IS FIERCE YOGA... a workout to kick your "asana"!

Fierce Yoga is Offered at Fusion Fitness:
Tuesday at 7am
Wednesday at 6:40pm