If until recently all kinds of oriental practices seemed to the modern layman something incomprehensible and mysterious, today yoga classes are gaining more and more popularity. For those for whom boring monotonous workouts do not bring much pleasure, a fitness yoga was invented that combines the foundations of eastern and western directions. What is this practice, as well as which exercises are most effective - read further in our article.

What is fitness yoga

Recently, beginners are increasingly interested in the question: what is it - fitness yoga? Unlike simple sports, classical yoga affects not only our body, but also the mind, helping to establish peace of mind. Not every practitioner seeks to comprehend an amazing philosophy and completely immerse himself in deep meditation. As a rule, customers prefer yoga classes in order to lose a few extra pounds. There is no question of any enlightenment, much less immersion in nirvana.

Fitness yoga is a kind of symbiosis of dynamic fitness and calmer meditation practice. This type of yoga is perfect for all those beginners who do not like both slow classes and too exhausting outdoor workouts. In addition, this direction improves the general condition of the body, strengthens the joints, and also helps to increase your strength and endurance.

Training for beginners

Fitness yoga is a great choice for beginners who are still far from sports. Properly designed workouts help start the process of losing weight.At the same time, physical activity improves the tone of the skin and muscles, preventing in this way the subsequent formation of stretch marks.

Before you begin to master the basics, it is recommended to adopt some of the nuances:

  1. It is necessary to start occupation exclusively on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you will experience an unpleasant feeling of heaviness during the performance of asanas. The last meal should be no later than three hours before training.
  2. It is best to take a hot shower before class to additionally warm up all the muscles and joints before starting the training process.
  3. Girls are not recommended to perform complex asanas during menstruation. During this period, it is important to listen to your body and prevent excessive overfatigue. Try to avoid any inverted poses.
  4. Before class, remove any jewelry that is present on you to prevent personal injury.
  5. Fitness yoga for beginners should include a set of simple exercises that will not cause any discomfort during the execution.

A set of exercises for training

Now let's go directly to the asanas themselves. With each new lesson you need to gradually increase the load on your muscles.

  1. We begin the lesson with the study of breathing. To do this, sit on the floor, cross our legs in Turkish, and try to keep your back straight. During inspiration, we raise our arms above our heads, join our palms into the lock, and then on the exhale we lower the body with our arms down. Then we slowly rise and repeat the exercise again. Make sure that the buttocks are firmly pressed to the floor.
  2. At the next stage, we make circular movements of the head, first in one direction, then in the other. After that we do the same movements with the shoulders forward and then backward.
  3. While sitting, open your legs as wide as possible. Raise your arms above your head as you inhale, and as you exhale, lower yourself to your right foot. Try not to bring your face closer to your knee, but your stomach. Remember to monitor your breathing at this point. We repeat the same thing in the opposite direction. As soon as the right and left sides are worked out, we make an inclination forward. Do not forget to straighten your knees as strong as possible and keep your spine straight. We do several such repetitions in each direction.
  4. Fitness yoga is based on performing affordable and simple asanas. The following exercise can be performed independently at home independently. Get on all fours. Place your palms on the floor and make a deep bend in the spine. Then bend your back in the opposite direction. This “kitty” exercise improves back flexibility and removes enslavement of the vertebrae.
  5. Another effective asana for working out the back muscles. Lie on the floor, connect the feet, then on the exhale lift your legs up and bring them behind the head. Try to reach the floor with your socks. Then, while inhaling, slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Repeat exercise 5-8 times.

Types of Slimming Activities

Regular practices spiritually enrich a person and learn to cope with negative emotions. An important plus of such classes is to get rid of extra pounds. Recently, coaches are increasingly combining a set of fitness yoga exercises with breathing exercises in their trainings. Thanks to this, it is possible to increase the stamina of the body and establish vital metabolic processes, which is especially important for all those who are mercilessly fighting overweight. If strength training in the gym is more aimed at building muscle mass, then fitness yoga helps to burn fat, thereby activating the process of losing weight.

There are two main areas of fitness yoga:

  • On the development of flexibility. In this case, special attention is paid to the hip joints, muscles of the back and shoulders. However, the familiar stretching process takes place at a more dynamic pace.
  • On the development of strength.Strength fitness yoga involves performing more complex asanas that develop balance and endurance.

Fitness Yoga Exercises for Kids

Little fidgets are much harder to get interested in during training. Children continually strive to disrupt the learning process, thereby giving the coach a lot of trouble. It is unlikely that the child will engage in a boring sedentary practice, which involves a deep immersion in meditation. Active fitness yoga with game elements in this case will be the most suitable choice.

We advise you to adopt the following asanas:

  • Onion pose. Starting position on the stomach. We bend the legs at the knees, after which we grab the feet with our palms and bend in the back. In this position, we perform swaying movements forward and then backward.
  • Birch. A simple exercise for beginners in yoga. We lie down on the floor, raise our legs together with the pelvis at an angle of 90 °. The elbows rest on the floor, and with our palms we try to fix the pelvis.
  • Frog pose We get on all fours, put our palms on the floor. Next, slowly raise the knees as wide as possible. In this state, the hip joints are well developed.
  • Cobra pose. Being in a lying position on the stomach, we rest our hands on the floor with our palms and make the deepest deflection in the spine.

Contraindications

Fitness yoga is contraindicated in the following cases:

  • high blood pressure;
  • there are problems with the cardiovascular or digestive systems (coronary disease, gastritis or pancreatitis);
  • diagnosed with inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs;
  • malignant tumors detected.

In addition, such training is not recommended in late pregnancy, as well as within three months after childbirth.

Yoga is a great way to improve your fitness and reduce the amount of extra pounds. It is not necessary to dive headlong into meditation practice in order to master the simplest foundations of the eastern direction. Fitness yoga in this case will be an excellent choice for those beginners who love the measured pace of classes without excessive load.