Despite its growing popularity and widespread use, yoga still catches a bad rap in some of the fitness world. Some people still see it as simply relaxation and breathing and have yet to be introduced to a style of yoga that can meet their fitness expectations. Many of these people, however, have not even tried yoga and base their judgments off of the flowing graceful moves they see practiced by professionals. What those people fail to realize is that because of the difficulty of styles like ashtanga yoga, their own yoga would be far from flowing and graceful in the beginning.
Ashtanga yoga, also referred to as Power Yoga has its foundations in an ancient manuscript called the Yoga Karunta. In this work the vinyasas of ashtanga yoga are laid out. Unlike some other more relaxed forms of yoga, ashtanga involves fairly continuous movement and flowing succession from pose to pose.
Vinyasas, the basic move in ashtanga yoga, are considered the links from move to move in ashtanga. A vinyasa begins with deep breath in while reaching toward the sky and exhaling while bending at the waist. From there, yogis jump their feet back into a plank position, lowering to the ground and then raising their rear end up into “downward facing dog”. Usually after a series of breaths, the move is reversed until the yogi is back to a standing position. This vinyasa is the foundation for ashtanga yoga and is seen as a connection between the breath and the body. One or two vinyasas, and the average person will be winded and wondering how experienced yogis make it look so easy.
Ashtanga yoga is a serious workout, made more difficult with the strength of each pose. The poses of yoga allow yogis to get deeper or continually improve on their form and fitness. Just when you think you have mastered a pose, there is a slight change you can bring to it, making it hard all over again.
Great for balance, flexibility, and posture, ashtanga yoga also burns serious calories and builds long lean muscles. Even for someone who has tried ashtanga yoga before, the yoga routine in P90X will be a challenge. As part of the total body transformation tool that is P90X, users will see that this yoga is not for the faint of heart. Based on ashtanga yoga and the expertise of celebrity trainer Tony Horton, this yoga workout is anything but relaxing.
Trying something new in your fitness program can get you over plateaus and can also make things interesting again. Looking into yoga and ashtanga yoga in particular can be a fun way of trying something new. Don’t let appearances fool you. Yoga is not always about meditation and relaxation, it can also work you hard and leave you with blissfully tired muscles.
