Yoga

yoga

Yoga means listening to your body. By concentrating on breathing, stretching, tensing or slowly moving individual parts of the body, thoughts turn inward. This will help you relax and reduce stress. As with other forms of movement, yoga requires an appropriate level of endurance and a certain amount of effort. But after a few hours of practice, the first results are usually noticeable. The body becomes more flexible and flexible and the exercises are more successful. However, it can take several months to feel a lasting benefit on physical and psychological well-being. There is no age limit to start yoga…

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• Different styles of yoga
• Course of a yoga session
• What is being trained?
• Whom can I ask?

Different styles of yoga

Yoga is a more than 2000 year old philosophical-spiritual teaching that considers body and mind in a context and supports positive personal development. On a physical level, yoga aims to keep the body healthy and functional through regular exercise. Yoga exercises also help to train the mind and sharpen concentration. Today, numerous yoga schools offer different programs. Usually physical exercises - the so-called asanas - in connection with breathing exercises - the pranayamas - form the focus and are separated from the spiritual content of yoga.

A few examples: Hatha yoga is most widespread in western culture and mainly comprises body-focused, static exercises in connection with breathing techniques. A refined method of Hatha Yoga is Iyengar Yoga, which places special emphasis on correct posture. In Kundalini Yoga, a contradiction between body and mind is to be bridged through dynamic exercise sequences, holding exercises and meditations. Sivananda Yoga teaches classical yoga with a holistic approach. Ashtanga yoga is a demanding yoga style with flowing posture transitions, from which a number of modern forms of yoga (e.g. power yoga) were derived. A special variant is Bikram yoga. Classic hatha yoga exercises are practiced in a room heated to 38 degrees, which particularly stimulates the metabolism and blood circulation.

Course of a yoga session

In a yoga session, different asanas are combined in such a way that they either increase the effect of the previous exercise or balance it out with an opposite movement. At the beginning there is a series of exercises to warm up, for example the sun prayer. There is usually a short break between the exercises, during which one consciously focuses on abdominal breathing. The actual exercise program consists of a sequence of exercises while sitting, lying down or standing. Some training is required for advanced exercises such as headstand, peacock or crow, which require appropriate concentration and holding power. A yoga unit ends with a relaxation exercise lasting several minutes.

What is being trained?

Yoga exercises strengthen the muscles, improve mobility and balance. Many asanas mobilize the spine and strengthen the musculoskeletal system as a whole. As a health-promoting exercise, regular yoga can have a positive effect on health (see Staying healthy with exercise) and support physical and mental well-being. Yoga should be practiced under the guidance of a yoga teacher, as incorrect execution can overload muscles or tendons.

Whom can I ask?

Yoga teachers teach the correct execution and further development of yoga exercises. Fit Sport Austria offers yoga as a health-promoting exercise throughout Austria.