You may not know this about me but for the last 10 years I’ve been incorporating resistance training into my movement routine.
Not only has strength training been a game changer for my body, it has has been a huge asset to my yoga practice.
At first it helped me clear a shoulder injury and stretch my hamstrings with more ease.
Now, the upper back work I’ve been doing at the gym is helping me hold chatturanga forever - it’s not tiring at all! It never felt like that, even in my 20s.
I used to think that yoga was all I needed to have a fit, strong, and flexible body. In fact many of my peers and teachers promoted yoga as "the be-all, end-all" for exercise.
It’s easy to believe that yoga will do everything for your body when you are young, a time when maintaining muscle mass and flexible joints is naturally a lot easier. But get to age 40, and it’s a different story.
Some said doing things like lifting weights was “unyogic”. I think this view is a little short sighted -- after all, good yoga helps us discern what is best for our bodies! And what is best for our bodies is best for a sustainable yoga practice.
We all experience resistance every day, and we can either use it to shy away from life, or lean into it to help us become stronger and more capable.
This month, I am super excited to share some of the movement work I've been doing as part of my overall well-being in my newest program on Glo: Lift Your Practice: Yoga with Resistance!
Full disclosure: When Glo asked me to do a program like this, at first I was hesitant. I definitely didn't want it to teach a "Yoga-Sculpt" combo type of thing (no offense to yoga sculptors - I just like keeping my art forms separate!).
But then I realized -- when I go to the gym for my workouts I always interject yoga poses and stretches in between sets and reps! So I decided, why not just share what I do??
In this program I give you a window into how I alternate resistance work with yoga flow in order to boost physical strength and enhance the efficiency and longevity of a yoga practice.
All you need is a set of light weights, a resistance band and a sticky mat, and you're ready to go!
A THANK YOU…to my trainer of ten years, Jason Busch of Body Balance Fitness in Boulder, CO for so much of the inspiration behind this program!
Leave a comment below if you have had success with adding resistance training to your movement repertoire and tell us what it did for you!