Since moving to Paris, one of the best things I've done for my health was joining a gym and starting weight training.
I probably shouldn't say this as a yoga teacher, but only doing yoga as your main exercise activity is not that good or enough for your body in the long-run.
If it feels amazing and works for you, don't let me tell you otherwise. But if you've ever felt any niggles or pains during or after yoga classes, your practice might become much more enjoyable and sustainable if you mix it up with other activities - running, swimming, climbing and especially weight training.
Weight training is crucial for health and longevity
I never thought I could enjoy working out in a gym or even look forward to the sessions, and I've certainly dropped it many times before as my motivation would quickly fade. What's helping me stay motivated and have a much bigger WHY now was learning how quickly we start losing muscle mass with age.
Not only do we lose strength, but it also has an effect on mobility and bone density and increases the risk of falls and fractures as we age. Preserving and building muscle is crucial for healthy aging and determines the quality of our lives. Isn't yoga enough?
Yoga is an amazing practice for our minds and hearts, but it doesn't do a good job to keep challenging the body for progressive strength building:
There's only so much we can do with our body weight to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings or our adductors
Our muscles are quick to adapt and get used to the same resistance - to build and maintain muscle mass we need to progressively increase weights
There are almost no movements available to work our biceps and other pull muscles on the mat - have you noticed how most of key yoga moves/poses focus on push strength (plank, chaturanga, downward dog, inversions)?
If you're not mindful, with time yoga tends to skew for flexibility and can widen this imbalance between your strength and flexibility. That's why in my classes I really try to prioritise strength and active range of motion
The goal of this blog is not to discourage you that yoga isn't enough, but rather to inspire you to pick up weights and mix up your mouvement routine - the more diverse, the better! And when it comes to weight training, it's never too late to start and (re)build your muscles! Your body will thank you for it and I promise your yoga practice will feel even stronger and healthier for the long-run. Happy practice and stay strong yogi!
Love,
Inga