About 15 years ago, I was an apologist for strength training and varied aerobic exercise. And although at that time I was already attending yoga classes, it was a kind of fitness for me. And then we changed instructors, and it turned out that yoga could give my body even more than what I received in the gym and in classes for various types of fitness. In addition, yoga offered tempting bonuses: peace for my nervous system, which then willingly surrendered to any stress, and the ability to concentrate for my hyperactive mind.

Over the course of a decade and a half, while my experience in yoga grew, interest in it increased noticeably, not only from ordinary supporters of an active lifestyle, but also from science and medicine. A large number of scientific and clinical studies have appeared and continue to appear on the effects of this ancient practice on the body. Gradually, my intuitive choice in favor of yoga acquired a fair amount of scientific arguments and facts. Often this kind of research is based on comparing the effects of yoga and other types of physical activity on a person. In this article, I want to offer you a brief overview of the objective evidence that yoga is healthier than aerobic and strength training.

Compared to aerobic and strength training, yoga gives more flexibility to the body and no less definition to the muscles, promotes weight loss, improves sleep and overall quality of life. These are the conclusions of another study conducted recently at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA). The health benefits resulting from these species have been objectively examined through clearly documented experiments. physical activity . In one area, yoga has proven to be a much more effective tool, namely in relieving stress and improving the nervous system. Yoga has also surpassed aerobic exercise in increasing muscle strength, improving flexibility, and developing the body’s ability to balance (and this indicates a positive effect, first of all, on vascular system

Many people mistakenly believe that yoga cannot strengthen the body because it places a primary emphasis on stretching and increasing flexibility. However, this can only be said by someone who has not yet tried to practice hatha yoga or styles based on it. Both in dynamic practices and with static fixation of asanas, the strength of the muscles of the legs, arms, back, and abs develops. Moreover, a competent yoga instructor will first work on strengthening your muscles, and then improving stretching and opening your joints. This is done to protect you from injury. Joints that are poorly strengthened by muscles are more likely to become loose than healthy. During yoga classes for weight loss, I alternate dynamic sequences based on surya namaskara, which can be called aerobic exercise, with fixation of static asanas, during which figure correction occurs. Sometimes people, not knowing that I am a yoga instructor and looking at my chiseled shoulders and elegant definition on my stomach, ask what gym I go to and what exercises I do. And in response, I begin to list yoga asanas, voluntarily admit that I am not a young age - and often get a new supporter of yogic practices.

Besides, yoga is the best of... diets. Yes, yes, don't be surprised. Yoga improves your appetite and overall eating behavior. Numerous studies show that people with high levels of stress “eat up” emotional overload, and eat food that is harmful to health and figure - primarily sweet, fatty and salty. Moreover, they eat much more than their body needs. And, naturally, they begin to gain weight rapidly. In yoga classes, asanas, physical and breathing exercises affect not only the body, but also the mind. Your relationship with food changes. You already feel your own body better and understand its true needs and desires. In general, you begin to lead a healthier lifestyle in all respects.

Yoga is an integral practice that engages the mind and body simultaneously. When performing an asana, you always coordinate your movements with your breathing, and over time, when your ability to concentrate improves, you also focus on certain points of the body. And finally, visualization on energy flows is added.

The authors of the mentioned study concluded that the integrality of yoga practice, the need to train the mind and body at the same time, is one of the reasons that yoga is so effective for losing and controlling weight, normalizing blood pressure, relieving stress and improving sleep quality. The study lasted three months, after which it turned out that the participants in the experiment who practiced yoga had lower cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides.

Yoga has a number of other health benefits. In particular, yoga practice has been scientifically proven to improve immunity. When doing yoga, the working volume of the lungs increases and work improves. respiratory system and blood supply, resulting in organs and tissues receiving more oxygen and nutrients. I'm not even talking about the health of the back and other joints: yoga is the ideal joint gymnastics.

Other studies have repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of yoga for migraines. After just three months of yoga, migraines bother me less often, and their attacks are weaker.

The practice of yoga improves the quality of sexual life and increases fertility - the ability to reproduce. Yoga is generally unique for women’s health, since it contains in its arsenal many poses and techniques that improve the health of the pelvic organs, strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and normalize the production of female sex hormones.

Yoga has been practiced for many years all over the world, and rational Western culture has fully appreciated this ancient eastern practice. Western science and medicine have spent so long diligently dissecting the human body into parts, studying them separately, that now we again need an integrative Eastern approach to reunite our own body with the mind and psyche into a single harmonious whole. That is why gyms and fitness clubs, which are more familiar to Western realities, are gradually losing their positions to the complex practice of yoga in its impact on humans.

Cardio and power training for many years have been a universally accepted method of weight loss and a path leading directly to a healthy lifestyle. It seems, however, that yoga is firmly in this place, or at least firmly in its vicinity. Already, many yoga enthusiasts claim from their own experience that yoga is more beneficial in all respects for the health of their body and mind. Supporters of yoga, including myself, are ready to swear that yoga is The best way lose weight, stay in good shape at any age and at the same time not only maintain the health of the body, mind and psyche, but also strengthen it. Join us, you won't regret it!

Gym classes and yoga are fundamentally different types of physical activity. They are distinguished from each other by goals, results obtained, approaches, and workload. The choice of activity depends on the individual characteristics and preferences of the person. Which direction is more effective? Yoga or Gym? What is better to choose for weight loss?

Yoga is not just a sport, but a way of life. In the process of training, a balance between the physical and spiritual is established. Positions or asanas that are performed during training restore psychological balance, increase stress resistance and even normalize blood pressure.

As a result regular classes Posture and well-being improve, muscles become flexible and elastic, and a certain relief is formed. In order to feel significant changes, it will take more than one month of training.

During classes, practically no calories are consumed, so losing weight by doing only yoga is very difficult. Improvement of the figure occurs due to strengthening of the muscle frame.

The advantage of this direction is the absence of strict contraindications to training. There are special complexes for older people, overweight people, pregnant women and many others.

If the main goal of training is weight loss, then the best option is the gym. Firstly, it’s unlikely that anyone will want to skip paid training. And this is a kind of incentive for regular physical activity. Secondly, the result of the exercises will be noticeable after just a few weeks - the weight will noticeably decrease, and the body will rapidly become toned and prettier, inspiring even greater successes and feats.

Availability sports equipment allows you to diversify your activities and improve the load, using the maximum number of muscles. An experienced instructor will definitely select the best individual program depending on your needs. physical fitness and the desired result. This can be cardio training, strength training, or alternating them.

Such exercises effectively burn excess calories and accumulated fat, form and strengthen muscles, develop strength, endurance, and mobility.

Gyms may not be suitable for people with conditions related to the spine, heart or nervous system. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before going there.

You can achieve results only if physical activity brings joy and satisfaction. If your soul is drawn to yoga, you should give preference to it. After all, grueling and hateful training will not lead to anything good. The situation is similar for those who want to go to the gym. First of all, you need to choose a sport that you will like and bring positive emotions, and only then think about the effectiveness and results.

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I was involved in fitness for many years, and this led to problems with my knees and lower back (and why did I need to squat with a ten-kilogram barbell?), irritability, fatigue and neuroses due to weight loss. At the same time, despite constant training, I was not able to get into the desired shape (no, I don’t eat at McDonald’s and don’t bake buns at night). At some point, the brain rebelled and made the right decision - switch to yoga. And yoga gave me everything I was looking for in the gym, and much more. So now I am a rabid anti-fitness person. See for yourself - what's good about it?

Yoga is a unique science that offers the most complete approach to a healthy lifestyle. She encourages us to study the mind, body and the nature of our being. Yoga is perhaps the only discipline through which a person can truly experience inner harmony. Can the same be said about fitness? This table clearly shows the differences between yoga and fitness programs:

Yoga helps us get out of the vicious circles that exist in our lives. She teaches us to be humble, kind and giving. Most importantly, it not only makes us healthier and more beautiful, but also happier. Yoga also helps us become and remain good people.

Sports and fitness

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01.11.16 09:47

Yoga is a system designed to develop all parts of the body; it has a beneficial effect on the body, mind and spirit. Yoga can be done anywhere and anytime. This alone makes it more preferable and profitable than classes in the gym.

When you decide to do something physical activity, it is always difficult to make a choice. Yoga is good for many people, but it will not help you lose 5 kg in a week. If you are looking for a system for the overall health of the body, yoga is best suited for you, but if not, then it is better to consider more active sports with an emphasis on cardio or strength training.

Middle-aged people strive to maintain balance. This is what yoga teaches. It will help you achieve not only physical balance, but will also improve other areas of your life. It calms the mind and teaches you to look at the world differently. Let's find out what's better: the gym or yoga?

What is useful in yoga?

Spirit and body

The gym is basically training your body. It strengthens muscles and makes the body beautiful. Yoga tones and develops the mind. Flexibility is achieved through the practice of a variety of asanas, or postures. But asanas are not everything. Yoga has many special breathing exercises that will calm you down and make you healthy.

Lack of special equipment

To practice yoga you do not need any additional items, which cannot be said about the gym. It doesn't even require warm-ups. It can be done anywhere and at any time of the day. If at 4 am you feel awake enough to do yoga, you can start doing it. All you need is a practice mat. However, if you decide to exercise outdoors, then there is no need for a rug.

No risk of injury

It is very difficult to harm yourself while doing yoga. In the gym, if you overdo it with weight, you can get injured. With yoga, everything is completely different: all movements are performed easily and naturally.

Improved metabolism and digestion

Metabolism is a chemical process that occurs within the body in which food is broken down into energy components. Yoga improves this process and digestion itself. If you do not feel hungry, then by doing yoga you will begin to feel hungry. If you tend to overeat, doing yoga will help you break this habit.

No competition

People who go to the gym are constantly looking at each other and comparing themselves to others. There are always questions running through everyone's mind: “How fast can I run on the treadmill?” or “Am I taking too little weight?” In addition, loud music is always playing in the hall, which, perhaps, not everyone likes. In contrast, yoga helps you focus on yourself rather than comparing yourself to others.

No stress

Working out in the gym is always a good stress for the body, after which you naturally feel tired. When doing yoga, with its breathing exercises and meditation, it is impossible to experience stress. On the contrary, if you have already experienced stress before, you will be able to get rid of its consequences, both externally and internally.

Healthy eating

Hard physical work in the gym makes you feel hungry. Having lunch after class, you can easily regain all the lost calories and gain extra ones. The good thing about yoga is that it naturally develops habits in you. healthy eating. You eat the right amount of food and nutrients at the right time. And everything happens because you already know the internal rhythms of your body, and you adapt to them.

Breathing connects mind and body

Your breath can not only calm you down and evoke positive emotions if necessary, but also keep your body healthy. When emotions change, breathing also changes. Therefore, in order to control emotions, you should monitor your breathing. You can study your body through performing different asanas. The unity of soul and body, which, by the way, is the main concept of yoga, improves memory and ability to concentrate.

Saving time and money

Yoga is good because it saves both time and money. To practice it, there is no need to go to the gym. All classes can be done at home. Exercise combined with meditation creates a feeling of peace and happiness. This is especially important these days when life is so stressful. With this amazing system you will gain better self-awareness and joy.

Most of us want to be healthy, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We know that if you practice often exercise and avoid bad and unhealthy foods, while drinking a lot of water, then in the end we will get good dream, a positive attitude towards life in addition to a healthy and strong body.

However, we need to be realistic, it is impossible to play sports all the time; in addition to this, we have many other concerns, such as work, household chores, caring for the family and other hobbies. The best way out of this situation would be to search for personal consensus between matters and in a healthy way life.

Health is positive

Having a positive mental attitude while exercising can ultimately change everything in your life. If you feel positive, then you will be motivated, which in turn will give you more confidence in everything - be it your work, relationships or family life. If you do not feel positive and prosperous, then take active steps to change this situation.

You can try starting with meditation, spa breaks and other relaxation methods. A healthy body not only has a healthy mind, but also a positive attitude and motivation to live and do more.

Do you like training?

In any business, the important thing is whether you like it or not? If you don't enjoy working out and playing sports, then ultimately you won't achieve anything. If you live by sports, then you will always find time for training and fit this time into your everyday life.

You don’t have to go to the gym every day to work out; if you can’t come to class today, you can jog around the park or ride a bike, walk to the nearest park with sports equipment and work out there or do yoga at home.

The number of budget gyms is increasing every day, while yoga also does not require any special financial expenses. As a result, a person is often faced with a choice: yoga classes or the gym? Let's take a look at what sets them apart to help you make an informed choice.

Benefits of the gym

1. Programs: a professional instructor, who is found in almost every gym, will give you a training program tailored to your needs and characteristics.
2. Communication: A lot of good and positive people come to the gym, among whom you can find friends, inspire each other and stay motivated. The gym helps a person not to be left with his failures alone, but to solve it together.
3. Full package: The gym gives you the opportunity to focus on every area of ​​your body that you want to improve, be it your arms, shoulders, legs, cardiovascular fitness or muscle building.
4. Center members: As a rule, a gym is only one of the advantages; as a rule, this sports center also has a swimming pool or other bonuses that you can use at a reduced price or for free.

Benefits of Yoga

The most important advantage of yoga is that you can do it anywhere, and it is not difficult to learn. A lot of people are self-taught yoga.

1. Helps improve well-being: yoga helps you focus on your body and internal capabilities, and realize yourself from a different perspective.
2. Improves flexibility: Yoga stretches muscles, relieves tension and tightness, and also strengthens them. It's like a massage for your body and mind.
3. Detoxifies: When your muscles stretch, toxins begin to be released from their usual places. After this, they are washed out of our body, which helps cleanse and rejuvenate the entire body.
4. Helps internal organs : Yoga helps prevent some diseases of the joints, cardiovascular system and other human organs.

My personal opinion is this: in order to choose from something, you need to try each and only then decide what suits you best. Impossible to do right choice, if you have no idea what a gym or yoga is in practice. Try them and you will find answers to many questions yourself.