Introduction to Power Yoga
— What is Power Yoga? —
Normal yoga forms of yoga consist of the slow movement, steady poses, and gentle stretching of the body, while power yoga consists of the quick and rapid movement of the body. It is a fusion of classical form of yoga and modern yoga, which promotes fitness and weight loss. The aim of power yoga is to strengthen the body, increase flexibility and stamina, and build internal heat. It is an intense form of yoga, a fitness-based vinyasa(sequence of poses) practice that consists of core exercises, stretches, and cardio. It is a western form of original Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga consists of rigid yogic poses and sequence, but in power yoga, there is no particular yogic pose and sequence.
— Inventors of Power yoga —
During the 1990s, “power yoga” became popular in America. This was soon after when two American yoga gurus who learned and practiced Yoga with Indian guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois began to spread their knowledge to the western world. They also wanted to change the ashtanga sequence, which is always done in the same order.
Bryan Kest from Los Angeles and Beryl Bender Birch from New York are the creators of power yoga. Kest traveled to Mysore, India to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga while Bender Birch studied with Jois in the United States during the 1980s. Both of them are the students of second-generation modern Ashtanga yoga. David Williams taught Bryan Kest, and Norman Allen taught Bender Birch. Both William and Allen were among the very first western students of Indian guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
Kest and Bender coined the term power yoga to differentiate the rapid movements and intense style of yoga they were teaching from the slow and gentle movements and meditation-based practices called yoga. Many yoga gurus don’t believe in power yoga because it doesn’t support the spiritual foundations of classic yoga.
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— Benefits of Power Yoga —
- Boosts Immunity: Regular practice of power yoga will make your immune system function better because it removes all the toxins from the body as it stimulates the lymphatic system. It also reduces stress hormones and makes you more aware of healthy eating. All these things together can help you boost immunity.
- Strengthened Muscles: Power yoga is a full-body workout targeting all the muscles of the entire body. This form of yoga requires more strength as some advanced movement and poses require you to carry the entire body weight. A perfect form of yoga to build and gain more muscles without the need for lifting weight in the gym.
- Improves Capacity Of Lungs: The breathing exercises that are performed in power yoga helps in eliminating asthma and lung problems. Power yoga and all the other forms of yoga focus on taking long and deep breaths so that oxygen can reach all the parts of the brain and body.
- Encouraged Weight Loss: As power yoga is an intense form of yoga, it involves fast and rapid movements which help in burning calories during the practice. It also reduces fat mass and increases lean mass in the body.
- Improves Blood Circulation: Yoga is all about the movement of the body, which helps in improved blood circulation. Better blood circulation in the body increases our overall health and benefits us with better skin.