Best of Both Worlds: How Yoga and the Gym Can Be Combined
Modern yoga, as we practice it in most yoga classes in the West, is an excellent form of exercise. You can apply yoga principles of awareness, mindfulness, breathing and focus to any form of movement or exercise. Including going to the gym, lifting weights or being on a cross trainer.
Of course, going to the gym and a yoga class are two very different experiences. Both are beneficial for our health and well-being, and very beneficial to do together.
Differences between yoga and the gym
- Yoga offers mindful movement between poses and awareness as we stay in static poses. It can be very meditative and calming. The gym experience often focuses on reps and weight through movement. Often focusing on gains and personal bests.
- In yoga, we may use props such as yoga blocks or belts, but mostly our own body on a yoga mat. In the gym, we use machines or weights.
- In yoga, we generally stay on the mat. However, in the gym, we move from one machine to the next. From one area of the gym to another, depending on your gym routine.
- In a yoga session we either continue to flow through different poses, hold the pose for a while or have a moment of Shavasana (or rest) between yoga poses. However, there is always a sense of flow. In the gym, you may do a set of reps, stretch out a bit or have a rest and then do another set or another exercise.
Benefits yogis can get from the gym
What I love about going to the gym is the different focus. It’s my self practice, and I can still practice mindfulness and breath awareness. But the gym does offer something that my yoga practice doesn’t:
-
Weightlifting for bone health
You may not want to bulk up or sculpt your body but lifting weight is so important for our physical health. Especially for anyone with a potential for developing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is common, especially in women around and post-menopause. You want to increase your bone mass before you enter perimenopause. But even if you are in perimenopause or postmenopausal, using weights can increase bone mass.
-
Support muscle mass
In the same vein, women also have increased muscle loss as we approach the time around menopause due to hormonal changes. We need to lift more and heavier weights, and weight training is excellent for this.
-
Push and pull
In yoga, we may have some push action using our body weight such as in plank pose, downward-facing-dog and handstands. But we don’t employ much pull action for our muscle fibres. This is something we can learn from the gym-goers.
-
Isolate and a Different View
Explore isolated muscle groups and full-body workouts. The gym is an excellent place to explore isolated areas of our body as you explore using weights and machines.
-
Compensation and balance
Do you notice where you compensate from a weaker or perhaps less flexible area of your body? We can explore this in yoga too, but if we apply the yogic considerations of slower mindful movements we can explore this in our gym sessions. Here we can move towards creating balance too.
Practising yoga and training in the gym
Going to the gym has benefited my yoga practice. Certainly in terms of strength, but I also have a different body awareness having used my body differently.
We know all the benefits yoga has which can hugely benefit a gym goer such as mindfulness, awareness, alignment and breath. And of course stretching and mobility training too. The two can work beautifully together creating strength, stability, mobility and flexibility in body and mind. You can wear most of our sustainable yoga wear both to your yoga class and your workout in the gym. This way, you can shine during every form of movement.
