Doing yoga or hitting the gym – too difficult a choice to make? Let’s make things easier and look at both not as rivals but close allies. Yes, yoga can be a perfect complement to your body workout and actually add to the benefits you derive from it.
The best part is, you can continue with your daily workout routine just the way it is now and simply add a few minutes of yoga practice to it for better results.
Shares Pranav Desai, senior audit officer, Bangalore: “I always prefer to stretch my body with yoga postures after an intense workout at the gym. It relaxes the nervous system and also helps release stress in the muscles which contract during the training.” An avid gym-goer and yoga enthusiast, Pranav says he was surprised at how fresh he after including yoga in his gym routine, as against feeling fatigued all day earlier.
Yoga Poses to do at the Gym
- Warm-up exercises, full body rotations
- Warrior pose (Veerabhadrasana)
- Triangle pose (Trikonasana)
- Standing Forward bend (Hastapadasana)
- Chair pose (Utkatasana)
- Cat stretch (Marjariasana)
- Sitting Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
- Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)
- Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhan pranayama)
- Corpse pose (Shavasana)
- Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
- Yoga Nidra
- Meditation
Let us look at some of the ways yoga can support your physical training program at the gym:
Warm-up Exercises, Full Body Rotations
Increase body flexibility, avoid risk of muscle spasm or cramp during weight training & heavy lifting.
Warrior Pose (Veerabhadrasana)
Helps increase stamina, releases stress in the shoulders.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Opens up the hips & hamstrings, stretches the body sides.
Standing Forward Bend (Hastapadasana)
Stretches the back muscles.
Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Strengthens the lower back and torso.
Cat Stretch (Marjariasana)
Tones the abdomen and improves blood circulation.
Sitting Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Makes the spine flexible.
Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)
Opens up the chest and increases oxygen supply to lungs.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhan pranayama)
Releases accumulated stress in the mind and body after the workout.
Corpse Pose (Shavasana)
Facilitates oxygen flow to the strained muscles and helps in quicker recovery from pain.
Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Slow pace – warms up the body for intense training.
Fast pace – excellent cardiovascular and weight-loss workout.
Yoga Nidra
Deep relaxation of the body and mind, especially after circuit training. Helps restore normal body temperature and stabilizes the heart rate.
Meditation
Helps you feel energetic and fresh to carry through the entire day. It’s easier to naturally slip into meditation after working out at the gym.
I recommend yoga postures to my trainees before the gym workout, as they reduce risk of injury and help warm up the body. After the workout, yoga poses help stretch the muscles and cool down the body – Shashank Mehta, fitness model and silver medalist (2008) awarded by Punjab Technical University, India.
