4 Reasons why Yoga Exercises are Better than the Gym

Author: Jaryd Haelwaeters

When it comes to working out, it's inevitable that we make comparisons between different workout regimens, different exercises, and different diets. Everything comes with its own pros and cons, but what about yoga, what does it bring to the table?
As it turns out, yoga may be all you need to lose weight and maintain your figure. Find out by going through the reasons below.

1. Efficiency
Several yoga exercises, including yoga ball exercises, are considered compound exercises, that is, they engage several muscle groups all at once, resulting in a more efficient workout. This is the antithesis of bodybuilding, which works on individual muscle groups to increase their size and strength.
A typical 90-minute yoga class practically works all muscle groups in the body, engaging your core multiple times, your arms, back, shoulders, glutes, quads, and calves. In fact, yoga is one of the most core-centric exercise out there, so if you want to get rid of the flab, you now know what to do.
Fast-paced yoga forms like Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and ‘Power Yoga' involve a series of inversions and foot and arm balances, effectively raising your body's heartbeat.

      Read also : Well Being Starts with Good Practices- Hence Yoga

2. You Get Cardio Too
Thought yoga was just about stretching and maintaining your balance on one foot? Think again. With just a few sun salutations, and upward and downward facing dogs, you'll soon realize you're out of breath and the sweat is coming out of your pores like mad. With its emphasis on controlled breathing matched with asanas (poses), yoga can be a real cardio workout. This is especial true with the different forms of ‘power yoga,' which move through the series of yoga movements quickly and repeatedly.

3. It's Cheap
All you need is a yoga mat, clothes you can move freely in, and a bunch of YouTube videos to get started with yoga. You can even ditch the mat and work on your carpet or on the grass. Fact is, you don't need weights, expensive shoes, lifting gloves, and other machines to get started with yoga.
And although signing up for classes and being under a teacher can't hurt, you don't really need it. You can practice yoga practically anywhere you want, whether in your bedroom, in the office, even outdoors.
But as with any fad and movement, marketing will play a role in how much you spend on yoga. Don't be fooled into buying expensive yoga mats and clothes—the yogis of old got by with much less!

4. Lots of Variety
Variety in exercise is what you need to avoid plateau-ing, which is your body getting used to your workout routine. When this happens, you stop losing weight because of bad eating habits, as well as your body seeing your workout as a normal occurrence.
Therefore, the key is clamp down on your eating and mix up your workouts. Yoga is the key to doing the latter, what with the array of modifications you can do to traditional poses. You can either hold your poses longer, throw in some inversions, or even try out new styles of yoga.
Need more reasons? Go to Online Yoga Poses, your online authority for all things of yoga!


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/4-reasons-why-yoga-exercises-are-better-than-the-gym-7201808.html

About the Author
Jaryd Haelwaeters is a freelance writer, and owner of the website onlineyogaposes.com. He writes for many online publications. His goal is to spread the word of yoga, one person at a time.