One of my February goals was to add more yoga to my routine. As I’ve mentioned before, yoga isn’t typically at the top of my workout to-do list. I’ve always thought that if I’m going to spend time working out, that time is best spent pushing hard and sweating. One of my most persistent thoughts during a yoga class is “Instead of staying in downward dog, I could have gone for a run and burned so many more calories.” While the calorie burn in a run may be greater, it’s not always about that. Yoga has its own set of benefits, but in order to actually get myself to a class consistently, I had to find a type that I enjoyed. Enter Power Yoga. It’s yoga with the intensity turned up. When done right, your heart rate goes up and you will definitely sweat.
I recently attended an 85 minute Power Yoga class at the Park Slope Armory YMCA. The class was so challenging–full of planks and push ups–that I found myself in child’s pose more than normal and counting down to the ever-amazing savasana at the end of the class. As if knowing my personal issues against yoga, instructor Jason created the class because he felt that other versions of yoga were not strengthening enough and didn’t get your heart rate high enough to strengthen the heart. Jason’s Power Yoga class (now considered a master class at the Y), moves at a quick pace for about 40 minutes and the rest of the time is a combination of various deep stretches and hip work.
As challenged as I felt in this class, it was nice to look around and see a wide range of abilities surrounding me. People were making the workout work for them, whether they were in child’s pose (hi!) or a handstand (#goals). You know you’re in a good yoga class when every level feels welcomed and encouraged. Our instructor Jason did just that. He showed tons of modifications and kept the class flowing in unison, even if we were on different levels.
If you’re looking for a workout that combines mind, body and strength work, power yoga may be the one for you. You can try out a few moves at home to preview what you’ll get in the studio. I’m not going to pretend to have good or proper form, instead I looked online to find images & how-tos of my favorite moves from the class I took at the Y, as displayed by a professional. Here were my favorites:
Plank Pose + Right Knee to Right Tricep
Plank Pose + Right Knee to Left Elbow
Crossed-Ankle Side Plank Variation
(Moves & images from Pillars of Power Yoga: 10 Strong-Core Poses for Confidence)
Finding a yoga class that made me work hard certainly makes me more eager to go on a regular basis. I’m looking forward to more power yoga classes and maybe one day I’ll be the one in a handstand.
*This post is in partnership with the YMCA. All opinions are my own. In this partnership I’m going to check out additional Y locations and classes, stay tuned to hear more.
