What Is Yoga?
The word yoga means “union” which is a good description of yoga’s holistic apporaoch to health and well-being. We can think of yoga bringing about the union of mind, body and spirit and it does this through exercise, breathing and meditation.
Many people think that yoga is just stretching. But while stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits.
The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement (vinyasa-style yoga) or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. The poses are a constant, but the approach to them varies depending on the tradition in which the teacher has trained.
At Bizz Fitness we offer Hatha Yoga: The physical movements and postures, plus breathing techniques. This is what most people associate with Yoga practice.
Hatha Yoga begins by working with the body on a structural level, helping to align the vertebrae, increase flexibility, and strengthen muscles and connective tissue. At the same time, internal organs are toned and rejuvenated; the epidermal, digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems are purified of toxins and waste matter; the nervous and endocrine systems are balanced and toned; and brain cells are nourished and stimulated. The end result is increased mental clarity, emotional stability, and a greater sense of overall well-being.
Our class teacher is Lynne. You can visit Lynne’s website at:
www.yogawithlynne.co.uk
What Is Pilates?
Pilates puts a greater focus on the physical aspect. It’s main goal is to strengthen the abdominal muscles, ‘your core’, improve your posture and stablise and lengthen your spine. It’s supposed to make you look longer and leaner. Before it became popular with the mainstream, dancers would practice Pilates to tone their bodies.
Yoga focuses on the spirit and how you feel, Pilates focuses on how you look.
Core strength is the foundation of Pilates exercise. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.
As you develop your core strength you develop stability throughout your entire torso. This is one of the ways Pilates helps people overcome back pain. As the trunk is properly stabilized, pressure on the back is relieved and the body is able to move freely and efficiently.
The Pilates method has always emphasized quality over quantity, and you will find that, unlike many systems of exercise, Pilates exercises do not include a lot of repetitions for each move. Instead, doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant results in a shorter time than one would ever imagine.
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Subject to availabilty you can try a free class at Bizz Fitness.
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