Why building strength in yoga is important
People come to yoga for many different reasons. However, a common thread tends to be the pursuit of bringing balance and peace in our lives. In the philosophical texts of yoga, the practice is geared towards discovering a place of equanimity, both in body and mind. One the most obvious manifestations of this is finding balance between flexibility and strength in our asana (physical) practice.
Modern yoga is often associated with developing flexibility and range of motion (ROM). Yet, the inverse of this is as important: the need to build strength, particularly for those who are naturally flexible. When we practise yoga, we involve the whole body and recruit multiple muscle groups to act as stabilisers, as well as the muscles where the main action takes places. In this way, yoga can be a great form of functional strength training.
Why is building strength important?
It improves bone density, reducing our risk of osteoporosis - important as we age
As part of the ageing process, we naturally loose lean muscle. Activities that can strengthen our muscles (like yoga), can help to preserve it
Strong muscles help to stabilise our joints - crucial for injury prevention
Through establishing that building strength is important, let’s explore the different techniques we can recruit to help find balance in our yoga practise.
How do I strengthen my muscles in yoga?
Practice repetitive, dynamic styles of yoga. Certain yoga styles like Yin and Restorative will not, nor should they, help build muscle. Aim for dynamic styles like Ashtanga, Vinyasa or Power yoga. Using heat-building sun salutations, activating standing postures and fiery core sequences, you’ll help build strength, but also increase endurance, body control and stamina.
Hold poses for longer. Increasing the length of time we hold poses is one of the most simple ways of building up strength quickly without needing to a trip to your local gym. Also known as isometric engagement, or static strength training, examples poses include Plank, Dolphin, Downward Facing Dog, Chair or Boat.
Engage muscles at end range. If our sole pursuit in yoga is greater range (length) without the stability (strength) behind it creates an imbalance and leaves us susceptible to injury. Take for example a seated straight-leg forward bend (Paschimottanasana). As we approach our end range likely in our hamstrings, dig the heels into your yoga mat and without moving them, creating a gentle “pulling back” action towards the knees. This helps activate the muscle, creating a stabilising effect for the muscle which is in its lengthened state, also referred to as eccentric strengthening.
Embrace variety. Is yoga enough? Short answer, probably not. For example, if our sole exercise regime practice is Yin yoga (a passive form of yoga that works at gradually lengthening muscles), then it’s important to creative diversity by going for a run or include weight / resistance training into our routine. The inverse is true, in that those who prioritise building body mass and muscle, then forms of yoga like Yin or a ‘‘Yoga for Sports’’ class focussing on lengthening tight areas can be very beneficial.