The Experts Weigh In: Get Your Yoga On!

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BY: DANI PALLO, CONTRIBUTOR

What do you think of when you hear the term “yoga”? If you had asked me that question 4 years ago, it would have conjured images of Hollywood types sipping wheatgrass while folded into pretzels, faint aromas of patchouli floating through the air, and the hum of non-sensical chanting and “Ohms”. I was once a hard-core cardio junkie, completely of the mind-set that real athletes don't waste their workout time practicing yoga. I couldn’t have been more wrong. My fellow athletes, cardio-junkies, and yoga non-believers, open your minds and listen up. I’m here to tell you that yoga changed my world for the better in more ways than you could imagine. I’m not exaggerating. I could go on for days, but here are 3 reasons you should hop on a mat and mix up your routine...

1)  INCREASED FLEXIBILITY = HAPPIER MUSCLES AND FEWER INJURIES

I used to think that yoga was only for flexible people. You were either flexible and did yoga, or you weren’t. If you were in the latter category, yoga wasn’t going to work for you. Seriously. Now I look back and realize the absolute absurdity of this point of view. It’s like saying only people who are full should eat food - it just doesn't make sense. 

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They call it yoga practice, not yoga perfect, for a reason. You do it so you can get better. And you WILL get better. And more flexible. I promise. Runners and cyclists, in particular, have incredibly tight hips, quads, and hamstrings. I didn’t realize how tight my muscles were until I plopped myself into pigeon pose for the first time, held it for what seemed like an hour (in reality it was probably 90 seconds, max) and felt the difference when I got out of the pose. The only thing I can compare that sense of release to is the feeling you get after a great massage. My hips may have been screaming at me during the pose, but my muscles couldn’t have been happier at the end of it. And happy, flexible muscles mean a decreased likelihood of muscle strain and injury.

2)  YOU'LL GET STRONGER - ALL OVER

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Yoga gave my body definition without bulking me up. I’m not talking Madonna arms here, but instead, just enough definition to wear a tank top without feeling self-conscious. After years of busting my butt on the treadmill, doing endless crunches, and high reps of curls, tricep dips, and chest presses, I felt cheated. Why didn’t anyone tell me what a difference this yoga stuff makes? Well, I’m telling you now. And this goes for men, too. Some of the most toned male bodies I know belong to men who practice yoga.  Think about it. In yoga, you’re moving through positions that require you to support your own body weight (building muscle strength) and you’re holding these poses (building muscle endurance). Yoga requires you to use a variety of muscle groups for each pose, so you’re getting stronger all over, as opposed to focusing on one muscle group alone, as you traditionally would if you were lifting weights.

      3)  YOUR OTHER WORKOUTS WILL GET BETTER

Yoga teaches awareness – both mental and physical. These are valuable nuggets you can take from the mat into your other workouts.

Let’s discuss the mental piece first. During a yoga practice, your breath is your guide. Your focus is on maintaining steady, slow, deep breaths as your body flirts with its own limits. If things become too intense and your breath becomes shallow and quick, you learn to relax and reconnect to the steadiness of your breath, all while continuing to explore your physical limits. So why is this important for your other workouts? Think about your last hardcore cardio session. Think of that moment when your heart rate peaked and you were breathless with effort. The tendency at that point is to tense up. You clench your jaw, scrunch your forehead, and squeeze your fists a little tighter. All of these little reactions use up energy, not to mention, make you look slightly ridiculous. Yogic breathing teaches you to find the mental calm in the middle of the physical storm that your body is enduring. This means faster recovery, less wasted effort, and ultimately a more efficient cardio workout. Yoga teaches you to take the drama out of your workout – ultimately letting you push a little harder for a little longer.

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Now on to physical awareness. Yoga will show you a whole different side of your body. As you work through each pose, you start to notice how things are connected. It’s truly a full body, integrative practice. I remember the first time I got into the downward dog position. I literally felt every square inch of my body come alive. The way that I shifted the weight from my fingertips to the heel of my hand directly impacted the stretch I felt in my calves and the rotation of my shoulders.  I truly got to know my body through exploring it in yoga. And now every time I climb onto the bike to teach, I’m so much more aware of every muscle group.  Understanding your body means you can make it work for you a heck of a lot better. 

So shed your preconceived notions, open your mind and your heart, and let a little yoga into your world by checking out a studio near you. You'll be surprised at what you can gain when you lose your inhibitions and step onto that mat.

Dani Pallo is a cycling instructor at Flywheel Sports Atlanta and a former competitive gymnast and gymnastics coach. Dani found herself drawn to yoga in recent years and now considers her love for yoga borderline obsessive. If you couldn't tell already, Dani is also one smart cookie - she graduated with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. When she is not working or teaching class, you can find Dani at Piedmont Park, her favorite place in all of Atlanta, reading a good book or indulging in a pint of her favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Cherry Garcia. Hey! She worked it off in yoga class! 

To check out one of Dani's classes at Flywheel Atlanta, click here!

The Experts Weigh In: Dance - A Catalyst for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Bliss

BY: JENNY BROE PRICE, CONTRIBUTOR

Got soul?  Have you ever been so drenched in sweat, so tuned in to your body, so connected with your mind and inseparable from your heart that you lived for only that moment?  

I have. There is amazing goodness that comes from dance not only as a form of exercise but as an expression of art and as a means of worship. It is quite rare to achieve all aspects of "the dance" every time you dance, but when you do somehow stumble across or skillfully achieve the triad of dance goodness (body, mind and soul), it is an unmatched experience in the flesh and an incredible lift of the spirit. It creates pure joy. Excitingly, though, each individual facet of goodness (not just the triad) is incredibly beneficial to us as human beings. The amount of benefit depends purely on what is important to YOU.

The Body.

Dance is a form of physical activity, that when taken seriously, requires great athletic prowess, flexibility and strength. The techniques involved are known for their stellar ability to shape and tone the human bod. I must attest to this. 3 hours+ of dance class (any form) every week will get you looking right and tight in no time. I have so many students (males especially) drop pounds without even realizing it, until one day their pants are falling off and all they can do is smile. What a sense of satisfaction.  

Dance is great for your endurance and cardiovascular health. Dance demands both anaerobic spurts of energy and aerobic tolerance, and it's a FUN way to shape up and slim down. You like pilates? Try ballet. Yoga? Try modern dance or tai chi. Aerobic classes like Zumba? You will most certainly be a convert to hip-hop and never look back. Salsa is a more social form that is also great for the midsection OR you could do more detail oriented and isolated work (like tap dancing) for some killer calves and great rhythm. Dance comes alive in over a thousand ways and styles, so needless to say there actually IS something for everyone. Have you ever seen a breakdancer with less than impressive abdominals? Case closed.  

The Mind.

It takes patience, concentration, a good memory, logical thinking, creativity and incredible coordination. I could be talking about playing videogames or perhaps constructing an architectural masterpiece, but I'm not. Dance is some of the BEST brain food. Math problems are good, dancing is better. It takes you out of your chair, out of your box and into a zone for your mind to connect with your body. That mind/body connection is crucial to successfully achieve a positive experience. It has been said that physical activity makes you smarter and less stressed. Yes. This is true. Dancers are happy people. You've heard of "leave your attitude at the door"? Well, you have to be in the "now" when you're dancing. It requires way too much mental and physical coordination to be caught up in that bad mood or depressed state you walked in the door with. Dancing forces you to be present. No regrets to weigh you down. No big ambitions to stress you out. Just that moment.    

The Soul.  

Want to feel close to God? Surrender in the dance. I am a professional dancer, instructor and choreographer in Charleston, South Carolina. I have been dancing the technique and art form for the better part of 17 years, but I just recently (as in the past two weeks) found a brilliant gem in praise dance. Worshiping and expressing thanks through dance and full body movement. You've probably belted out "Praise Ye Jesus" louder than your grandmother or aunt Gertrude could have cared for, so try moving to the beat of that phrase by guiding yourself through space and releasing your entire physical being. I call that dancing, and humans have been doing it since forever. It is in our spiritual DNA. It makes us happy and it pleases God. What a great combination. 

I could go into other well-being topics involving social interaction, culture and unifying the human race with dance, but I digress. Things are easy and attainable in threes...kind of like the waltz. Or the rock step. Or a pas de bourre. They just go well together.  1, 2, 3.   1, 2, 3.   1, 2, 3.  

Give the dance triad a try. It could help mold you into the type of person you want to be.

Images courtesy of Ryan Woolsey

Jenny Broe Price is taking the world of dance by storm. She is the Executive Director of Dancefx Charleston, the Co-Founder and Director of the Charleston Dance Festival (September 10-16) and the Head Coach of the Charleston Man of War All Star Dance Team. She lives and breathes to dance. When she does manage some 'me' time, you can find Jenny on the water with her husband, fishing for flounder, or reading up on plant biology. If you're in the Charleston area, check out one of her shows! You won't be disappointed.

www.dancefxcharleston.com
www.charlestonmanofwar.com
www.charlestondancefestival.com