Let’s start with this: yoga is good exercise.
And there is nothing wrong with developing a yoga practice because you want to be more physically-fit. In fact, fitness was a key entry point for me when I started practicing in the late 1990s.
However, practicing yoga only to get physically stronger is a little bit like taking a Formula I race car to the Piggly Wiggly or slicing bread with a hacksaw. Sure, it can do the job, but is it the best tool?
If you want to build muscle, I recommend consistent strength training using heavy-for-you weights. If you want to build cardiovascular health, I recommend adding some cardio to your routine.
If you want a strong mind, practice yoga
The concentration that it requires to hold challenging-for-you shapes over several breaths will make you mentally sharp. The relationship to your body as you experience and adjust each posture will develop a deeper awareness of your body in space (called proprioception). It will also improve your form in strength training moves (working on this single-leg deadlifts? hang out in Warrior III for awhile).
You’ll also build a kind of mental endurance as you remember sequences of postures and stay with yourself through each flow.
Bigger Muscles Don’t Mean Better Yoga
I have seen people who “look fit” wipe out in the middle of a Vinyasa class, and I’ve seen people who look — on the outside — like they might not be in great shape who can hang out in a handstand like they’re waiting for the bus. It’s taught me the valuable lesson to never judge a yogi — or any athlete — by their cover.
Even an all-levels Vinyasa practice involves strength, endurance, concentration and balance in equal measure, so big muscles don’t always equate to a more advanced practice any more than having the perfect outfit does.
How to Get Stronger with Yoga
Naturally, you won’t get the same results as traditional strength training, but you will get stronger. Yoga builds strength in two ways: isometric holds (where you stay in the same posture for longer than is comfortable) and flowing through repetitions. Just like any physical training, when you add time and repetitions, your results will increase.
In the sequences that follow, I invite you to linger a bit longer in some shapes we usually move through and add some extra reps in others.
Some Shapes to Explore
Holding or flowing through these poses will get you started on your Yoga-based strength practice.
Nothing that appears in this blog or on this website is intended to treat or diagnose any disorder, physical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.