Yoga with Weights
by Amy Martin
Want to add a little extra to your yoga practice? Just add weights!
For decades, health and wellness experts, healthcare professionals, and even scientists have researched and have proven the benefits of exercise and fitness. Many of them even say movement is medicine. It can be overwhelming at times to choose what works best for you because of how many modalities of fitness there are. Any form of movement is beneficial to the body and mind, but the one we will be exploring here is yoga combined with strength training.
Anyone who gravitates toward yoga does so for many different reasons…the mind/body connection, stress relief, “me time”, self-study, and more. But if you’re looking to diversify your practice, try adding light weights. A Yoga with Weights class at YCC does just that!
What is Yoga with Weights?
Yoga with Weights is a modality of yoga that incorporates light weights into familiar yoga postures. Postures can be practiced holding the weights in hand throughout the postures or repetitions can be added to get more of a strength training effect.
What are some of the benefits of adding weights to your yoga practice?
There are so many benefits to strength training and to yoga separately, but marrying the two into one practice can challenge your body in a much different way. Some of the main benefits of adding light weights to your exercise routine at YCC are as follows:
Increased strength, tone, and muscle engagement
Improved bone density
Enhanced balance and stability
Diversified workout routine
Some of the other benefits include:
Improved functional strength, making everyday activities easier reducing the risk of injury
Better posture and reduced tension in the body
Enhanced breathing during workouts
Increased range of motion
Boosted metabolism
Enhanced lean muscle mass
Do I have to have knowledge of or experience with strength training in order to take a Yoga with Weights class?
Absolutely not! In a Yoga with Weights class you will learn proper form and alignment just like you would in any modality of yoga, however, the only difference is you will be holding light weights. You may even find that it takes a little more focus to keep your body in proper alignment when holding weights because of the extra load.
What size weights should I be using?
At YCC we have 3 different sizes of dumbbells. We offer 1 pound, 3 pound, and 6 pound dumbbells. The size you choose will depend on your body strength and your familiarity with strength training. I recommend choosing a couple different sizes. If you’re just starting out, I would choose the lightest set just to get used to the feeling of holding extra weight while moving the body in and out of yoga postures. The more confident you become along with the strength you build, you’ll be able to choose a pair of heavier weights and a lighter pair (or a “drop set”). Always know that if the weights start to feel too heavy or your alignment is starting to become compromised, you can put the weights down and just use your body weight.
Using weights within our yoga practice can build on the sense of empowerment and inner and outer strength that we acquire in a “regular” yoga practice. We at YCC invite you to try it! See all our classes with weights here. Enter with curiosity and a sense of exploration. If you have any questions, or want a little more information, I or any of our Yoga or Pilates with Weights teachers would be happy to answer you.
