How will yoga make me strong?

In yoga we are finding the areas, the muscle groups that are tightest and weakest, using staged physical challenges to build strength and flexibility in those areas. You are probably familiar with weight lifting where you use certain muscles in your body to lift weights, and with repetition, those muscles gradually develop strength. And, maybe you have worked with cardio-training or aerobic exercise to build endurance. Perhaps you train at a more competitive level with rigorous athletic exercise for a sports team or individual competition. But, from imbalances in posture, repetitive movements and exercising over long periods of time, restrictions in flexibility and joint mobility arise, or to put it more simply, you start to feel stiff, maybe even weak in those tight areas, despite the fact that you are exercising regularly!

How is yoga any different than my current exercise program?

In yoga, your body is the weight, and you lift it and hold it in various poses (asanas) with the muscles held in a lengthened position. When a muscle is held to a point of crisis in a lengthened position, and slowly fatigues to a greater length (an eccentric contraction) it can become very strong. Instead of developing a muscle that is rock hard, such as in weight lifting, yoga seeks to develop a more pliant muscle - one that is strong in a long position. And yes, weightlifting does build muscles that are strong in very specific ranges. But, as you may have observed, rocks are strong, and rocks can break!

A pliant muscle - one that is strong when held in a long position, is more durable. It can express more energy and it will not tear as easily. Practicing in this way, working with the muscles held to a point of crisis in long positions also allows the associated areas, the tendons and ligaments to become more resilient, to grow in strength and the associated joint(s) to become more open. At this point a person can express the maximum amount of strength and energy without impairment. This is the kind of flexibility that comes from strength, also called maximum functional flexibility. This is what is happening in a Functional Yoga Training class.

What is Functional Yoga Training?

Functional Yoga Training addresses the unique needs athletes have for increasing strength, flexibility and energy, while reducing the incidence of injury. It recognizes that weight training and cardiovascular exercise are important elements of fitness regimens and athletic conditioning, but on their own can lead to muscle imbalance, injury and impeded physical progress. With this in mind, Functional Yoga Training helps the athlete resolve these issues with practical exercises for isolating and embracing the weakest areas within the arms,shoulders,hips, abdomen, back and legs while practicing with a relaxed and lengthened spine. It also includes essential techniques to build respiratory capacity and to relax the nervous system, a necessary component for optimal athletic conditioning.

A regular practice of Functional Yoga Training (i.e...twice a week) increases muscle balance in the targeted areas, increases joint (tendon & ligament) flexibility and strength, safely allowing an athlete to access more of his or her own potential strength. The practice also increases respiratory capacity and calms the nervous system. The combination of practicing with a relaxed and lengthened spine while targeting the weak areas permits the athlete (and non athlete) to access more of his or her innate energy and strength.

Functional Yoga Training uses the principle of proper physical alignment, placing uniform pressure over a joint with a relaxed and lengthened spine, and energetic alignment, maintaining open energetic pathways, even in the face of adversity adapted to the needs of the athlete. This system is based on the fundamentals of Pralaya yoga, a system which emphasizes staged physical challenges for strength in life. Its effect is profound and far-reaching, and completely possible for anyone who practices on a regular basis.

What Happens in a Private Session?

For those who want to explore yoga one on one, or in a private group, Julie offers Functional Yoga Training in private sessions. In a private session, Julie helps an individual or individual participants in the group identify the areas of their body where weakness and imbalances exist and from there, she focuses on developing the maximum functional flexibility for each person present. During these sessions she also guides the individual(s) through breathing techniques specific to their needs, and customized yoga exercises to correct damaging movement patterns, poor body mechanics and inherent postural problems. At the end of each session, body-based relaxation techniques are introduced and practiced.

What is Qigong?

To give you some background on Qigong, so you can understand why it might be helpful to you as an individual, or for your group, read though the following basic explanation.

Qigong comes from two Chinese words: Qi (chi) means energy and gong (kung) means a skill or a practice. Qigong therefore means a skill or practice of cultivating energy.

There are various kinds of qigong -- broadly categorized as internal and external. Internal qigong is much like meditation, with visualizations in order to guide the energy. External qigong includes movement accompanying the meditation.

Qigong is famous in China for curing chronic disease and promoting health.

Qigong can improve your physical and mental health. It provides all the benefits of meditation (reduced stress, lower blood pressure, better attitude, etc.) with physical exercises. The enhancement of the mind/body connection increases your awareness of where your body needs work - where your body needs changes related to diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle, etc.

This mind/body connection is not a trivial issue. It can influence the course of all manner of chronic diseases.

Words can only take you so far. I encourage you to come and take a class to experience this method of yoga for yourself. The journey of a yoga practice is not just about muscle strength, although it might start out that way. What I want to get across is that in time, with regular practice, trust and strength will develop and together with calm concentration and with patience, the power of the breath will lead to a safe path, to a deeper stretch of you, rather than just the muscles.

"I recently returned from what I am calling "yoga camp". (Okay, it was a fancy spa) We had eight or nine different styles of Yoga with a variety teachers. I was surprised to see how many different kinds of yoga there are. Mostly, I was thrilled that I get to go to Julie's class on a regular basis. She was far better than any of the teachers at the "camp". Her classes build strength more than most and she definitely watches out for our joints better than anyone else out there."

...Barbara Denson