What Makes Power Yoga Different From Regular Yoga?
There has been a recent trend of people taking power yoga classes to stay healthy. This article is going to examine power yoga and compare it to regular yoga so you can see what the advantages and disadvantages are.
Power Yoga As Alternate Exercise
Power yoga is the vigorous fitness based version of regular style yoga. The regular normal kind of yoga is the Vinyasa style. Power yoga is closely modeled on the Ashtanga style of practice and the name came about because yoga instructors were looking to make the Ashtanga style more accessible to western practitioners. While power yoga is based on Ashtanga there are some definite differences. Ashtanga has set a series of poses, whereas power yoga does not. This leads to a lot of variations in the classes that are offered. All of these classes focus on increasing the student's strength and flexibility. Because of this many people now see yoga as a form of exercise and not just meditation. People began to seek out classes looking for a fun alternative to simple aerobics.
This form of yoga is credited as being founded by two people. Beryl Bender Birch and Bryan Kest both came up with similar styles around the same time. They were both students of Ashtanga and actually shared the same instructor. Another person influential in the more exercise version of yoga is Baron Baptiste who teaches his own version and only allows it to be taught by teachers he certifies. The term power yoga was used so that people would know the difference between the stretching and meditation style from the intense flowing style.
Hopefully now you understand the differences between regular yoga and power yoga. If you think it might be something you want to look at the best thing to do is get out and take a class. Many times instructors will allow you to take your first class for free to get you familiar with what the exercise is like. If you try it and find that you want something even more intense, look into core power yoga. This is an even more intense workout than either of the other forms of yoga and helps you to get in great shape quickly.
No matter which kind of yoga you end up going with the health benefits of all should be quickly apparent. All the styles give you a good cardio workout, improve the flexibility and strength of all your muscles and provide a relaxing way to stay fit.
