Yoga Strong

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Yoga

Instructor Lynsey Riach shows us how the ancient practice of yoga can do wonders for our overall well-being

Strong Words and selected images

by Lynsey Riach

National Sport Day is here again, igniting the desire to get more active and to move more. But what if you’re already pretty fit and are looking for a new type of exercise to give you a challenge in the New Year ahead?

Could I tempt you to get strong…through yoga?

I’m guessing you gasped there. Yoga? Strong?

Isn’t it all a relaxation, candles and meditation kind of thing? Well you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that more and more athletes and coaches are realizing that yoga complements everything they’ve been trying to achieve.

Whether on the court, in the ring, on the field, or on the dance-floor, a regular, intelligent yoga practice makes you a better mover. It increases flexibility, expands fascial structures which allows muscles to grow, prevents injuries, relieves back pain, strengthens your nervous system for better reflexes, and keeps you grounded, steady, and cool under stress.

Like that sound of all that? Well yoga can give you a myriad of benefits but getting strong is one of the best ones if you ask me. As a qualified yoga instructor I practice on my mat each day so I’m aware of how strong my body actually is and in my 34th year on this planet I can honestly say it’s never been so resilient. Daily yoga practice includes a comprehensive system that builds strength in the body and mind so when it takes

some time off due to injury for example, it’s ok with that. It knows you’ll be back. Although I practice yoga every single day, that doesn’t mean I spend hours on my mat, in fact just a simple morning stretch is yoga. Making a routine of moving and stretching out your body regularly will make you feel flexible and when flexible we feel stronger.

So let’s understand the role of flexibility in strength…

Strength coaches have realized that yoga’s ability to free up a locked body is unmatched.

A lot of exercises that people perform in a gym are muscle shortening (contraction). With a lot of repetition a huge range of motion can be lost!

Then, although the muscles have a lot of power, this strength cannot be used effectively because the length of the muscle is restricted. It’s like trying to drive a car with a powerful engine while your foot is on the brakes. If you don’t train flexibility, you lose it.

I see this often in the variety of students that walk through my studio door. So many reasons can bring people to try yoga and to practice it long-term. Some come to gain greater flexibility

and some to heal injuries and enhance their performance significantly. I’ve worked with jockeys, runners, dancers and body-builders and although I’ve seen men with defined muscles and clear strength, a lot of them can’t even straighten their legs to touch their toes.

Flexibility is essentially the ability of the muscles to lengthen across a joint or group of joints. It's also referred to as range of motion. A lack of flexibility will increase the likelihood of injury because if you don’t have the required range of motion to perform a particular action, then you will force it to happen through improper alignment or inefficient biomechanics. This will lead to instability and the likelihood of injury. For example, if you can’t get extension in the upper back, you’ll create it through the shoulders, creating laxity, hindering performance and increasing the chance of tearing the muscles or ligaments. So flexibility feeds into proper range of movement, which feeds into proper stability, which in turn feeds into proper force output.

Because yoga has a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics,

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The Humble Warrior Pose

The Chaturanga Split Pose

The Bound Warrior Pose

physiotherapists often recommend it to their clients, as they know that intelligent yoga practice can deal with pain and rehab in a more holistic way than any other method.

But how can yoga make me strong?

Yoga develops your stability because you create with your body a less stable shape on a stable surface. The object you’re pushing against — the earth — is stable, but many yoga postures are shapes that will challenge your body to stabilize itself. This is called a closed chain movement. By holding shapes with your body that have a narrow base of support, e.g. Tree Pose requires you to stand on one leg which will massively strengthen your stabilizer muscles.

Lifting a weight requires some stability, but because the body will generally have a wider base of support, and you’re moving an external object, it’s the prime movers that are the major muscles working. This is called an open chain movement. Research shows that this is one of the major benefits of using your body-weight as resistance — your body develops an extremely high amount of stability and control. To help you get on your road to strength, I’ve outlined five key poses to help you hold and build muscle. These poses are some of the key postures that helped me access my inner strength and will help you develop the strength and stamina needed to truly build core power in your Yoga practice.

Practice both sides. From Humble Warrior Pose, pull your body back up and unwrap your arms.

Link the same arm as the lunged leg through the leg and meet your other arm behind your back if you can. Stay here and count for five breaths (inhale and exhale). If you’re experienced in this pose, try to bind your fingers or even your wrists together to create added mobility in the shoulder. Look up if you can.

Extended SideHand To Toe Pose

1. Extended Side-Hand To Toe Pose (Builds strength in your entire legs, hips, back and arms) Practice both sides but begin with your stronger standing leg. Try to keep your standing leg strong, straight and firm as you extend your other leg out to the side. If you can straighten your extended leg, bring your hand to touch your foot or toes and count for five breaths (inhale and exhale). If you’re experienced in this pose, turn your head the opposite direction to challenge your balance and core strength.

2. Humble Warrior Pose (Builds strength in your hamstrings, hips, back and shoulders) Practice both sides. Lunge low with your stronger leg and interlace your fingers together behind your back. Pull your arms over your head and body as far as you can. Stay here and count for five breaths (inhale and exhale).

3. Bound Warrior Pose (Builds strength in your hamstrings, hips, back and promotes shoulder mobility)

4. Chaturanga Split Pose (Builds strength in your triceps, biceps, back and hips) Begin in Plank Pose and extend your leg towards the sky. Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground while keeping your leg extended. Hold and count for five breaths (inhale and exhale).

5. Side Crow Pose – Advanced!

(Builds strength in your triceps and shoulders) This one is only for advanced yoga practitioners and is an extension from traditional Crow Pose.

Twist your body so your arms are flush over your outer right thigh. Left elbow is glued to right knee. Tip forward and rest your hips on your triceps. When you have balance and can hold this pose, slowly bring your legs out to the side, hold and count for five breaths (inhale and exhale). Warning - you will get bruises!

Strong, flexible muscles help keep your body youthful and your mind energetic. Practice with diligence and be patient.

Lynsey Riach is a qualified yoga instructor living and working in Doha. You can normally find her walking her dog, on her yoga mat or blending up fruit smoothies.

To learn more about her services visit www.andstretchyoga.com.

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