What Makes Yoga Different from and Even Better than the Gym

Many people associate yoga with exercise and fitness. Sure, yoga involves exercise and promotes fitness, but it is much more than that. The asanas that are important aspects of yoga are different from regular exercises in that they are aimed at relaxing the body, thereby reducing the strain on the mind and the body’s respiratory system. Exercises performed in the gym, on the other hand, focus on constant movement which actually raises the oxygen requirement for muscles. The asanas are therefore quite different from the regular exercises in terms of their results and how they are performed.  

Yoga Relaxes Muscles While Exercise Strains Them

As we’ve seen, exercising involves constant, strenuous movement, focusing on raising muscle mass. Yoga, on the other hand, focuses on maintaining steady postures and relaxing the muscles. In fact, though asanas are exercises, they are defined as a state where you are “steady and comfortable”. During the asana, your breathing happens in a synchronized manner and the movements are controlled and slow. With regular exercising, synchronized breathing is just not possible because there is repetitive movement and the muscles are placed under stress. As a result, the outcome of yoga and regular exercise vary. While yoga is energy efficient, exercise is energy intensive.      

Yoga causes the body to relax with reduced blood requirement since the body isn’t placed in undue stress. That causes the heart to relax as well. Exercising, on the other hand, raises the blood pressure and the speed of blood circulation. While that may improve the flexibility of the muscle and builds it up, it increases the workload placed on the heart since it has to pump faster.   

       

Yoga Brings Down Cortisol Levels

While yoga brings down the levels of the stress-related cortisol in the body, regular exercise makes the lungs work harder as a result of the constant and stressful movement. So regular exercising could raise the levels of cortisol in the body, since exercise is perceived as a stress. The muscles need more oxygen. 

Exercising also causes lactic acid to be produced, leading to exhaustion and fatigue. Yoga, on the other hand, soothes the nervous system as a result of specific nostril breathing. Yoga also helps in greater pain tolerance and helps the mind too, providing peace and contentment. 

Yoga Benefits both Body and Mind

While exercising contributes to stronger muscles, fitter and slimmer body, and greater flexibility, it does that by putting the body into significant stress and strain. That’s why heavy exercising isn’t recommended for everyone. Yoga, though, provides fitness to not just the body but also the mind, not by placing too much stress but actually relaxing it. That’s why Peter Theodorou started following yoga at quite an early age. Today he’s one of the most successful proponents of the discipline.

How Peter Theodorou Keeps Himself in Shape

With yoga, you realize the inner power you have and learn to make that a vital force in your life. That keeps you physically and mentally sharp. 

What It Takes to Become a Sought After Celebrity Yoga Instructor

Being a yoga instructor involves more than just teaching the right forms and poses for practicing yoga. If you want to be a good instructor, you need to go beyond what happens in a one-hour class and deal with the physical and psychological aspects of your student’s life such as nutrition, meditation, etc. so as to make yoga more meaningful to the individual. That requires in-depth knowledge of yoga and its philosophy as well as a passion for the discipline. These qualities make the difference from being just another yoga instructor to a highly sought after yoga teacher.  

As a result of the need for fitness and a desire to learn more about Eastern philosophies, yoga has become quite popular in the United States. You can find work even beyond yoga and fitness centers to corporate establishments, educational institutions and homes of students for one-on-one classes. You will also have opportunities to take part in workshops and group classes. As you excel in your task and impart yoga education in a more holistic manner, your reputation could precede you wherever you go. The increased demand for your services could make you quite popular. Eventually you could end up becoming a celebrity yoga instructor.    
 
Steps for a Great Yoga Career

But before you start dwelling on the celebrity status, let’s get to the basic aspects on the road to becoming a professional yoga instructor.

• The first step is obviously to learn all the different kinds of yoga since you never know which suits you best. So studying various yoga forms can help you specialize in a particular form and focus on the training for that, since methods of instruction vary based on the form practiced and the facility where you take your training. It also goes without saying that you need a very good mentor.    
• To be a great instructor, you need to adopt a holistic approach for which it would be advisable to complete a teacher training course that would also include yoga philosophy, anatomy, physiology and instructional techniques. The Yoga Alliance sets the guidelines for teacher training programs.
• The Yoga Alliance is where you need to get certified as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). For that you need to complete a teacher training program that satisfies the Yoga Alliance guidelines. Though registration is voluntary, having an RYT credential raises your profile as a yoga instructor.

Even if your training is over, you need to keep your knowledge about training practices and new concepts and philosophies up-to-date. If you’re registered with Yoga Alliance, you need to take part in continuing education lasting for 75 hours every three years. Make sure you keep attending seminars and workshops to keep yourself updated.
         
As renowned yoga instructor Peter Theodorou would say, nothing beats experience. The more experience you gain as an instructor and the more you keep practicing yoga, the more you’re able to make a difference in the depth and effectiveness of the teaching you impart. That would take you to the top rungs of becoming a celebrity yoga instructor, a journey that Peter himself has been through.