Yoga BLOG

Yoga exercises and physical training - what is the difference? There's no question that yoga is trendy. Many people are talking about a "yoga boom." Yoga has now even become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently, around three million people in Germany practice yoga exercises, and the number is growing daily. What do they expect from yoga, what attracts them? Word has spread that yoga exercises can help, for example, reduce back or joint pain or regulate blood pressure. It's precisely the positive effects on health that make yoga exercises attractive to many people. However, many people who are looking for a yoga class in their area for the first time are unaware that yoga is not primarily aimed at physical health, but rather offers a much broader perspective. So, what is the difference between a physical workout and yoga? We provide an overview, highlighting the differences and similarities. Body and mind: two sides of the same coin Physical training is an excellent and highly effective way to stay healthy well into old age. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists a lack of exercise as one of the main causes of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack. Regular physical activity can make a huge contribution to reducing the risk of disease. For this reason alone, there is absolutely nothing wrong with physical training. Quite the opposite: studies have repeatedly shown that physical training has a positive effect not only on the body but also on the mind. Physical training can therefore also be helpful for mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders. Therefore, our aim in this article is not to prove that yoga exercises are superior to physical training. The question is rather how they relate to each other, what distinguishes them, and what they have in common. The answer to this question is likely to surprise many people new to yoga exercises. Yoga exercises for body and soul It's often assumed that yoga is a kind of ready-made product that's the same everywhere and all the time. However, the term "yoga" encompasses a vast array of schools, styles, and traditions, some of which differ considerably from one another. Some of these date back a long way, while others have emerged only in the last few decades. In Germany—or in the West in general—it's primarily Hatha Yoga that comes to mind first when many people think of yoga exercises. Within the range of yoga forms, Hatha Yoga is arguably the most body-focused form of yoga. At first glance, it seems as if the many different yoga postures (asanas) are the primary focus. And, of course, asanas play a major role in Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga can certainly be practiced like a demanding form of gymnastics. But that's not how it's intended. It's actually meant to cleanse the body and prepare it to deal with the higher energies that await the practitioner as they progress on the path of yoga. An asana is meant to bring your body and your energy channels into a state that allows you to experience higher realities. Not everyone who practices yoga in the West, however, wants that. And that's perfectly fine. You decide what you want to experience with your body and your consciousness. And if your primary goal is to keep your body supple, powerful, and flexible, that's a worthwhile goal, and yoga exercises are an ideal tool for that. If you'd like to go further at some point and explore the potential of your mind, there are many other yoga exercises available that are suitable for that. Yoga meets you where you are and doesn't impose rules on you. Beyond Hatha Yoga: How does yoga go beyond the physical? If we ignore and skip all intermediate stages, yoga can open a door to samadhi , union with the divine. This is, of course, a very lofty goal, one rarely found in the training schedule of a sports group. And, frankly, merging with the divine I Am isn't for everyone. Yoga exercises exist for all stages in between, so you won't be left alone, without guidance and instruction, at any step of your path. You determine your own pace of learning. Sooner or later—most spiritual schools agree on this—we all reach samadhi (or something called something else but meaning the same thing). Therefore, there's little point in rushing it. Let's instead look at the steps that lie directly ahead of us if we want to develop further. There's plenty of rewarding material there that we can also use in everyday life. Pranayama: Breath is mind and energy generation at the same time In athletic training, breathing plays an important, but limited, role. It supplies oxygen for cellular metabolism and energy production. This is where the differences from the yoga approach become particularly clear. In yoga, breathing connects the individual with the greater whole, the Atman, the soul of the world. This difference in inner attitude and in the attribution of meaning transforms the simple act of taking a breath into participation in the world spirit, a union with the divine that subtly permeates every aspect of life. Breathing exercises play a role in many areas of yoga. There are numerous yoga exercises that explicitly focus on breathing and aim to bring about both physical and mental changes. In the Eastern mind, breath and mind are one. This concept goes far beyond the modern Western understanding, which sees the constant inflow and outflow of breath as merely a gas exchange. Pranayama , the persistent contemplation and concentration on the breath, allows the practitioner a direct experience of oneness that cannot be described in words. And this is an experience that purely physical training cannot provide. What do yoga exercises and physical training have in common? There are a few things that yoga exercises promise, just like athletic training methods. These include, for example, increased coordination, strength, flexibility, and endurance. This can be achieved through yoga exercises as well as through purely physical training programs. Breathing exercises from the yoga genre can also positively influence lung function and posture. On the other hand, athletic training can also have many positive effects on psychological factors such as self-confidence and stress reduction. Ultimately, the development of body and mind go hand in hand, and you can hardly train one without simultaneously achieving positive effects on the other. One thing is certain: Anyone who wants to equally exploit the developmental potential of both body and mind is well advised to pursue a path that focuses on both from the outset. And yoga, with its millennia-long history, offers excellent opportunities to develop mind and body simultaneously and in a balanced way – entirely at their own pace. Image © teksomolika / 123rf.com