At some point during the “Shred” class at SLT Yoga, the Greatist Team realized we were not, in fact, practicing yoga. At least not the kind of yoga we were used to.
Ten of us were poised above shiny blue mats in plank position, our feet sliding a set of gliders back and forth behind us. We’d just come out of a sweaty warrior II pose in which we held a set of three-pound weights in each hand. Already, tears came when I thought about how sore I’d feel the next morning.
SLT (that’s “Strengthen, Lengthen, Tone”) is just one example of the growing number of fitness centers that offer new spins on traditional yoga classes — everything from dumbbell-enhanced poses to aerial inversions. Many of the instructors at these studios are former athletes or dancers; and they focus on taking standard yoga poses to a new level by infusing the sequences with moves from other athletic disciplines. The result is a class that gives more of a physical workout than your typical 45 minutes of sun salutations. for more info (http://healthandfitnessideas.mee.nu/venus_factor_review-dealing_with_emotion_and_aggression)
One of the most common examples of this trend is Power Yoga, a fast-paced take on Vinyasa flow developed by Baron Baptiste in the 1980s that has since spread to fitness centers all over the country. Then there’s Iron Yoga, touted as a more efficient workout, which incorporates weighted strength-training exercises into every pose. Some of the most popular yoga DVDs include yoga for weight loss and Jillian Michael’s “meltdown.” If yoga is already a workout, as some experts say it is, these classes capitalize on its fat-burning, muscle-building, endorphin-boosting potential. But with the addition of iron-pumping and grunting, are these “yoga” classes still yoga, according to those who teach more traditional styles?
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