Article Link Does Yoga Qualify as an Aerobic Workout?

hollymarie · 02-13-17, 07:09 AM

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/w...c-workout.html

eam531 · 02-13-17, 08:54 AM

Read the comments; they are interesting.

Yoga as cardio workout is not for me. Rapid-fire changes from posture to posture means that my form suffers and I get injured. If other people can keep good form while doing fast paced yoga, that's great; I can't. I don't expect yoga to provide every element I am looking for in workouts. It provides strength, balance, and flexibility, and that's a LOT. For cardio, I hop on my bicycle or the elliptical at the gym.

macska · 02-13-17, 08:57 AM

I love yoga. I do everything better when I do yoga regularly. But it is not a cardio exercise for me, not even the "cardio yoga". If someone does low intensity cardio all the time, it could be though. But I prefer higher intensity for my cardio.

yogapam · 02-13-17, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eam531

Read the comments; they are interesting.

Yoga as cardio workout is not for me. Rapid-fire changes from posture to posture means that my form suffers and I get injured. If other people can keep good form while doing fast paced yoga, that's great; I can't. I don't expect yoga to provide every element I am looking for in workouts. It provides strength, balance, and flexibility, and that's a LOT. For cardio, I hop on my bicycle or the elliptical at the gym.

Yes! I think fast flowing yoga is a recipe for injury especially for newbies and anyone who has chronic issues.

bubbles76 · 02-13-17, 10:43 AM

I certainly sweat during yoga, but I wouldn't call it an aerobic workout. At least, not for me. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist? I don't know, but I look at yoga for more flexibility, strength, balance, and stress relief.

macska · 02-13-17, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbles76

I certainly sweat during yoga, but I wouldn't call it an aerobic workout. At least, not for me. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist? I don't know, but I look at yoga for more flexibility, strength, balance, and stress relief.

My feelings exactly.

PhyllisG · 02-13-17, 11:06 AM

A teacher that I had in India would instruct us to do as many sun salutations as you could in a certain amount of minutes. That was the warm up and it moved fast. Claimed that was the aerobic part of the practice. Don't know how valid that claim is but it definitely got your heart rate up.

FirmDancer · 02-13-17, 05:30 PM

May I offer a different perspective? The NYT article says "Aerobic activity, [is] characterized by an elevated heart rate and increase in the body’s use of oxygen, ..." I personally have experienced a noticeable improvement in my aerobic capacity when focusing on yoga. I lived a very fast-paced, high-stress life for many years. Now I know I was breathing shallowly, short, and rapid. Once I started yoga (slow paced hatha yoga holding a pose for 3-6 breaths), I learned how to breathe deeper and more slowly. That improved my breathing all around, it gave me more lung capacity and gave me more energy. Yes, I agree my yoga practice is not an aerobic workout in the current definition of the term, but yet it increased my aerobic capacity significantly. I didn't have to "train" for longer hikes, it came naturally. Just my experience!
-Anita

zippity · 02-13-17, 06:28 PM

The standing section of Bikram yoga is a cardio workout: While the movements are very slow, the muscular effort required to hold a posture in a 105F keeps my hear rate well into the cardio zone. Often I struggle to maintain breath composure, and sometimes even have to take a knee for thirty seconds to regain control.

Bikram yoga is definitely not for everyone though; this post is not intended as a recommendation.

eam531 · 02-13-17, 08:33 PM

I agree with points that Zippity and FirmDancer made, actually. I was probably being too narrow about what constitutes "yoga as cardio". For me I was thinking of practices like UY Cardio, which is quite rapid. FirmDancer and Zippity are right that practices with long holds can one's heart rate. I've done Bikram and it did raise my heart rate because of the heat and the long holding of poses (30 seconds for each pose if I recall correctly, then you do it again, or do it on the opposite side). I am a lot more comfortable doing those kinds of practices than the rapid-fire vinyasa practices.

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02-13-17, 07:09 AM
hollymarie Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Garden State	Does Yoga Qualify as an Aerobic Workout? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/w...c-workout.html __________________ “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Albus Dumbledore

02-13-17, 08:54 AM
eam531 VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Buffalo, NY	Read the comments; they are interesting. Yoga as cardio workout is not for me. Rapid-fire changes from posture to posture means that my form suffers and I get injured. If other people can keep good form while doing fast paced yoga, that's great; I can't. I don't expect yoga to provide every element I am looking for in workouts. It provides strength, balance, and flexibility, and that's a LOT. For cardio, I hop on my bicycle or the elliptical at the gym. __________________ Betsy There is no way of telling people they are all walking around shining like the sun--Thomas Merton People have done all kinds of remarkable things because they thought they could. People routinely fail to do quite ordinary things because they assume they can't--Reinhard Engels Stay gold, Ponyboy--S.E. Hinton Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try--Ryan Bingham Disclosure: I have a personal relationship with a fitness instructor who has appeared in some videos.

02-13-17, 08:57 AM
macska VF Supporter Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NJ	I love yoga. I do everything better when I do yoga regularly. But it is not a cardio exercise for me, not even the "cardio yoga". If someone does low intensity cardio all the time, it could be though. But I prefer higher intensity for my cardio. __________________ 12 marathons 2 ultra marathons (50k) PR: Mohawk-Hudson Marathon 3hr 40min "You finish when you are done not when you are tired." David Goggins

02-13-17, 10:43 AM
bubbles76 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Jersey	I certainly sweat during yoga, but I wouldn't call it an aerobic workout. At least, not for me. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist? I don't know, but I look at yoga for more flexibility, strength, balance, and stress relief. __________________ "You humans have the potential to be the most wonderful beings there are - if you can get past all these enormous stupid spots you seem to have in your hearts. It's not your fault. You just don't know how to work your hearts right yet. That's why there are dogs." - Jim Butcher, Zoo Day

02-13-17, 11:06 AM
PhyllisG Join Date: May 2005 Location: Woodstock NY	A teacher that I had in India would instruct us to do as many sun salutations as you could in a certain amount of minutes. That was the warm up and it moved fast. Claimed that was the aerobic part of the practice. Don't know how valid that claim is but it definitely got your heart rate up.

02-13-17, 05:30 PM
FirmDancer VF Supporter Join Date: Apr 2002	May I offer a different perspective? The NYT article says "Aerobic activity, [is] characterized by an elevated heart rate and increase in the body’s use of oxygen, ..." I personally have experienced a noticeable improvement in my aerobic capacity when focusing on yoga. I lived a very fast-paced, high-stress life for many years. Now I know I was breathing shallowly, short, and rapid. Once I started yoga (slow paced hatha yoga holding a pose for 3-6 breaths), I learned how to breathe deeper and more slowly. That improved my breathing all around, it gave me more lung capacity and gave me more energy. Yes, I agree my yoga practice is not an aerobic workout in the current definition of the term, but yet it increased my aerobic capacity significantly. I didn't have to "train" for longer hikes, it came naturally. Just my experience! -Anita __________________ “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” -- Hunter S. Thompson Current Rotations: JSmith: STRENGTHEN ManFlowYoga: morning sessions & Strength Foundations YogaGlo & MFML: easy, morning classes

02-13-17, 06:28 PM
zippity Join Date: Feb 2011	The standing section of Bikram yoga is a cardio workout: While the movements are very slow, the muscular effort required to hold a posture in a 105F keeps my hear rate well into the cardio zone. Often I struggle to maintain breath composure, and sometimes even have to take a knee for thirty seconds to regain control. Bikram yoga is definitely not for everyone though; this post is not intended as a recommendation. __________________ STS Grad 2X

02-13-17, 08:33 PM
eam531 VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Buffalo, NY	I agree with points that Zippity and FirmDancer made, actually. I was probably being too narrow about what constitutes "yoga as cardio". For me I was thinking of practices like UY Cardio, which is quite rapid. FirmDancer and Zippity are right that practices with long holds can one's heart rate. I've done Bikram and it did raise my heart rate because of the heat and the long holding of poses (30 seconds for each pose if I recall correctly, then you do it again, or do it on the opposite side). I am a lot more comfortable doing those kinds of practices than the rapid-fire vinyasa practices. __________________ Betsy There is no way of telling people they are all walking around shining like the sun--Thomas Merton People have done all kinds of remarkable things because they thought they could. People routinely fail to do quite ordinary things because they assume they can't--Reinhard Engels Stay gold, Ponyboy--S.E. Hinton Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try--Ryan Bingham Disclosure: I have a personal relationship with a fitness instructor who has appeared in some videos.