#HealthBytes: Everything you should know about cardio yoga
What's the story
Cardio yoga combines cardio exercises with yoga asanas and is enjoyed by those who want to experience the meditative effects of yoga but with more intensity. While yoga asanas focus on breathing techniques and postures, cardio yoga comprises yoga-inspired movements that are done quickly and thus engage more muscles. Let's look at more details about this popular form of workout.
Exercises
Cardio yoga does not have a specific set of exercises
Cardio yoga is an amalgam of the traditional Indian practice of yoga and fast-paced cardio movements that work the body muscles. Thus, cardio yoga does not have any specific way of practicing and can be a mix of your favorite yoga asanas and cardio workouts. However, the selected workouts should engage all the major muscle groups, including the arms, chest, and legs.
Poses
Two common cardio yoga workouts to get started
Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation): Tweak the traditional sun salutation to make it a cardio workout by completing it at a quick pace and repeating it for 20 minutes to keep your heart rate elevated. Child's pose: Perform a kneeling pushup and then sit onto your heels and do the child's pose. Bring your body back to the plank position and repeat for 10 minutes.
Weight loss
Cardio yoga may help you shed weight
While traditional yoga asanas take time to help with weight loss, cardio yoga ramps up calorie burning and aids in weight loss. Studies prove that performing cardio yoga workouts five times a week for 30 minutes may help in shedding weight. To make the most of it, along with yoga, you should also consume lesser calories in order to lose weight quickly.
Health benefits
Cardio yoga combines the health benefits of yoga and workouts
Just like yoga, cardio yoga is a great stress buster and helps relieve stress and anxiety. It is also a great way to build muscle strength, similar to cardio workouts. Cardio yoga comes with all the other health benefits of exercising, such as eliminating toxins from the body, enhancing the functioning of the brain, improving heart health, increasing lung capacity, etc.