Beginners
The Gym Goer's Guide to Yoga
By Marissa Kristal
Stretch, Soothe and Strengthen
You’re an avid gym-goer who knows the secret to a
hot and healthy body is a mix of cardio and weight training – the more
muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns even during its
resting state. (Melting away fat while sleeping? Now there’s an
exercise regime I can get behind!). So you hit the gym daily – a cardio
day, followed by a weight training day, and so on – to get it all in
and achieve maximum results.
But here’s what you
may not know: Adding yoga to the mix will help you blast even more
calories, while at the same time increasing your strength, range of
motion, endurance, posture and flexibility. (Beyond just touching your
toes, flexibility also helps prevent injury – a great thing for
everyone, but especially physically active people who challenge their
bodies daily). The result? A seriously fit and sculpted body.
Whether you’re a total mat beginner or an advanced
yogi, everyone can benefit from incorporating a few asanas (poses) into
their workout routine. Sharon Gary is a
certified yoga physical therapist in New York City who combines
elements of PT and yoga to create personalized exercises for clients
healing from injury, hoping to enhance strength and flexibility, or who
simply want to learn to use their breath to relax their bodies, and
become more mindful of movement. Utilizing her in-depth knowledge of
yoga, anatomy and kinesiology (the mechanics of human movement), Sharon
recommends the following post-workout yoga flow to stretch, soothe and
further strengthen every muscle you’ve just
worked:
Get
the workout
