Want To Improve Your Mood As Well As Your Flexibility? Try Yoga In Malta
Yoga lovers are torn between thinking that the activity may not be ‘intense enough’ to get us healthy. On the other hand, many have touted it as the single, greatest key to a long life.
One recent study even tested the ability of yoga to increase your lifespan and found that – in theory – it can indeed.
Therefore, after Lovin Malta survived its kickboxing challenge, we decided it was time to wind down with some yoga-based stretching and meditation, with a twist.
To this end, we hit the gym with Naomi Somers: a fitness instructor, CrossFit practitioner, and of course, a yoga instructor.
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Traditional yoga with a twist
Naomi’s unique take on yoga involved a dynamic round involving many of the traditional poses we all know and love. The downward dog, warrior poses, lotus positions… all the things made to make you feel as flexible as a rubber band.
Where it differed from other practices was in its style. A slick system that has you shift and hold positions to the cues of music.
The whole activity balanced out both the taxing and relaxing elements and often zoned in on some intense stretches that are sure to get you nice and loose.
And that was just the warm-up.
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Stretching
Muscles were definitely worked from the first phase. It was the perfect set-up for the second part. Long, intense stretches, including a type of stretching known as PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation).
At its core, PNF is basically stretching whilst having your muscles activated; a scientifically-proven way to increase one’s range of movement.
You are only pushed as far as you want to go, but the very nature of the activity will have you wanting to challenge your limits. And remarkably, the more you do so, the better the feeling at the end.
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The result
‘Loose’, ‘relaxed’, perhaps even ‘elated’. These are the words that would most accurately describe the feeling at the end of the session.
Believe it or not, the relaxed feeling lasted the entirety of the day. A big deal, coming from one who is quite generally disgruntled at baseline.
The activity burned 180 calories in 50 minutes. Not much, but in truth, this is not the kind of activity you would engage in with the scope of losing weight.
Yoga can work wonders on your body in other ways, strengthening your muscles (particularly core muscles), increasing your mobility, and relaxing your mind as well as your mood.
From what we can see, the activity could feature in any person’s physical activity plan. Quite possibly, it could even enhance it.
Tag someone who needs to get their Yoga game on