By: Savina Brown
Since it is the beginning of injury prevention month, I am going to get on my soapbox about the amazing benefits of yoga and how well yoga and Welded compliment one another. Some of you might be rolling your eyes at the thought of that or already have a story created about yoga but I challenge you to change your perspective. And trust me, I have been in your same shoes with both yoga and Welded. Neither of them were activities that I loved instantly or found myself wanting to do on a daily basis. The irony is that here I am today as a yoga instructor at Welded gym and I have an incredible passion for both of them. Plus, I feel my absolute best physically, mentally, and emotionally when these two activities are balanced throughout my week.
So, my favorite way to explain Welded and yoga is using the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Yin and Yang. The belief is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites that compliment one another and create wholeness. For example, positive and negative, female and male, day and night, hot and cold, hard and soft, and so on. The same goes for Welded and yoga. Welded is the yang with its high intensity, balls to the wall, go hard or go home, and redline mentality. While yoga is the yin with its focus on breathing deeply, doing only what feels good, taking rest when it is needed, and truly listening to your body and what it needs from you that day. As you can see they are opposites but they compliment one another perfectly to maintain a sense of balance and wholeness in our lives. We need both the intensity of Welded and the gentleness of yoga not only for our bodies but also for our sanity.
Welded builds strength, stamina, and endurance through the use of the barbell, body-weight and gymnastic movements. Yoga, too can build strength and stamina with the aid of flexibility work if you are attending a Vinyasa flow based class like our Lengthen and Strengthen. This class works with recruitment of stabilizing muscles to strengthen larger muscles groups and joints by channeling and working with muscle relaxation and engagement. While our Rest and Restore class works with long, static holds to stretch deep into the connective tissues allowing these tissues to become longer and stronger which allows for more flexibility and mobility in movements. All of this is needed to maintain balance and a healthy body. When we over due it in yoga or Welded, our bodies become imbalanced and we become vulnerable to injuries.
So, my challenge for you this month is to change your perspective on yoga. Let go of whatever story you have about it. Try working it into your schedule one time per week. If you need active recovery try the Lengthen and Strengthen class to get rid of some lactic acid and loosen up. If you are feeling fatigued and tight go to a Rest and Restore and get some serious stretching in. Anyone willing to commit to this let me know. I would love to be apart of your journey and help support you in anyway that I can. You can always email me or reach out in person. Happy Injury Prevention Month!