Yoga as an exercise program

These notes combine advice from 24 reviewed passages across 13 workouts.

Overview

Yoga is a good, longstanding exercise type on which many newer approaches have been built. It can serve as an exercise program from beginner to advanced levels and is essentially a collection of many exercises. [1] [6] [18] [23]

Its physical movements are called asanas, and stretching is only one part of the practice, not the whole of it. [17] [20]

Choosing a style and who it suits

There are many types of yoga, so choose the right one. A healthier acrobatic style is recommended, and acroyoga can be done with a partner. [3]

Some parts of yoga are worth keeping, while other parts feel old and provide little stimulus for development. Yoga as a whole should not automatically be treated as a complete exercise program; individual poses may offer only limited benefit. [2] [24]

Yoga is recommended to people who have never exercised. For a complete beginner it offers a gradual start with breathing, and it includes many breathing techniques, though not all of them. [10]

Recommend yoga to some people, but not beyond a certain point. It is not the right choice for every trainee. [9]

Coach’s claim

When you feel stressed, Ashtanga yoga is a good option to reach for. [22]

Yoga as exercise, not religion

Yoga is just an exercise program. There is no need to bow before any gods, and it can be approached and practiced as a form of exercise rather than as a religious practice. [11] [13] [21]

Yoga is about the body. It is distinct from meditation and Hinduism, which people often conflate with it. [14]

In practice, yoga has become deeply associated with spirituality, and some see it as having turned into incense smoke and Buddha. That spiritual wrapping is not what the physical practice itself is. [18] [19]

Health and recovery

Coach’s claim

Diaphragmatic breathing is said to keep the body still. Artists reportedly use it to sustain the voice, and it is used extensively in yoga. [4]

Coach’s claim

Yoga is said to place less stress on the heart, open the joints, disperse lactic acid, and reduce pain. [15]

Coach’s claim

Bikram-style hot yoga uses a room kept at 50 degrees with intense stretching. The heat can make stretching feel easier, but the practice is considered harmful and has been restricted in some places. [16]

Coach’s claim

For someone who does no sport at all, yoga is recommended as a way to work on spinal correction and strength. [8]

Programming

If you are going to do yoga, do it every day. [12]

Coach’s experience

In his own training, the coach does not do yoga because he gets bored and finds it sleep-inducing. His body is dynamic, so he focuses on dynamic movements instead. [5]

He practiced yoga for six months, but it did not appeal to him. He felt he could do more because the poses were old and insufficiently challenging. [7]

Related pages

• Flexibility training: Often discussed together

Sources

1. 2024-02-02, 5706.2-5716.6s

Workout: workout:2024-02-02

Passage: passage:2024-02-02:002101-002104

2. 2024-02-02, 5717.7-5728.5s

Workout: workout:2024-02-02

Passage: passage:2024-02-02:002105-002109

3. 2024-03-12, 3151.0-3165.1s

Workout: workout:2024-03-12

Passage: passage:2024-03-12:001141-001143

4. 2024-04-17, 1411.9-1439.3s

Workout: workout:2024-04-17

Passage: passage:2024-04-17:000424-000433

5. 2024-06-30, 4509.2-4521.2s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001646-001651

6. 2024-06-30, 4564.4-4572.1s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001665-001666

7. 2024-06-30, 4616.1-4624.8s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001685-001690

8. 2024-06-30, 4692.5-4698.2s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001723-001723

9. 2024-06-30, 4712.6-4720.1s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001730-001732

10. 2024-06-30, 4729.4-4742.9s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001736-001742

11. 2024-06-30, 4748.8-4754.3s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001747-001748

12. 2024-06-30, 4772.6-4774.9s

Workout: workout:2024-06-30

Passage: passage:2024-06-30:001756-001756

13. 2024-07-14, 593.2-601.0s

Workout: workout:2024-07-14

Passage: passage:2024-07-14:000234-000237

14. 2024-09-11, 562.8-586.4s

Workout: workout:2024-09-11

Passage: passage:2024-09-11:000202-000210

15. 2024-09-11, 612.6-622.4s

Workout: workout:2024-09-11

Passage: passage:2024-09-11:000220-000226

16. 2024-09-11, 1432.8-1463.9s

Workout: workout:2024-09-11

Passage: passage:2024-09-11:000526-000527

17. 2024-12-01, 2879.3-2884.5s

Workout: workout:2024-12-01

Passage: passage:2024-12-01:000911-000912

18. 2025-03-01, 4892.9-4899.9s

Workout: workout:2025-03-01

Passage: passage:2025-03-01:001678-001678

19. 2025-05-02, 4180.4-4186.3s

Workout: workout:2025-05-02

Passage: passage:2025-05-02:001507-001508

20. 2025-05-02, 4456.7-4477.1s

Workout: workout:2025-05-02

Passage: passage:2025-05-02:001562-001570

21. 2025-05-06, 5941.7-5947.5s

Workout: workout:2025-05-06

Passage: passage:2025-05-06:002058-002062

22. 2026-02-21, 171.4-178.9s

Workout: workout:2026-02-21-meeting-tldv-69998a2a4dcfbd0013b13c8e

Passage: passage:2026-02-21-meeting-tldv-69998a2a4dcfbd0013b13c8e:000048-000049

23. 2026-04-28, 1454.5-1461.6s

Workout: workout:2026-04-28

Passage: passage:2026-04-28:000418-000418

24. 2026-07-14, 162.8-169.5s

Workout: workout:2026-07-14

Passage: passage:2026-07-14:000040-000041