Practicing Yoga on Active Rest Days
You’re always ready to go. From the minute you wake up in the morning until the second your eyes close at night you are on a mission, and you always make working out part of your day. However, no matter how much energy and stamina you have, giving yourself some level of rest is always wise.
Active Rest Days
For some people, the idea of resting is sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the television and eating ice cream straight out of the carton. While some people need a day like that once in a rare while, the thought of making it your active rest day activity is not for you. Fortunately, you don’t have to because that’s not what an active rest day is. An active rest day is when you take it easier than usual, but you still choose to participate in activities.
Yoga as the Right Fit
Yoga is an excellent exercise to try on your active rest days. While yoga certainly requires energy and strength, it is not the same as marathon training or heavy weight training. Yoga helps you keep your body lean and strong, but it also allows you to rest mentally and to gain better focus. Yoga is the perfect fit for an active rest day because it is both restful and active. You can start at a beginner level if you are new to the practice and advance over time.
Good for the Body
As an active person, you are probably concerned with getting in activities and work outs that help stimulate your physical health. As a result, you may harbor some skepticism about yoga, but this practice is good for you. When you are participating in the poses, you are helping to build balance in your body. You can also tone up because yoga requires strength. It is low impact enough to give your body the break it needs in between your intense training days.
Good for the Soul and Mind
Part of taking a break involves addressing the needs of your mind and soul. When you are constantly on the go, you do not always have the time to focus on your personal needs. In fact, you may have found that you have completely forgotten how to relax. After you engage in some yoga poses, you may quickly begin to feel calmer. Once you are finished, you may feel as though you have the ability to just sit quietly on the sofa and meditate or pray to bring yourself back into focus.
Practicing yoga on your active rest days is a way to still engage in a healthy and invigorating activity but to give yourself the rest that you need. You may soon find that you want to practice yoga on other days of the week as well. Contact Zero Gravity Fitness today to learn more about yoga and how you can incorporate it into your weekly workout schedule.