Cardio yoga does not officially exist but this term means a more intense version of traditional yoga, which combines dynamic movements inspired by the oriental discipline, to increase and support a high heart rate, train the heart and burn calories.
and meditation practices, it aims to relieve anxiety, stress and back and neck pain, improve sleep and increase mental and emotional health.
There are different types of yoga but "Hatha yoga is the most common. Under this definition all the variations that involve physical postures, and therefore also cardio yoga, fall. In most cases, however, the movements are slow and delicate because to be breathing techniques, body flexibility and posture are privileged. Cardio yoga, on the other hand, while involving the execution of movements inspired by yoga, requires that they be carried out at a more rapid and continuous pace, involving more muscles and placing under strain the cardiovascular and circulatory system.
For deep relaxation and better rest, before going to sleep practice yoga with the best positions to help you sleep.
and keep your arms at your sides.Perform the sequence at a relatively fast pace and repeat it for 20 minutes without pauses in between to keep the heart rate high.
Child's pushup pose
- Starting in the plank position, perform a small jump and land on your knees, then sit on your heels with your arms extended in front.
- Bring the body forward to the kneeling plank position and repeat.
Leg lift pigeon sequence
- Starting in the plank position, lift your hips and left leg slightly upward.
- Slowly pull your left leg back, bending the knee towards your chest.
- Lift the left leg back towards the ceiling, simultaneously pulling the left knee and letting the outside of the leg rest on the floor, while lowering the corresponding buttock.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Walk downs
- Starting from a standing position, bend over at your hips and walk to the plank position.
- Push your hips up and hold this position for a couple of seconds.
- Come back slowly, keeping your hands in contact with the floor.
- Get back on your feet.
- Perform each movement 10-15 times.
Carrying out this variant at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes, in fact, requires a considerable expenditure of energy that can help you lose weight, as long as physical exercise is combined with proper nutrition.
Comparison with other cardio workouts
Doing cardio yoga burns a similar number of calories to "exercising on a" moderate-intensity elliptical, but less than jogging, hiking, or running.
Practicing this discipline, however, especially if you also perform the sun salutation, helps to improve muscle tone. This is also evidenced by a recent study conducted on people who performed 24 cycles of Surya Namaskar (sun salutation), 6 days a week for 6 months. By the end of that period their muscle strength was visibly increased and their ability to perform strength exercises improved.
Cardio yoga can be added to the strategies indicated for improving memory.
To improve toning, on the other hand, jump squats can also be very useful.
