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Aqua Yoga

What complements yoga on a hot summer day? A swimming pool! With Aqua Yoga, you get to work your asanas in a fun pool setting.

Of course, it cannot substitute for real yoga (try doing seated poses, arm balances or inversions in a pool!) but it certainly serves as an occasional fun break.

Aqua Yoga is a new way to enjoy a low-impact aquatic exercise, no yoga mat required. Make the swimming pool your yoga mat. From squats to Pranayama, you can do all the yoga in the water. Think of traditional yoga, but in water!

It is interesting to note that new research is figuring out what yoga teachers have known for thousands of years. If you're familiar with yoga basics, you can use those moves as dynamic stretches before you start your swim training.

Improving your flexibility allows you to put your body in good ergonomic alignment. Yoga can help you combine flexibility and strength, help you breathe properly, reduce head, neck, and back pain, and put the body back in balance.

Practice for two minutes different moves to stretch multiple parts of your body. Lift yourself up on your hands in an upright position and hold you legs forward. Go up and down. Pedal your feet or lift alternate legs. Observe what difference this makes.

Into the Pool

If you can find a quiet spot in the pool, then go for it. The bubbling sound of the water will make it easier to get centered for your practice.

Like regular yoga classes, relaxation poses are used to warm up and cool down. Performing yoga poses in warm water can help develop strength, static balance and range of motion.

Perfect for letting go of stress, it's also great for pregnant women. No need to be able to swim perfectly or be a seasoned yogi.

Most exercise enthusiasts would not classify yoga as a workout. Ask anyone who actually does yoga and they'll tell you that it gives you a great cardio workout while calming your mind at the same time.

Due to the buoyancy, your body is able to attain an optimum stretch. You can practice breathing techniques and all sorts of yoga while you’re in a swimming pool. Just jump in with your friends for different aqua yoga poses (asanas) that develop flexibility, breathing, balance and core strength.

As the pressure of the water forces your muscles to work harder without the risk of stiffness, you will effortlessly tone your figure. You can vary the intensity with clothing layers.

Paddle Board Yoga

Take your yoga practice off of the mat and onto the water!

Enjoy a new way to challenge your balance and strength and have a little fun during an Indoor Pool SUP (stand-up paddle board) Yoga Series.

Paddle Board Yoga is about increasing focus by doing Yoga poses on a paddle board, while on water. Beginners may want to use a paddle for support to help with balance. Initially you may fall off the board a lot, but soon you'll get the hang of it. This will enhance your balance skills.

Stay dry if you can

See how long you can keep your clothes dry. You will fall in eventually. Wet clothes weigh more and make it harder to keep your balance.

Benefits

Paddle Board Yoga improves your core strength, balance, and muscle co-ordination. It releases happy hormones and improves your mood because this is great wet fun, which in turn reduces stress.

Target Audience

The adventurers, the enthusiasts, and people who strive for fun must try! Anyone who has undergone recent surgeries within the last 6 months shouldn't practise this. Caution is advised to those with chronic pain.

Clothing Tips

Light sportswear works best. Swimming costumes or speedos are not suitable. Beginners should wear long pants as they are more likely to be on their knees a lot which can lead to chafing and bruises.

paddle board yoga wet fun
hot aqua yoga wet fun


Reader Story

by Andy, on holiday in Brisbane, Australia

In the morning I often go to the Aqua Yoga at the local pool. It is a powerful workout to wake me up. The Paddle Board Yoga is the most fun. I try to keep my clothes dry for as long as possible while I stand on the wobbly board. The thrill is one doesn't know how long one can stay dry. I get quite nervous, knowing that any moment I could get soaked. The more clothes I wear, the more exciting this becomes. During the more advanced yoga poses I usually fall into the water, which releases the tension but gives more confidence.

aqua yoga wet fun
Going in and out of the water fully clothed builds strength.
aqua yoga wet fun
Once I have fallen into the water, I can relax.

Hot Pool Yoga

Hot Yoga is designed to assist with flexibility and relaxation.

Hot Yoga classes run for 90 minutes in a room heated to 41°C (105°F) with a humidity of 40%, intended to replicate the climate of India. They usually consist of 26 postures, namely 24 asanas, one pranayama (breathing exercise), and one shatkarma (a purification) in a fixed sequence.

Crank up the Heater for Hot Pool Yoga

As the name suggests, the concept is all about ways you can combine the benefits of hot water therapy with the ancient art of yoga. Some smart Aqua Yoga teachers have adapted the Hot Yoga practice to be performed in the hot and humid conditions of a teaching pool or hot tub, heated to 31-33°C (88-92°F). The reduced weight in the water makes it easier to move and reduces the load on the joints.

This is yoga reinvented. Combining a deliciously calming pool atmosphere with an optimal workout temperature to aid flexibility, Hot Pool Yoga brings together all the health benefits of yoga, but beautifully immersed in water.

Safety and Hydration

Drink lots of water to stay hydrated in the heat. Hot Pool Yoga is safe for most people, provided you drink plenty of water, but you will still need to proceed with caution when you first try it out. It’s important to remain hydrated during class as the pool temperature will increase the risk of dehydration. This will have a negative effect on your experience of Hot Pool Yoga and ability to practise it during the class.

Benefits

Heat increases and corrects blood circulation as the heart rate goes up and the body burns more calories in its efforts to stay cool while exercising.

The heat keeps the muscles supple, thus avoiding injury. A warm environment has many reported benefits such as increased muscular relaxation, which helps with flexibility and movement. The reduction in muscular tension and increase in movement can lead to a reduction in muscular or postural related pain.

Hot Pool Yoga improves lower body strength, range of joint motion in both upper and lower body, and balance. Some practitioners found benefits in glucose tolerance, bone density, blood lipids, artery stiffness, mindfulness, and "perceived stress". It also increases body awareness, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centres the nervous system.

Target Audience

People who want a vigorous, sweaty workout, and detox the body and mind. Those who suffer from lung disorders may avoid this or practice caution.

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