Improve Your Yoga Practice with Other Activities

If you know me, you know I absolutely LOVE yoga.

I also love mixing up my exercise routine by doing other things besides yoga! ;)

As the years go along, I’ve seen more and more how valuable it is to mix up my routine and to incorporate diversity of movement.

There are many complementary activities that can improve some of the skills and strengths that you need for yoga. Picking some other fitness activities will also help you to keep fit in different ways, ensuring you have a complete workout routine. There are both low-impact exercises for you to try and some more energetic activities that you might want to pair with yoga.

Here are some ideas to try.

Swimming

Swimming is a great form of low-impact exercise. It's good for anyone who needs to take care of their joints and it's good cardio exercise too. You can take swimming at whatever pace that you like, whether you want to go slowly or push yourself. Although, if you're swimming in lanes, you might be expected to keep up a certain pace out of courtesy for your fellow lane-swimmers. If you want to give your heart and lungs a good workout without it being too hard on your joints, swimming is a great pick that can benefit you in yoga too.

Martial Arts

Many of the martial arts are strongly focused on discipline and control. There's also a broad choice of martial arts that use different movements in different ways. Some of them are about learning to fight or defend yourself, but others are more about learning bodily awareness and control. Whether you choose to do Chinese kung fu, karate, muay Thai, tai chi, or capoeira, you can give your body a good workout and pick up some valuable skills. Each martial art is different and can give you a chance to learn different skills that could complement your yoga practice.

Walking and Hiking

Walking is another form of low-impact exercise that can also provide a good cardio workout if you walk at a brisk pace. And if you want to step things up a notch, you can also try hiking for a more vigorous form of exercise. Walking and hiking are great for spending time outdoors and connecting with nature. It can be a meditative thing to do too, especially if you go alone or perhaps take a friend with you and walk in silence. Make sure you stretch after you've been for a walk or hike to avoid tightness in your muscles.

Pilates

Pilates is often compared to yoga, although they aren’t the same thing. Pilates can help you build core strength and muscular endurance that will come in handy for advanced yoga poses. Different movements and teaching styles can be a great way to mix up your routine.

Which of these activities have you tried or would you try? I’d love to hear.