Going with the flow... with Aqua Yoga
The benefits of Aqua Yoga are finally getting noticed.. and with good reason!
✔️ Increased Range of Motion
✔️ Low impact on Joints
✔️ Deepened Awareness to Breathing Patterns
✔️ Improved Balance
✔️ Improved Core Engagement
✔️ Stress Relief / Meditative
✔️ Pain Relief
I too had become guilty of only wanting a hot class that made me feel like I burned 800 calories as I barely had enough energy left to walk out the room. But a few years ago after a torn ACL I was forced to go back to the basics. It was humbling and at times frustrating. I didn’t receive surgery right away and had to be extra cautious and aware of my form. I found myself overcompensating with the opposite leg and knew I needed to focus more on my core for equal weight distribution.
I was living across the street from a beach and decided to start doing some balancing postures in the ocean. It was winter and the ocean was freezing which was another benefit as it helped with the pain. In only a few short weeks, I really found yoga in the water to be extremely helpful in bringing my focus back to center and in preparing me for surgery. I also noticed I was sleeping better and had an overall feeling of well being and an effortless flow state of mind the days I practiced.
Fast forward a few years and I’m living back near the beach. To be honest, I never even knew water yoga was offered as classes. It was just something I did to help with an injury and since I'll pop a pose almost anywhere, why should a pool or ocean be any different? So you can imagine my excitement when I found an actual Aqua Yoga class.
These classes have everything I love. Yoga, Water, Sun and the smell of Salty Air. It’s relaxing and friendly on the joints. But don’t let the vacation like ambience fool you. These are not “easy” classes. If practicing correctly you are using all your core muscles and exercising extreme focus. Think of it as a meditative and restorative class that you can definitely feel the next day. How great is that? You don’t even realize the amount of core work involved until you’re sore the next day. The good kind of sore. The kind of sore that lets you know you have activated parts of the muscle that haven’t been used for quite some time. The added benefit of a restful sleep could also suggest that you are activating different breathing patterns and enhancing your point of focus.
Anyone and everyone of all levels can benefit from Aqua Yoga. Will it replace my daily "land" practice? Probably not; but it definitely will enhance it by improving my core, balance, and breathing awareness.
Photo: Cindy from Island Yoga Space in Anna Maria Island, Florida. You can catch her full schedule of Aqua Yoga and Yoga on the Beach @ https://islandyogaspace.com