When you hear the word “yoga,” what physical image comes to mind?
Is the first thought or image a flexible pose? Maybe a VERY flexible person? Well, if you are visiting my site, I hope that one of the first thoughts that you have is in relation to how much STRENGTH it takes to practice yoga.
If you want a sustainable yoga practice, one that will last for years, you will need to build strength. Try holding any of the warrior poses for a full minute, then go to the next and hold it for a minute with good form. You will feel the burn. And if you want to do the flashier poses, like inversions and arm balances, strength will definitely be a big factor. Even something like a flip grip in lunge is going to take strength to stabilize your joints and to safely get you to an deeper end range of motion.
The physical practice of yoga helps me in all aspects of my life, from stepping up into a truck bed, to squatting down to pull weeds from my garden. (Oh my goodness, I really need to weed my garden. 😂) And it helps me to be physically ready for recreational activities like hiking. Check out my latest YouTube video.
On this hike, it was such a beautiful and relaxing day. The birds were really exuberant lol, I hope that you enjoy the sounds of their songs! I’ve been hiking with a small backpack on my shorter hikes like this since the beginning of summer and slowly adding in more weight. I can already feel the difference in my strength and endurance. It helps so much for when you are carrying a heavier pack for a longer hike, or for rock climbing.
I did a little scramble to get to the top of a beautiful lookout point for a rest before hopping around and playing on the rocks. As I was going through the pictures, I labeled this “pride rock” since it reminded me of the Lion King. (I don’t know about you, but I was obsessed with The Lion King when it came out! I had a little Simba and Nala stuffed animal set that had magnets in their noses so that they would “kiss” and it was freaking adorable.) And while I don’t mind the humidity, you can definitely tell in the video that I was pouring sweat mid-yoga. Definitely no filter or touch up happening in this video. 😂
In the spirit of yoga and strength, I have an upcoming yoga challenge on Instagram with that theme in mind. Pose line-up: plank, squat, inversion, arm balance, warrior, lunge, single legged balance, and rest day. This line up is accessible to anyone and can be incorporated into your daily practice. It runs July 1-8, and I’d love for you to join us! There are some fun movement challenges that I plan on participating in for this, like holding a squat for a minute and making shapes while inverted. While I have a personal practice that is not quite as flashy as you see here, sharing these fun bits can keep things interesting and helps to build community.
My next yoga hiking adventure will be to a waterfall. Check back for part two soon! And I’ve got another rock climbing video in the works as well, so if you enjoyed this, don’t forget to subscribe here, on IG, and on YouTube!
MoveMint Yoga 