Yoga might be all about a striking a harmony between your mind and body, but it’s not always that easy to hold the yoga asana poses for too long when your joints are whining and muscles are quivering! Spreading out your yoga mats in the water, however, is an entirely different story. This is the latest trend in the fitness world which is fast catching up in the city as well.
This new and effective workout regime adapts traditional yoga postures in the water. “In aqua yoga, the practitioner feels weightless due to the buoyancy force of water,” says yoga instructor Mahua Deb, who conducted the first aqua yoga session at Hotel Novotel’s Infinity Pool on Friday. Organised by Moxsha Yoga in association with Starlite Nutrition and Fitness Centre, the session drew many fitness enthusiasts.
Therapeutic
The most beneficial part of aqua yoga is its therapeutic effect on the mind and body as it provides natural resistance, with no harmful impact on the joints “Aqua yoga can be particularly therapeutic to stroke and cancer survivors, pregnant women, those with arthritis, muscle, back or joint limitations or pain as in water the same yoga postures bear less impact on the muscles.
Those who are overweight, also can start with aqua yoga as that will not be much taxing on their joints to begin with,” Mahua explains. An aqua workout is power packed and burns approximately 800 to 1000 calories in an hour.
In the beginner’s session, only the standing asanas are practiced in aqua yoga under trained instructor. In the next level, the sitting asanas are done with proper breath monitoring. “Some of the traditional yoga poses can be modified for doing them in water,” she adds.
Some basic water safety should be followed and new participants should be taken into only chest deep water. “Even learning to balance in water on both legs of single leg is more fun because while doing so if you fall, you won’t get hurt,” says Mahua, who has been practising yoga from the past two decades.
She practices yoga every morning at sunrise and also does kriyas or cleansing techniques regularly. Apart from being a hatha and ashtang yoga instructor, Mahua is also a good swimmer, which led her to introduce the aqua form of yoga in her classes. “Yoga has helped me control my emotions better. I am a better, healthier and balanced person due to yoga. Additionally, aqua yoga has helped me to go into a meditative state more easily,” says the yoga instructor.
This new and effective workout regime adapts traditional yoga postures in the water. “In aqua yoga, the practitioner feels weightless due to the buoyancy force of water,” says yoga instructor Mahua Deb, who conducted the first aqua yoga session at Hotel Novotel’s Infinity Pool on Friday. Organised by Moxsha Yoga in association with Starlite Nutrition and Fitness Centre, the session drew many fitness enthusiasts.
Therapeutic
The most beneficial part of aqua yoga is its therapeutic effect on the mind and body as it provides natural resistance, with no harmful impact on the joints “Aqua yoga can be particularly therapeutic to stroke and cancer survivors, pregnant women, those with arthritis, muscle, back or joint limitations or pain as in water the same yoga postures bear less impact on the muscles.
Those who are overweight, also can start with aqua yoga as that will not be much taxing on their joints to begin with,” Mahua explains. An aqua workout is power packed and burns approximately 800 to 1000 calories in an hour.
In the beginner’s session, only the standing asanas are practiced in aqua yoga under trained instructor. In the next level, the sitting asanas are done with proper breath monitoring. “Some of the traditional yoga poses can be modified for doing them in water,” she adds.
Some basic water safety should be followed and new participants should be taken into only chest deep water. “Even learning to balance in water on both legs of single leg is more fun because while doing so if you fall, you won’t get hurt,” says Mahua, who has been practising yoga from the past two decades.
She practices yoga every morning at sunrise and also does kriyas or cleansing techniques regularly. Apart from being a hatha and ashtang yoga instructor, Mahua is also a good swimmer, which led her to introduce the aqua form of yoga in her classes. “Yoga has helped me control my emotions better. I am a better, healthier and balanced person due to yoga. Additionally, aqua yoga has helped me to go into a meditative state more easily,” says the yoga instructor.