Power yoga has taken the age old trend to a new level that Americans love
By Morgan Kelly Despite its image as a purely meditative and low-intensity practice, yoga is not as easy as it looks. For the average high-paced, high-stressed American in particular, yoga poses the utmost challenge by making you slow down. However, with the rise in trends like Power yoga and Vinyasa yoga, it seems that Americans are beginning to find a happy medium. What it is Under the Hatha yoga branch, which is the most common form of yoga practiced in the West, Vinyasa yoga is a style that focuses on breath and movement working synonymously. Power yoga is derived from Vinyasa style. Vinyasa yoga has certain key attributes that set it apart from other styles: Often practiced in a heated room, Power yoga, which uses the Vinyasa flow, keeps students engaged and moving at all times. Why it's working Instructor Sue Lynch, owner of Charlestown Yoga, said that by raising your heart rate and working through each pose, Power yoga often leads people into calming down in a unique way. "A lot of folks cannot quiet the mind unless they are moving fast," said Lynch, "and that's when they start to slow down in the mind if they are going through their poses quickly and that's really the benefit of a Power class or a Vinyasa class." Many students who want to get a great workout oftentimes miss out on the true philosophy behind yoga, Lynch said. "I don't believe that pain is the way to practice yoga," she said. "I think that it's important to challenge the body and go to the edge but once you go beyond the edge and you're panting, it's not yoga anymore." The more challenging and intense it becomes to maintain the poses, the more important it is for the student to focus on the breath, said Ray Mucci, who is a yoga instructor at Prana Power Yoga in Cambridge. "When you breathe deep into that intensity all of a sudden you start to realize that you can relax even though it's hard," he said. " Even though it feels intense, you start to feel your body let go despite that intensity." Laura Meloney, 26, has been practicing Power Vinyasa yoga regularly for three years. Meloney, who is a former athlete and a runner, said that the yoga's focus on breathing makes it unlike any other fitness regimen. "Moving from one posture to another complemented by breathing techniques really tunes you into what your body is offering," she said. "But it is entirely dependent on how you show up, how you remove your body from that mental chatter, how your attitude can influence your experience and how the body feels in that moment." For Meloney, the art of breathing has transitioned into her daily life as well. "I feel that making time to consciously breathe enables me to experience from moment to moment," Meloney said. "Yoga has really brought me into the now." In addition to feeling more at ease mentally, Meloney credits her regular yoga practice for a life with less pain, less injury and more energy . A great supplemental exercise Personal trainer Will Gibson, club manager of the Beacon Hill Athletic Club, said people are looking for different things when they exercise, but that yoga can always be an effective addition. "Yoga is a great supplement for people doing a lot of strength training," Gibson said, "and it's a fantastic primary exercise for people that are just looking for mental health, overall health and overall well-being." However, he said there is one thing that won't be found practicing yoga. "You're not going to do yoga to get big strong muscles," he said."You're going to do yoga to relieve stress, to increase your flexibility and to tighten and tone and to complement everything you're doing." Experts agree that for flexibility, cardio health and toning, Power yoga has proven to be an effective tool whether you add it to your regular fitness routine or see it as your primary fitness regime.
Breathe in and slow down
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