Prism Fitness Group

Functional Fitness Equipment

3 Reasons to Take Your Yoga Practice Outside

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1. Yoga can be done anywhere.

One of yoga’s benefits is it can literally be done anywhere. Nature can enhance your yoga practice in a different way than an indoor classroom can. Whether you take it to the park, lake, mountain, beach, pool, trail, or your own backyard, you can transform a routine that’s become stagnant into an elevated experience.

2. Natural scenery can elevate your sensory experience and replenish depleted energy

Taking your workout outside can boost your self-esteem by releasing endorphins. In addition, soaking up some vitamin D from the sun has been shown to decrease the risk of depression (just remember your sunscreen!). For more information, review this study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

When surrounded by a natural setting, all your senses wake up: scent, sight, sound, and touch in addition to increased feelings of vigor and vitality. Fresh air can also make you more aware of your breathing.

By getting outside of the familiar space of the gym, you become more vulnerable to what’s going on around you. Because nature is unpredictable (hot sun, wind, bugs, ambient noise), it can force you to focus on your reactions to the changing environment and bring a heighted meditative piece to your practice.  

Connecting with nature can bring a vibrancy to your practice by simply hearing a bird song, catching the scent of nearby flowers, or feeling a breeze cool your skin.

3. The change of terrain can provide an extra challenge

Outdoor yoga can challenge you with uneven surfaces which force the body to work a little harder to stabilize. Being extra mindful of your form helps you to stay in the moment. Practicing yoga in a new environment can help you get out of a rut, and even build confidence. When you get out of your routine, it can put you in a place where you may be open to try a new pose, enhance your range of motion, or hold a little longer.  

Self-Guided SMART Mat

Our SMART Mat is a perfect tool to use for an outdoor yoga practice. It provides more cushion to surfaces such as concrete or grass. And, if you’re stuck for moves, you can rely on the self-guided silhouettes to help you put together a routine on the fly.

For a simple yoga flow routine, try a series of sun salutations.

Watch our video here:

10 Health Benefits of Yoga

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There are many types of yoga, or yoga-inspired classes you can take that have real physical benefits to your health. Give yourself time to develop the skill of the poses and moves, and have the patience to see the benefits unfold as you incorporate a regular practice into your routine.

 

  1. Improve Flexibility

Improving your flexibility is probably the most well accepted benefit of yoga. Over time, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and moves you once thought were impossible may become easier. In fact, you may notice that aches and pains start to go away. Loosening up your muscles and connective tissue helps you improve alignment which can alleviate pain and improve posture.

 

  1. Build Muscle Strength

Moving your body weight through yoga poses is a fantastic way to strength train. Strong muscles are more than just for looks; they help us with everyday tasks as well as our athletic endeavors Building strength through yoga is a great complement to the benefit of flexibility as it helps you move through full range of motion.

 

 

  1. Align Posture

Computer work, being on your phone, and driving are all everyday tasks that can hinder your posture. Poor posture can lead to back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. Yoga poses help move those muscles and joints into alignment by building on strength and flexibility over time.

 

  1. Prevent Cartilage/ Joint Damage & Improve Bone Health

During yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This type of movement can help your joints receive “fresh nutrients” and help them from wearing out. In addition, research shows that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and can help helps ward off osteoporosis.

 

 

  1. Protect Spine Health

Backbends, forward bends, and twists help keep spinal disks healthy. They are the shock absorbers in between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves and they need movement to give them a flow of much needed nutrients.

 

  1. Increase Blood Flow

Yoga gets your blood flowing and can help circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which helps your body function better as a result.

 

  1. Raise Your Heart Rate

Some yoga styles, such as fitness yoga or PiYO can get your heart rate into the aerobic range. But studies show that even yoga exercises that don’t get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning by lowering the resting heart rate and increasing overall endurance.

 

  1. Become Focused

Yoga is a great way to focus on the present and decrease stress. In fact, researchers have found that regular practice can improve coordination, reaction time, and memory.

 

 

  1. Improve Balance

Regular yoga practice can increase both proprioception (which is another term for spatial awareness) and improve balance.

 

  1. Breathe Easier

Yoga can improve lung functionality, such as the maximum volume of the breath and efficiency of exhalation. Breathing through the nose, a common technique taught in yoga classes, filters and humidifies the air, and can remove pollen and dirt.

 

Check out our SMART MAT by clicking here!

 

Stay tuned for our #WORKOUTWEDNESDAY next week as we show you a flow style sequence of “Fitness Yoga” that you can practice at home!

Get your very own self-guided SMART MAT by ordering online!

Roll. Rest. Recover. Resume.

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Roll. Rest. Recover. Resume.

 

We know. You like to push-it-to-the-limit at your workouts. We get it. But, remember, everyone needs to give their body a period of time to rest & recover. For many in the fitness world, the routine of rest and recovery now includes a new addition: foam rolling (technically known as self-myofascial release).

The general idea behind foam rolling exercises is that by applying direct loads to your muscles, you lengthen and massage the underlying tissues. The use of foam rollers for effectively reducing muscle tension is now a widely accepted fitness practice and makes it easier to resume those challenging workouts.

 

Using foam rollers can

 

  • Increase blood flow and elevate heat in the involved tissue.
  • Reduce tightness and soreness in muscles promoting proper muscle recovery
  • Increase joint range of motion (ROM), which is important before a challenging workout.
  • Promote a feeling of relaxation after a workout.

 

 

Use as a Warm-Up or Cool-Down

Foam rollers are used to reduce tension and increase muscle length for either a pre-workout warm-up or post-exercise active recovery.

According to ACE, when using a foam roller during a warm-up, be sure to use it only for a brief period of time to elevate tissue temperature and reduce tension. Applying pressure with a foam roller for an extended period could desensitize the muscle and affect its ability to contract during the workout.

 

The How-To of Foam Rolling

The first step is to locate an area of tension, and then work around the area for about 30 seconds. Use short, slow rolls to start, and follow up with longer, slower rolls over the whole length of the target muscle.

In general, foam rollers provide the greatest result when placing a muscle directly on top of the foam roller and moving back and forth to apply pressure to the underlying tissues.

“Self-Guided Foam Roller: Illustrations make it easier!

The self-guided foam roller from Prism Fitness Group is used for smart recovery and can release muscle tension before, during and after workouts. It features nine movements that are printed directly on the foam roller for easy reference. It is 2-ft long, which is wide enough to use on backs. The durable polyethylene foam is designed for moderate to heavy use while still holding its shape.

 

 

Why These Yoga Teacher Trainers Travel the World with Resistance Bands

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When Tim Ganley and Vie Binga travel the world to train new teachers in yoga and Stand Up Paddle yoga, there’s always one thing that goes into their carry-on bag… resistance bands! Their bands have traveled with them to Okinawa, Greece, Mexico, England, Costa Rica, and all over the United States.

“They are very simple to use and are light-weight,” Ganley explains. “They work the back, chest, legs, core…and we can attach them anywhere.” When Ganley says “anywhere,” he means ANYWHERE! The two have wrapped bands around fences, posts, trees, a trailer, and even their truck for a quick workout. To make the bands even more versatile, they also pack a rock climbing sling and carabineer to wrap around giant trees or objects. Door attachments come in handy for indoor use. “It just makes it very simple to work out. It’s part of our morning routine, says Ganley. “We get it done in minutes and we’re able to move on to training people.”

A few of Tim & Vie’s favorite resistance band exercises include:

  • Squat with a row
  • Forward lunges with a press
  • Alternating presses and rows
  • Rotational exercises like the parallel woodchop

Tim & Vie have gotten quite creative over the years and even use resistance bands for laundry! “We’ve used our bands to hang clothes to dry,” chuckles Ganley. “We’ll strap the bands wide and hang clothes on it.”

Cop a Squat! Malasana/Garland Pose

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Photo credit: Ask Tim and Vie
In some cultures, squatting is very common. In the United States…not so much! There are benefits to performing deep yoga squats that include lengthening and strengthening. Today we examine Malasana, also known as Garland Pose.

Helping us is Gayle Zacharia (E-RYT Yoga Alliance). “Malasana or Garland pose is a deep squat with legs spread apart about the width of a yoga mat and feet slightly splayed out,” Zacharia explains. “Elbows are pressed into the inner knees and thighs. Palms are pressed together into prayer pose (Anjuli mudra). Chest is lifted.”

If you’re not used to deep squats, this may feel really strange the first time you try! The good news is…it’s worth it. “The benefits are strengthening the feet, thighs, hips and gluteals. Incorporating a pelvic floor lift (Mula bandha) lifts and tones the organs of the pelvis including bladder and genitalia. It also aids in digestion,” says Zacharia. As if that’s not enough, this pose can help release the hips, inner thighs, and low back.

Zacharia says Garland Pose is particularly helpful for people with tight hips and psoas muscles.

People with hip and knee issues need to be especially cautious in this pose. We want to avoid joint pain in poses, and instead feel the release in the muscles and fascia. There are many options in Garland Pose. “Modifications include a wide stance but only going half way down, avoiding dropping the hips past the knees,” explains Zacharia. If heels are unable to stay on the ground, try placing a foam wedge or blanket under the heels for support.

Zacharia says alternate poses that deliver similar benefits include Goddess pose (wide squat with toes turned out and chest lifted) and Happy Baby pose.

Try Garland Pose towards the end of a workout or yoga session when the body is warm, and start enjoying the benefits today!

***Editor’s Note: Garland Pose is also a handy way to stretch out freshly laundered pants!

Hip Mobility

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We sit, stand, walk, and possibly run during our day. All these activities move our hip joints in one plane of motion… forward and backward. However, our hip joints can do so much more! Include exercises and planes of motion in your workout routine to keep hips healthy, mobile, and strong!

The hip is a ball and socket joint that can move in three planes of movement:

  1. Sagittal plane – flexion and extension (moving leg forward and backward)
  2. Frontal plane – abduction and adduction (lifting leg to side and bringing back to center)
  3. Transverse plane – internal and external rotation

Exercise the hips using the Smart Hurdles. Don’t worry… you don’t need to be a track star to use these hurdles! Step over them, squat low under them, or stand next to the hurdles and circle the leg over them. Check out this Prism Fitness video to see hurdle hip exercises in action!

Foam rolling is another way to keep hip joints moving freely. Studies have indicated short bouts (1 session for 30 seconds) of foam rolling can be done to help increase joint range of motion (ROM). Foam rolling for longer periods after exercise has been shown to help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

The Smart Foam Roller has exercises printed on the fabric cover so there’s no guesswork involved! To target the hip flexors, lay face down on the roller supporting body weight with the arms (as shown on the Smart Foam Roller for foam rolling the quads). Turn the body slightly to target tight areas of the hip flexors. It may also help to bend the opposite knee for support.

Try incorporating hurdles and foam rolling for mobile and healthy hips!

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