A Pose is Worth 10

I'm not really into Power Yoga. I don't generally take the classes and while I sometimes teach them - I'm not sure I'm great at it. In my years of yoga practice I've tried many styles of practice. I think Power Yoga is a great way for fitness junkies to get into yoga. It's also great for the kind of newbies that are concerned yoga will be boring. In Power Yoga, you don't hold poses for a long time - it's constant movement. Sometimes that's great. That's what got me started in yoga and I use that method at least a little bit almost every day.

However, in the last 10 years or so, I've learned that one really long held pose is worth 10 fast ones. It releases energy blocks and stored emotions... gives you a chance to work on your anger, frustration, patience, etc. Long holds make you stronger and more aware. They're still worth just as many sweat points and can still get your heart rate up, kick your butt, and burn calories if that's what you're looking for.

Try introducing long holds into your home practice this week. You don't have to go all out and hold things for 5 minutes just to prove that I'm crazy. If you usually hold your poses for 1 breath, try 5 breaths. If you usually hold your poses for 5 breaths, try 10 - 15. I really like holding my poses for 10 - 20 breaths. It's not boring because I get to revel in the feeling of my muscles, bones, breath, and sweat. It's not boring (and I personally think it's more helpful) because I get to spend those 20 long slow breaths fine tuning my asana and gaining muscle memory of pose "ideals". I also ride my edge which avoids the "I'm too comfortable here to be impressed" boredom.

I don't hold all my poses for a long time. Arm balances are usually a little shorter and I do more repetitions of them. I even do power yoga type sun salutations on the weekends during my morning practice. Just artfully place a few long holds into your practice to introduce yourself to them. Don't go all out and run a marathon the first day. Just try it on for size and see if it fits.