Flexibility is highly demanded super power as it helps you move around, up and down, back and forward, with ease. 

We all have seen how gyms and most sports work on strengthening the body, however this does not provide flexibility, on the contrary, it creates more stiffness around the body.

A great way to maintain a strong and flexible body is to practise both types of exercise, one that increases strength and one that increases flexibility.

Fortunately, Yoga works on both aspects, it strengthens the body and provides a great amount of flexibility.

How does Yoga help you with flexibility?

Two of our yoga styles offered at Hot Yoga Altea which increase your flexibility rapidly are Yin and Hot Yoga.

YIN YOGA

Yin Yoga is our slow, floor based yoga, which focuses on deep stretches.

Stretching has a great connection with the nervous system. Go to the edge of your stretch enough that the nervous system starts to warm up to the movement and gradually allows more range of motion.

Use pulling and also an awareness of how the area being stretched is connected to and affecting the rest of the body—especially the spine. 

For example, in a seated forward fold, the tendency is to fixate on the hamstrings. What happens next is grabbing shins or feet, roll back on sitting bones, and round the upper back, completely avoiding the connection between the backs of the legs and the back of the torso.

The more constructive way to do this stretch is to elevate the buttocks on a blanket or pillow to allow to roll forward on the sitting bones and gain length through the lower back. 

These adjustments in support already bring a calmness to the nervous system and allows to connect with their breathing.

There are huge shifts in range of motion from working this way, to visit the edge and relax into it, rather than trying to get beyond it.

HOT YOGA

During a Hot Yoga class there are 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, and they are performed in the Hot room, a heated yoga room at 37ºC. The postures tone and stretch your body, and the heat increases the length of the stretch range. therefore practising Hot Yoga is a complete strengthening and flexibility class.