Yoga Sculpt

My introduction to Yoga Sculpt

The yoga sculpt instructor had subbed for the vinyasa class I had been taking and told me that I would "really love" her sculpt class. So I decided to give it a go despite having never heard of this type of yoga before and assumed it was just a named designed to attract more women who desire the "toned" body. I thought it was going to be gimmicky and that I would be out one of the classes I had paid for. Obviously I was wrong because I go to the class 2/week. It fit perfectly with the challenge I was looking for after the simple hot yoga classes I had done, also my back had been feeling great.

I am going to step back a bit because I need to explain why yoga helped my back out. Yoga has you put your body in challenging poses and positions that can, depending upon the level of the challenge you want, put your limbs at a mechanical disadvantage. The greatest thing for me was that it my own body weight that was being used rather than an external weight. This allows you to push yourself to your personal limits without overestimating your abilities. I think that last part really helps with people such as myself who are not used to taking it easy or who often times make the mistake of thinking they are as strong as they used to be. It slowed me down and forced me to focus on breathing, technique, and the muscles I was using in order to make the pose as perfect as I personally could. At the time it was great for me because it got me back to working out and really help strengthen my body. I can still feel my back especially after certain workouts at the gym but it is not the constant, low level throbbing I had been feeling for months.

Now for yoga sculpt which is by no means a beginner exercise class. It is done in the hot-room, about 105°F or 40.6°C, and weights are used to enhance the postures of the vinyasa flow. I could do without the heat because it adds a level of difficulty that I find hinders my own abilities. I think that the heat can not only get in the way of an individual's athletic gains but also enjoying the class itself. That's my own humble opinion because I think the reasons for the heat are not supported by evidence. Sweating toxins out of your body isn't how your body gets rid of toxins and besides, what toxins are are never defined. Our sweat is composed of mostly water with different minerals getting in the mix. This composition does not fit the definition of toxin.

Toxin: a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation

Getting through the heat often times proves to be the most difficult aspect of the class. Some individuals handle it with ease but I find that it can sometimes get the best of me. I do like the fact I drink a lot more water than I used to because I know that I will be sweating like crazy. I would like to conduct an experiment where I weigh myself before and after the class to get an estimate of how much water I sweat out. Maybe get a few different people to do it with me and see if it is similar for men and women.

Overall I find yoga sculpt to be a great class and challenging. It was perfect for what I needed at the time and the addition of weights to the yoga really helped add more strength to my body that simple yoga was just not able to do. I plan on continuing to do the classes and to work on my balance and core strength. This will only help me get stronger in the other physical goals that I have...maybe it won't but it will be cool to see if it does.



P.S. The women are some of the most fit and attractive I have been around. The vast majority have fitness as  a central component in their lives. So if you are attracted to extremely fit, beautiful girls this class would be the place for you to go, I am engaged but it is still great scenery to be around :)

Cheers!