Ricardo Thomas / The Detroit News
Angie Kielar leads her yoga classes through a series of movements at Fitness Rx in West Bloomfield Township.  |
Yoga stretches out
More choices, combinations emerge to meet a wide variety of health goals
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Many fitness trends peak before being quickly replaced. Not yoga. It’s either still peaking, or it’s a lot more than a trend.
Any way you look at it, the blitz continues.
The ancient practice, with all its modern twists, is more popular than ever in the United States. According to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, yoga participation in clubs alone reached 1.8 million in 2002 — a 5 percent increase from the year before, and a 350 percent jump from 1998. Yoga studios also blanket nearly every community with dozens in Metro Detroit. Devotees wax on.
“I’ve been practicing yoga at a studio for about three months, and I’m obsessed with it!” says Deborah Rhodes, 34, who takes yoga three times a week at Fitness RX in West Bloomfield Township. “It’s tremendous how much it calms me down, and it gives me more energy and flexibility. I feel like, ‘Why didn’t I get into this years ago,’ ” says the Detroit resident.
Rhodes is enjoying a basics beginner course (she did a video at home before signing up with Fitness Rx). But yoga’s popularity has spawned many variations. It not only includes the traditional Asthanga, Kundalini or Bikram, but also yoga for expectant moms, kids, people who want to lose weight and more.
Around the country, there’s Disco Yoga, Smoga (for smokers) and blends such as Boga (boxing and yoga). Maybe all these haven’t reached Metro Detroit, but here’s a sampling of what’s available. Most instructors insist that a good approach to yoga is to mix it up and try different kinds. While some may scoff at certain offshoots, one or more here may inspire the curious to strike a pose (and maybe discover yoga’s deeper dimensions).
* Yoga for back pain. Any yoga can help strengthen your back, but many places have classes that pay special attention to maintaining the health of your spine and back muscles. “Many people take this class because their doctor or their physical therapist recommended it,” says Linda Makowski, who owns Namaste Yoga in Royal Oak. “There are also older people, as well as those who sit at a desk all day and have tightness in their backs. The postures are geared toward relieving some of the tension, stress and pain in your lower back, and strengthening those muscles,” she says. “It’s also just a good place for beginners.”
* Yoga for weight loss. When it comes to weight loss, a high-energy yoga class will burn many calories. But yoga instructors also say that any yoga practice teaches you to listen to your body, so you’re less likely to overeat. “We give information about eating awareness, such as taking time out to eat a quiet meal,” says Angie Kielar, the owner of Fitness Rx. “Also, if you’re overweight, you might not be comfortable going into a regular class.”
* Prenatal yoga. Often, yoga is about being with like-minded people. In this case, mommies-to-be have an opportunity to go through gentle poses together.
“When the pregnant women get in the studio together, it’s like nobody else is there,” says Makowski, who also teaches classes at Namaste. “They discuss what’s happening and how it feels. So it not only encourages getting a little exercise while you’re pregnant, and hopefully making labor and delivery a little easier, but there’s the community.”
In a prenatal class, breathing and relaxation are often the focus. “There are a lot of moves pregnant women can’t do in a regular class after a while,” says Kielar, who teaches at Fitness Rx. “A lot of the women who take the class are in their final term.”
* Yoga with your toddler. Can’t find time away from the kids to work out? Bring your baby to class. “The postures are to get moms back into the practice and rediscover their bodies. Babies either crawl around or they might lie on your tummy while you’re doing ab work or in shivasana (a position where you lie on your back and relax). “It’s a little chaotic in there at times, but it’s fun,” Makowski says.
* Family yoga. At some studios, adults and kids twist, bend and breathe together. “We’re finding that the trend is more toward, ‘What can we do as a family?’ ” Kielar says. “It’s an opportunity for parents and kids to do something together.” The class goes through very basic postures, she says, with kids as young as 3 and as old as 12. “Last week, we had a woman with five kids come in and they had a ball.”
* Yoga for teens. Kids go at it alone here. You can drop them off for what’s usually a 45-minute session and then pick them up (when you’re all hopefully much calmer).
* Yoga with weights. Students use 5- to 10-pound weights while going through poses. “This helps build muscle, while strengthening tendons, ligaments and joints,” says Anton Simper, co-owner of Full Spectrum Training in Royal Oak.
* Yoga with pilates. The fusion trend has spilled over into fitness with hybrid classes such as this one. “Beginners to either discipline would love a class where yoga is fused with pilates,” Kielar says. “Pilates by itself can be quite challenging. Mixing in yoga makes it more comfortable.” Of course, you also get the benefit of the two disciplines: the mind-body workout of yoga and the core moves of pilates.
* Yoga with meditation. This is usually a basic yoga class followed by at least 15 minutes of silent meditation. “Working with the breath through the different asanas is a natural flow into meditation,” Makowski says. “It’s ideal for those who want to spend extra time meditating in a group setting, which is very powerful. We offer this on Sunday nights when people are usually frazzled about Monday so they can get their week off to good start.”
* Restorative yoga. If your goal is to relax, this is a nondemanding yoga where you come into comforting postures. This class is more like an easy stretch.
* Moonlight yoga. This is a gentle basic yoga taught at night. Some studios and gyms set the mood with candlelight. “We just have the light coming in through the windows,” Makowski says. “It’s a really quiet practice. For example, you might put your legs up against the wall and just let everything kind of drain out them at the end of the day. We also work on the back, shoulders and neck.”
* Design your own yoga. Some studios will work one-on-one with people with injuries or special needs (check with your doctor first). At Karma Yoga in Bloomfield Township, for example, Lynn Medow runs Yoga By Design, in which she creates individualized routines. She works with a lot of people who have minor injuries as well as those who want to improve in a sport.
A recent knee injury brought Bloomfield Hills resident Chris Darin, 40, a distance runner for more than 20 years, to Medow’s classes. “Her sessions focused on alignment, breathing and an orientation to Ashtanga, and after a month, my knee was back to normal and my running is stronger than ever.”
Medow also will design a program for people who want to lose weight. And some psychologists even refer patients to her as an adjunct to therapy. “These are folks who are holding tension in their bodies,” Medow says. “They may not be able to figure out what’s bothering them emotionally so they need to let it go physically. They pay attention to what comes up when they’re on the mat, and they take any information they have gained in the session back to the therapist.”
In addition to offering basics classes, many studios offer these different types of yoga. Ashtanga and Vinyasa also can be found in some gyms.
* Asthanga yoga. This is a vigorous form of yoga with an established series of postures that last for 90 minutes. This is for the more seasoned yoga student who wants a challenging workout. “If you’re new to yoga, we wouldn’t recommend starting here,” Makowski says. “It’s pretty demanding so you might get discouraged. The fundamentals of yoga are easier absorbed in a basic class.” Some studios, such as Namaste, have an Ashtanga-mix type class, which is a beginner Ashtanga class that goes a bit slower.
* Vinyasa. This is the short-form version of the primary series of Asthanga. Unlike Ashtanga, Vinyasa doesn’t have a set flow. “It’s more challenging than a basics class but not as challenging as Asthanga,” Kielar says. Some places offer Vinyasa mixed with chanting and readings.
* Mysore. Named after a town in India, this type of yoga is typically for those who are familiar with Ashtanga and who want to do the poses at their own pace. A teacher goes around to guide and answer questions. This class is traditionally held early in the morning and can last up to two hours once the whole series is learned.
* Anusara. The instructor really leads the class here, since the emphasis is on biomechanics. “This class is a little more technical,” says Katherine Lucas, owner of Karma Yoga. “It’s a great class that teaches you how to do the poses correctly so you don’t get hurt. Everyone should take this class at some point. It totally changed my practice.”
Anna Roufos is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer.