Top 5 yoga trends of 2015

Yoga_2015Dec21_AWith a new year upon us, now is a great time to reflect on 2015 from a yoga perspective. It’s been a pretty crazy year yoga-wise, with old-timers yoga and “doga” (that’s yoga for dogs) being a few of the trends to rise in popularity this year. Whether you lived them yourself or missed them altogether because you spent this year at a yoga retreat in the Himalayas, here are the top five yoga trends of 2015.

Hot barre yoga

Regular hot yoga hasn’t been ‘hot’ for a couple of years now. In 2015, however, hot barre became all the rage as more and more people started giving it a try for themselves. This more intense form of hot yoga sees participants burning up to 200 calories a session, and not to mention, sweating like crazy. The practice is likewise good for detoxing the body and giving you a deeper stretch. As we observe more yoga studios across the country offering hot barre yoga classes, it’s likely this fat-burning practice is here to stay.

Yoga pants replacing jeans

Yoga fashion has been big business for a few years now, but 2015 saw the industry take off to a whole other level. In addition to yoga tops becoming an acceptable street fashion item during the summer months, yoga pants became a wardrobe staple both inside and outside the classroom. As Business Insider reported in October, yoga pants have replaced jeans as the go-to pants for this generation, and stores like Gap and Old Navy have already released lines of yoga pants to keep up with the trend.

Couples yoga

“The couple that practices yoga together, stays together” could very much be the new saying that makes its way around yoga studios. Believe it or not, more and more couples have started attending yoga classes together in 2015, and the yoga studio has become one of the hottest date spots around. It might not be up there with Netflix and chill just yet but, if you and your partner both enjoy yoga, why not enjoy it together? And with your partner around, you have the added benefit of not having to deal with creepy-ponytail-guy asking for your phone number after class.

Yoga weight training

Another relatively new form of yoga making waves in 2015 was weight training yoga. Here you practice yoga as normal, but also add dumbbells to the mix. The result is a more intense workout that not only allows you to work on your muscles and improve strength, but can also assist you with calorie-burning and toning. While this a good way to add a challenge to your yoga routine, adding weights can also make it harder for you to focus on breathing, which can lead to you losing some of the relaxing and meditative aspects of practicing yoga.

The beach yoga photo

If you have a friend who practices yoga and they happened to make their way to a beach in 2015, chances are they posted a picture of themselves doing a yoga pose on the sand. While this wasn’t the first year that people have done this, for whatever reason it really blew up in 2015. It seems Facebook and Instagram are awash with pictures of people contorting their bodies on fine, sandy beaches. There’s no doubt that 2016 will see much of the same. If you ever find yourself vacationing on a beach, it’s likely you’ll be unable to resist the urge to snap a yoga pose of yourself.

This has been a great year for yoga, and we think 2016 will be even better. Contact us today if you have questions on these trends or want any other yoga-related information.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

5 yoga trends to look out for in 2015

Yoga_Jan30_AA new year is the perfect opportunity to try new things – including in the exercise sphere. Whether you already practise yoga but are looking for something new and different to spice it up, or you need a change to your routine and fancy something a bit different from running and lifting weights, trying out yoga with a twist could be just what your health and fitness regime needs. Take a look at these five yoga trends that are on the up as we enter 2015.

Live music yoga

Exercise should be fun, right? Though the appeal of peaceful stretches and meditative breathing exercises may have been what attracted you to yoga in the first place, there’s no harm in mixing things up. That’s just what live music yoga does – think your usual practice with a burst of hip hop, or even just a modern twist on traditional Sanskrit mantras. By changing things around and treating your yoga session almost as though it were a fun night out with your friends, rather than ‘just’ yoga or merely another fitness session, you’ll keep yourself interested and looking forward to each class even more than you already do.

Leading the pack with this trend in 2014 was Wanderlust 108, a ‘mindful triathlon’ in New York. The race itself was followed by yoga and meditation, both accompanied by live music – and this year we can expect live music yoga to crop up in even more studios. It is recognized as helping set the mood for your stretches and keep the pace during your workout while ensuring you achieve a deeper spiritual experience.

Yoga for kids

Who said yoga was only for adults? Children can make great junior yogis, and derive real benefit from regular practice, it is even said to boost academic performance. The basic principle that yoga is for everyone, and that not one of us isn’t good enough to give it a try, is as important for children as it is for their parents. Yoga can be a real confidence booster for kids, helping them to gain self-acceptance and preventing them from suffering with esteem issues. It can also keep them grounded and offer some calm when the pressures of childhood and adolescence make it feel like they are being pulled in a hundred different directions. Most of all, yoga is fun and offers the perfect opportunity for kids to be kids and have some good old-fashioned play time.

Meditation apps

Mobile apps are there to make our lives easier and, while from time to time it can feel like they are more of a distraction than anything else, they can be beneficial in the yoga and meditation arena. In much the same way as the long-standing relaxation web site donothingfor2minutes.com can help us to remember to take a break from our busy lifestyles, so apps on your phone can help you maintain a healthy life balance.

Apps like Headspace serve as a daily reminder to take out time for a daily meditation practice, while others such as Moves can also keep track of your daily movements and encourage you to get up and about rather than sitting down the whole time. Both these apps and others complement your yoga practice and allow you to make everyday technology a force for positive change in your life in 2015.

Yoga in the office

All of us who work in an office spend far too much of our time sitting around – for as much as 13 hours every day in some cases. Add to that the portion of your life that you spend sleeping, and you’re left with a sedentary lifestyle that could exacerbate existing medical conditions and which daily exercise can’t counteract alone. One solution is office yoga, and it’s a concept that a growing number of companies are buying into.

Studies have shown that bringing yoga and meditation into the workplace is a great way to encourage a healthier and more productive workforce. As well as the physical benefits, yoga offers greater focus and clarity, and helps to beat stress and anxiety. But even if your company doesn’t yet have an active program of yoga or other fitness activities, you can make 2015 the year you become more active at work, by taking regular walks, checking your posture and doing exercises and stretches at your desk.

Restorative yoga

Yoga can have a bit of a reputation for being little more than laying around doing nothing. In reality we know there’s more to it than that, and some practice can be rigorous and physically challenging. But the rise of self-care in fact means more focus on a therapeutic approach to yoga, with more time spent in restful poses and with the help of eye pillows, blankets and blocks. It’s the perfect opportunity for mental and physical repair – which we all need in this day and age of constant connectivity.

If you’re determined to make yoga a part of your lifestyle this year, contact us to try a class.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.