What is Power Yoga? Its Origination, Differences, Benefits

(Last Updated On: January 3, 2022)

Among many forms and styles of yoga today, Power Yoga is an increasingly popular style of yoga that has gained a worldwide attraction not just among yoga and spiritual communities but also fitness and athletics groups alike.

It’s overwhelming to decide which yoga to pursue as so many varieties of yogas are popping up every single day. However, the ultimate goal in each yoga is to make you fit, healthy, and stable-mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Nonetheless, the flow of different yogas is different, and this difference makes a whole new impact on your body. That’s why, wisely choosing the yoga style before starting, is the best way to get the results you are expecting.

What Exactly is Power Yoga?

Power Yoga is a high-intensity practice of yoga with a fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. Basically, it is a more fast-paced style of yoga that is focused on building strength and endurance.

This style of high-tempo yoga is like one of your geek friends who suddenly decided to stay up all night to blast the music in full volume and party. A completely different mash-up!

How Did Power Yoga Originate?

Power yoga became popular during the mid-1990s when two American yoga teachers who had studied with Ashtanga guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois began to make yoga more accessible to Western students. They also wanted to move away from the rigid Ashtanga sequence.

They had this idea of converting sequential and rigid yoga into something more flexible, fast, and fun. However, some conventional yoga teachers do not agree with power yoga as it seems to undermine the holistic and spiritual foundations of the classic forms of the practice stressing too much on physical exercise.

Difference Between Yoga and Power Yoga

The difference between yoga and power yoga is basically the speed of practice and its objective. Traditional yoga has slower moves executed with ease and awareness while maintaining a steady flow and a structured rhythm. Whereas, power yoga is basically turning the tempo up by actioning the movements much quicker, with high energy.

Moreover, the goal of yoga is to maintain the harmony between the mind, body, and soul and attain that peaceful, meditative state. While on the other hand, power yoga aims for a fitter, stronger and agile body.

Traditional Yoga

Traditional yoga focuses on the flow of movement with coordination with the rhythm of the breath. Traditional yoga focuses basically on the following key aspects:

1. Breathing
2. Calming down
3. It more of a relaxing vibe than a sweaty workout
4.  The background music is light and calming
5. Consists of meditation, tapas, and mantra chanting

Power Yoga

While power yoga is more of a sweating workout with intense changes in posture. It puts a heavy emphasis on standing postures because moving your legs gets your heart pumping and this is excellent to give you good cardio. While power yoga gives a totally different vibe and its key focus is in the following:

1. Making it more athletic, sweaty, and hot by turning up the heat.
2. Not much focus on or not at all inclined to yoga philosophy.
3. Making the practice primarily fitness and physical.
4. No Sanskrit, Aums, and Meditation
5. No more tapas, as in building heat, instead focus on “feel the burn.”
6. Adding up plyometrics, momentum, and glow sticks.

Slowly and gradually, power yoga makes a competition between you and yourself – with a competition to push yourself to break the limits up to where your body can reach. While traditional yoga is all about breaking the limits not just of the body but also of the mind. The main thing is traditional yoga is not a competition!

What are the Benefits of Power Yoga?

Power yoga is something special and does have special benefits that consist of advantages that could uplift your body to a whole new level.

1. A complete workout for your whole body
2. Helps to reduce weight in a short time
3. Makes your body flexible
4. Challenges your body to new possibilities
5. Builds up a lot of stamina and strength
6. Improves cholesterol level, decrease blood sugar level, and uplifts metabolism
7. Improves sleep
8. Improves brain function

Who Should Avoid Power Yoga?

Avoid doing power yoga if you have any of these conditions:

1. If you are pregnant
2. If  you do not have better flexibility (work out on your flexibility and then you can start power yoga, as doing this in a stiff body could cause a lot of problems)
3. If you are not feeling well
4. If you have an injury of any kind

References: bulldogonline.com | differencebetween.net