Is Yoga A Form of Cross-Training?

• February 15, 2024
• By Megan Graf

Is Yoga A Form of Cross-Training?

Cross-training is a term many of us have heard, but not all of us may have experienced first-hand. Cross-training is simply pairing a variety of different exercises together to develop different muscle groups. The goal is to incorporate different types of movements to create a well-balanced routine and for improved athletic performance and ease in day-to-day movements.

You may be wondering, is yoga a form of cross-training? Yoga is an excellent form of cross-training. It affects the body in many ways that other forms of exercise do not. The benefits of yoga as cross-training include positive impacts on the nervous system to reduce stress, improves performance in everyday movements and athletic training, reduces injury risk, promotes recovery, and enhances presence and body awareness.

The Emotional Benefits of Yoga as Cross-Training

Promotes Relaxation of the Nervous System 

One of the benefits of yoga is that it’s a form of cross-training that reduces stress levels by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and decreasing cortisol levels.

The nervous system is highly affected by exercise. Yoga relaxes the muscles, allows blood to flow more freely, and delivers higher oxygen levels to the muscles. More oxygen in the muscles allows them to recover from stress and to prepare to create more energy for the next round of movement. The breath focus of a yoga practice stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. In other words, it turns off the stress of the fight or flight response that we spend so much of our time living in. 

Yoga helps to reduce our stress inside and outside the body. Cortisol levels decrease when we slow down and breathe deeply, allowing us to soak up all the benefits of the movements we create. Yoga provides a chance for us to remember that slow is a pace, and a valuable one, for us to move within. Eighty-six percent of practitioners report decreased stress and increased mental wellness and clarity. There is also an increase in self-compassion that is formed during yoga practices, and this allows for stress levels to decrease as well.

Traditional cardiovascular exercise and weightlifting puts stress on the body. Cortisol levels can increase causing stress levels to rise. Although cortisol is important for functioning, when these levels become too high, there may be an increase in cravings for unhealthy foods and storage of fat within the body, often leading to weight gain.

The Physical Benefits of Yoga as Cross-Training

Improves Athletic Performance with Low Impact Strength Training

Body weight exercises and long holds typically used in yoga practices build strength and stability in our muscles and joints and can do so just as effectively as heavier weights. High-impact activities lead to impressive results, but so do low-impact activities. Yoga is an incredible form of low-impact strength training to build muscle and 77% of yogis report feeling stronger due to their practice.

Yoga also decreases muscle fatigue and works muscles that other movements do not. The benefits of yoga as cross-training is that its about creating balance working multiple muscle groups such as the triceps, biceps, hamstrings, and quadriceps rather than picking just one group to target. The more varied the postures included in your practice, the more muscles you will kick into gear. Not only useful during our practice, these skill transfers over to other activities, like running, swimming, or playing soccer. 

These little muscles are so vital to creating the strength needed for solid form as we go about our training. Yet, they are muscles that traditional strengthening movements often completely ignore. Traditional strength training may lead to a faster and higher level of overall body fat loss, but the stretching found in yoga increases our post-lifting power by up to 30% for future sessions. There is certainly a case to be made for the response the body has to a quick-paced vinyasa flow and its effects on stamina. 

There are many styles of yoga that one can choose from, and they all lead to different results. A hot, vinyasa, or power practice will increase stamina and calorie burn, restorative or gentle practices speed recovery and create body balance. 

An individual with the ability to control their breath is ahead of the game. They are physically and mentally prepared to face the task ahead while possessing a calmer body. Control of the breath and presence can lead to better performance in strength and endurance activities. During yoga when you tune into your breath during your practice, you are better able to sustain the posture and lift and fold into movements. The same things apply to strength training or running. When the breath is used appropriately and controlled significant increases in performance take place. 

Promotes Recovery of Muscles 

For many athletes, the benefits of yoga as cross-training is that it is a practice that was originally begun to promote active recovery and to decrease injury risk. Yoga allows the athlete to feel like they are getting a high-quality workout in while increasing the rate of recovery and decreasing the output of stress hormones. This is done by engaging the rest and repair systems which promote a more efficient recovery. Think about it like your car. You would not just drive and drive and drive and not get the oil changed or tires rotated. That little refresh keeps your car working better and for longer. The same is true for the body. 

Fatigue is not something we like to experience as it can travel through the entire body. When we only train and do not recover, we may experience high cortisol levels which lead to chronic fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, decreased immune system function, and lack of motivation. A constant fight or flight response that eventually, instead of improving performance, begins to hinder it and increases the risk of injury at the same time. Yoga allows for improved breathing and oxygen utilization to decrease fatigue. Yoga also improves the ability of stabilizing muscles to function.

Builds Flexibility with Daily Movements

Yoga is not only beneficial from an athletic standpoint but also for movement throughout day-to-day life. Grip strength, for example, is not something that we think about readily, but it is improved by yoga and makes an enormous difference in performing everyday tasks. 

Yoga may improve mobility and flexibility as well as posture. When the body is better aligned as we move throughout our regular day, the entire system feels and functions better. 

Want to get down on the floor to play with your children or grandchildren more easily? Want to bend over and pick that thing you dropped back up? Looking to reach those middle-of-the-back type places when in the shower? You guessed it, yoga is your friend.

Promotes Body Awareness

An increase in body awareness is of a value that might be beyond measure. The difference in how we move, respond, react, and function that occurs when we discover how to pay attention to what movements feel like in our bodies is gigantic. That feeling of accomplishment when you find yourself in a posture you have been working towards achieving is so rewarding. 

Yoga teaches you how to make those tiny, yet life-altering, micro-adjustments in your postures. All because you are tuned into what is happening in your body enough for them to register. When we pay attention to our bodies, we can discover so much about ourselves. 

Yoga increases this ability, which in turn allows us to be the one to determine what feels good, when to push, when to pull back, and how to transfer these skills to the weight room, track, gym, or field. We also become better able to make quick adjustments and corrections as our coach or trainer speaks to us. And often, we become able to notice when and where those corrections should take place for ourselves, sometimes even before the coach makes it to us.

The benefit of yoga as cross-training is that you can easily incorporate it into your daily routine by subscribing to Holy Yoga TV+ for on-demand programs including the Weights Training Program!

Holy Yoga TV+ adds has a variety of programs ready for you to explore in the convenience of your own home. Stay tuned for all the new content that will be launched throughout the year!