Exploring Strength and Flexibility in Yoga with Jules Mitchell

Can yoga build strength, or is it just about flexibility? Jules Mitchell clears up this confusion while talking with Brea Johnson on the Heart and Bones podcast. Jules Mitchell, an expert in yoga biomechanics, explains how yoga involves both strength and flexibility.

This blog provides an overview of their conversation and serves as an additional resource for those interested in learning from Jules or incorporating her insights into their personal practice. Don’t forget to listen or watch the episode to get all the great information Jules offers!

Understanding Strength in Yoga

Strength in yoga is more than just lifting weights and building muscles. Strength also involves how your body uses its muscles, how well your body parts work together, and how your connective tissues behave.

"Strength is the ability to generate force, but it also involves the nervous system's adaptations, such as coordination and motor unit recruitment," says Jules.

Jules explains that strength is not only about having big muscles. It also means your body can handle different physical challenges. This includes the nervous system's ability to use muscles well and coordinate movements to create force. She emphasizes that knowing these details helps people reach their strength goals with yoga.

"Strength encompasses various adaptations, including motor unit recruitment, coordination, and connective tissue behaviour. It's not just about how much you can lift but how your body functions as a whole," explains Jules.

Strength vs. Capacity

• Strength: Measured by the force one can produce, often in lifting weights.
• Capacity or Tolerance: The ability to withstand certain loads, like strong bones and resilient connective tissues.

Understanding these distinctions helps you appreciate the broader scope of physical fitness and movement within yoga. While strength focuses on how much force you can exert, capacity looks at how well your body can handle stress over time. This broader view allows yoga practitioners to develop a balanced approach to fitness, ensuring both immediate performance and long-term health.

Yoga and Strength Training

Yoga helps build strength by improving the nervous system, and though yoga might not replace regular strength training, it enhances body awareness and coordination, which support overall strength development.

"Yoga can support strength by improving how your body uses its muscles and coordinates movements," says Jules. "While it may not create muscle mass like traditional strength training, it plays a vital role in developing the nervous system's ability to recruit motor units and reduce co-contraction."

By combining yoga with regular strength training, you achieve a more complete fitness routine. Yoga and strength training are not mutually exclusive; both can coexist, offering unique benefits that contribute to overall fitness. Yoga improves the nervous system, making your strength training efforts more effective and balanced.

Jules explains that the central nervous system adaptations gained through yoga help in developing coordination and motor unit recruitment, which are needed for building strength. "Practicing yoga enhances your nervous system's efficiency, making your strength training work better and more balanced," she explains.

Integrating yoga with traditional strength training allows you to enjoy the holistic benefits of both practices, ensuring a well-rounded approach to fitness.

Flexibility and Mobility in Yoga

Flexibility and mobility are often confused, but Jules says we need to tell them apart for better understanding. She believes flexibility and mobility should be seen as tools for specific tasks, not as goals on their own.

"Flexibility is traditionally focused on in yoga, but it doesn't necessarily correlate with better performance or reduced injury risk," says Jules. Instead, she highlights how important it is to move well, meaning you need to have the right range of motion for certain tasks. This helps practitioners see that while being flexible is good, it's not the only thing that matters.

Jules explains that mobility can be naturally incorporated into yoga practices. "Mobility is about how well you can move within the ranges of motion required for different activities," she says. "In yoga, we naturally work on mobility by performing poses that demand a full range of motion, like reaching arms overhead or getting into a deep squat."

By focusing on the specific needs of the body and the tasks at hand, yoga practitioners can develop a more functional and practical approach to their practice. Jules stresses that understanding the difference between flexibility and mobility allows for a more holistic and effective yoga practice, tailored to individual goals and requirements.

Flexibility: Often ea focus in yoga, but doesn't always lead to better performance or fewer injuries.

Mobility: Getting the right movement for specific tasks, which can be easily included in yoga practices.

Integrating Strength and Yoga for A Holistic Approach to Well-Being

Combining yoga with other forms of exercise leads to a balanced and adaptable body. This holistic approach supports overall fitness and mental well-being.

"Yoga enhances body awareness and coordination, which are essential for strength," says Jules. By practicing yoga, individuals can improve their nervous system's ability to coordinate movements, contributing to better overall strength development.

Strength training is important for keeping muscles and staying healthy as we get older. Jules says yoga helps the nervous system, but strength training is key for building muscles and improving other tissues in the body.

This holistic approach allows practitioners to enjoy the best of both worlds. Yoga improves coordination and body awareness, making strength training efforts more effective and balanced. "By integrating yoga and strength training, you create a fitness routine that supports both immediate performance and long-term health," she explains.

Ultimately, combining yoga with strength training fosters a well-rounded approach to fitness, ensuring that both physical and mental well-being are addressed. This integration helps practitioners develop a resilient, adaptable, and balanced body, promoting overall holistic well-being.