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Can yoga keep you physically fit? It is completely dependent upon what your physical goals are. For example, I started practicing yoga when I lived in Thailand. I trained as a kickboxer and they gave special offers to various classes that we could attend. Because Muay Thai is a very demanding and brutal sport, I decided this would help me relax after a workout.

The first thing about physical fitness is that there are multiple energy pathways. Let's just keep things very basic. The first pathway is the anaerobic pathway. These are muscle contractions that last only five to eight seconds and require no outside support. After this, your body hits the glycolytic phase, which lasts up until about two minutes. If you sprint heavily, you'll feel this energy pathway being used. The final energy pathway is the aerobic energy pathway, which is what happens when lactic acid and oxygen start combining to recycle more energy.

Of these, which could yoga call itself? None. It does not pose any significant exertion on the muscular system like lifting weights or calisthenics. The only type of motion here is isometric, you maintain the same pose. This trains your neurons to strengthen in that position, but it does not translate into dynamic strength. This is why isometric training fell out of vogue years ago. Yoga is clearly not glycolytic, and while it does increase your heart rate and breathing some, it certainly can't compare to a good run. I can do yoga for an hour after a three hour training session, I can't say the same with a run.

However, all this should not discourage the healthy things that yoga does promote. The first is coordination. Coordinated movements have been shown to increase your sexual appeal, (and who can argue with that?), and also prevents many of the leading injuries in the elderly. Second, it increases your range of motion. If you lift weights or engage in any form of ballistic training, a limited range of motion can cause injuries like muscle pulls, spasms, and cramps. Third, it reduces stress. The meditation and breathing exercises in yoga have been shown to reduce stress. This reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other common killers.

So, while yoga certainly has many merits in and of itself, it should not be considered a complete system by most people. Of course, this depends on what your particular fitness goals are. Obviously, a competitive Thai fighter will have a different perspective on what "physical fitness" means than a 30 year old mom.

Learn more about this author, Michael Soileau.
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