Is slow yoga good yoga?

I practiced at home tonight. I did about 45 minutes of a very slow yoga practice. I hardly broke a sweat. Are you conditioned to determining the quality of your workouts by how much you sweat?

My yoga training was done in a studio where the room is heated to over 90 degrees. The style of yoga that I teach and enjoy doing is a very athletic style. Any ninety minute class will give you a true workout from head to toe. But sometimes, it's just not possible to do the full ninety minute flow. And sometimes, you can't get to a studio where the room is heated. So, I suppose you make do with what you have.

One of my yoga teachers used to say that it's better to do a little bit of yoga regularly, than a lot of yoga infrequently. He often handed out this explanation to students who asked him the age old question: " How often should you practice yoga and what if you don't have 90 minutes a day?" I thought of his answer tonight because all I could muster was about 45 minutes of slow yoga done in a room where I had a little space heater blasting at my feet just to try to get a sense of some warmth going.

All and all, it comes down to finding what works for you. I find that sometimes I place too much value on the intensity of the workout instead of just the mere fact that I'm exercising and moving my body in any way, shape or form. Honestly, not everyone can even say that. So, tonight, I am simply grateful for the fact that I did some yoga, moved my body and breath and was able to shift my energy at least a little.

Be well.