109 | Can You Improve Your Yoga Practice While Building Strength?

Is Yoga your only form of exercise? Wondering what only Yoga may not be enough? Fear you will lose flexibility from strength training? Jenni & Travis break down strength training, through the context of Yoga, and provide insight into why movement variety is important. They explain their respective drivers to their passion in promoting strength training through the Yoga practice. They unveil the Yogi advantage to already having the range of motion to build true strength and the ease in coaching Yogis as they have analogous movement patterns to strength-based exercises and base-level understanding through movement. As lovers of Yoga themselves, they empathize with the reluctance Yogis feel with fewer practices, but recognize the profound effects strength training has on flexibility, susceptibility to injury, and performance in the Yoga practice itself.  Move more optimally, through your favorite Yoga practice, more safely, and with strength with Jenni & Travis! We also mention a $20 discount Jenni and Travis’s Strength for Yogis Guide throughout the episode. To learn how you can balance out your yoga practice with yoga-inspired strength training and strength training fundamentals, use code ‘OPTIMAL20’ at checkout! Click here: https://www.strengthforyoga.com/ What You Will Learn In This Interview with Jenni Rawling & Travis Pollen: 2:40 – What drives Jenni & Travis. 7:12 – Types of Yoga. 12:58 – Yoga, injury, Endurance. 17:36 – Taking strength training progressions to your mat. 22:21 – Myths around Strength vs Flexibility. 26:43 – Ease in coaching strength for Yogis. 28:00 – Mapping Yoga poses with Strength Exercises. 32:48  – How to balance strength training with Yoga. 37:50  – What to do if the weight room or time is a barrier. 41:12  – Learn more with Jenni & Travis. About Jenni Rawling & Travis Pollen: Jenni Rawlings has completed a wealth of training and learning in the fields of yoga, anatomy, and movement science. She writes regularly for Yoga International and for her own body geek-focused yoga website, where she also offers science-based yoga classes and continuing education courses for yogis. Travis Pollen is an author, personal trainer, and Ph.D. in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. His research focuses on core stability, movement screening, training load, and injury risk appraisal. He also holds a master’s degree in Biomechanics and Movement Science along with an American record in Paralympic swimming. Items mentioned in this episode include: Strength For Yoga Guide: https://www.strengthforyoga.com/ Jenni Rawling’s Website: https://jennirawlings.com/ Travis Pollen’s Website: https://travispollen.com/ To learn more about Jenni & Travis and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://www.docjenfit.com/podcast/episode109/ Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tobpodcast/message