Urban yoga to explore your city in a sporty way!

The concept of urban yoga

In a fast-paced daily life, it is difficult to find quiet time, which is nevertheless necessary to rest your body and mind. If you prefer outdoor activities, try urban yoga which adapts to any lifestyle!  

The origins

Urban yoga showed its first signs at the beginning of the 20th century, in India and other Asian countries. For good reason, large cities have begun to become economic and cultural centers. So, yoga as an outdoor activity appeared as a solution for de-stress, loosen et meet the needs of city dwellers. 

The rise of urban yoga in urban areas was triggered by the globalization and the search for well-being within stressful societies. Over time, yoga teachers have introduced modern elements like music, apps and online videos to guide and attract people who want to take up urban yoga. In addition, thanks to Amiena Zylla, urban yoga has become trendy thanks to her book “urban yoga”, ISBN-10, publisher Medicis. For more details, head to a merchant site. But, there are other books on this subject. 

The practice of yoga

In addition, urban yoga can be practiced outdoors, in a studio or even in a skate park. The most important thing is to have or be surrounded by street furniture such as walls, a bench or steps.

How does urban yoga work? 

Urban yoga stands out as a powerful way to cultivate presence and mindfulness so that citizens can find a emotional balance and an inner peace. But for this to happen, urban yoga relies on several principles. 

Presence and mindfulness

This is one of the fundamentals of urban yoga. It's about becoming fully aware of the present moment. Urban yoga teaches you about yourself detach of yours obligations and your concerns. Concerning presence, it is essentially done through the physical practice of asanas. By focusing on each posture and each movement, you develop heightened awareness in the present moment to help you release accumulated tensions. 

Also, the practice of urban yoga involves the breathing. Indeed, it is important to pay particular attention to your breathing in order to regulate it, calm your mind and to motivate a space of inner peace. 

Additionally, urban yoga teaches you to witness your thoughts and emotions without judgment so you can develop a better understanding of yourself. Then meditation is used to observe your thoughts and emotions.

Adaptability

One of the biggest challenges faced by city dwellers is the irregular schedule. For this reason, urban yoga is an activity flexible. In fact, it adapts to any type of schedule. You can practice early in the morning, during your lunch break or even at the end of the evening. Also, one of the advantages is that urban yoga classes have a reduced duration in order to maximize efficiency practice in a short time. 

Adaptability also means that you can do it anywhere, whether at home, in the office or in a park. Also, urban yoga focuses on your needs to best meet them. That is, you can focus on specific aspects like muscle strengthening, meditation or flexibility. 

Connectivity

Urban yoga encourages creating a community. Indeed, it is possible to hold group classes, workshops and gatherings. They are also opportunities to meet people who share the same passion. Plus, by practicing together, you can support each other and share tips. And it's also the time to deepen your knowledge of yoga.  

Stress management

City life can be demanding. Especially with busy schedules, social pressures and professional travel. This pile of stress can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health. But urban yoga with its specific techniques helps you relieve this weight. 

Through meditation, you can forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and refocus on the present moment. Also, asanas are an excellent way to release body tension. Finally, mindfulness allows you to better understand what is the source of your stress and to develop strategies to soothe it. 

Balance between body and mind

Urban living exposes you to a constant flow of information. This can lead to an imbalance between body and mind. Indeed, many citizens prioritize performance, productivity and efficiency to the detriment of their physical and mental well-being. Thus, urban yoga proposes to restore balance thanks to asanas which develop flexibility, endurance and strength to maintain the health of your body. 

But it is also by meditation and the mindfulness that mental balance is restored. Also through stress management techniques such as relaxation and breathing which helps soothe the nervous system and promotes a state of inner calm. 

Postures conducive to the urban environment

Urban yoga has been able to adapt to the city lifestyle which is also valid for asanas. We will explore the key postures of urban yoga and see how they contribute to the serenity of city dwellers amid the hustle and bustle of cities. 

Mountain posture

The mountain pose is one of the fundamental positions of urban yoga, but also ofaqua yoga. Indeed, it serves as a basis for many other postures and offers a multitude of benefits such asimproved posture, muscle strengthening, better concentration and stability. To benefit from these benefits, you must perform the posture correctly and this is what we will see right away. 

Performing the posture

To correctly reproduce the posture, stand with your feet together, slightly hip-width apart. Continue by distributing your weight across your feet. Let your arms hang at your sides, palms facing forward. Next, stretch your spine as you straighten, relax your shoulders, and pull your chin back so that it is in line with your neck and spine. After which, you can gently tighten your leg muscles, contracting your quadriceps and tense your core muscles. Then, breathe deeply and regularly, concentrate on a fixed point, stay in this posture for 30 seconds and finish by relaxing your muscles. 

Tree pose

Tree pose is a good position because it allows you to regain balance, have better concentration and have good physical and mental stability. 

To practice it, stand with your feet together and your arms alongside your body. Next, shift your weight to the left foot while bending your knee slightly. Continue by lifting your right foot off the ground and placing the sole of your right foot on your left inner thigh. Afterwards, engage your abdominal muscles by straightening your spine, bring your hands back to prayer position, close to your chest and breathe regularly and deeply. Stay like this for 30 seconds. 

Bridge posture 

Bridge posture provides a perfect balance between muscle strengthening and stretching. Which makes it an ideal posture for those looking for mental and physical stability in an urban environment. Additionally, it is effective if you are looking to improve your blood circulation and reduce your stress. If you are an anxious person, this posture will do you the greatest good and anti-stress yoga Also.

To reproduce the pose, start by lying on your back with your arms at your sides and your palms facing down. Slowly raise your pelvis by contracting your glutes, abs and thigh muscles. Next, raise your pelvis as high as possible to form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Then breathe deeply and regularly and hold the pose for 30 seconds.  

Warrior pose 

The warrior pose embodies strength, determination and stability, perfect for city dwellers who wish to overcome challenges and constraints. In addition, it brings you advantages such as muscle strengthening, improved stability and stretching of the hips and shoulders. Moreover, the warrior posture comes in 3 ways and is one of the yoga poses for beginners. 

Stand with your feet together and take a large step back with your right leg, leaving your foot turned slightly outward. Bend your left leg. Next, raise your arms to shoulder level, palms facing the floor with gaze toward the fingers of your left hand. Then, breathe deeply and regularly and hold the posture for 30 seconds. 

The benefits

Urban yoga has many benefits for those who want to escape city life for a moment, here they are: 

• Stress reduction

• Improved mobility and flexibility 

• Muscle strengthening

• Improved concentration and mental clarity

• Promotes better energy

The essentials of urban yoga

Urban yoga was democratized by Amiena Zylla. The goal ? Relax city dwellers from the hectic lifestyle of big cities to help them discover well-being and serenity. Furthermore, urban yoga can be done anywhere, preferably outside so that you can do exercises with the help of objects in the city. 

We have seen that urban yoga is based on 5 principles so that you can access deep well-being: 

• Presence and mindfulness

• Adaptability

• Connectivity

• Stress management

• Balance between body and mind

Positions to know and its benefits

Then we explained how to make some key postures of this type of yoga as well as their benefits. Here are the positions to remember: 

• Mountain posture

• Tree pose

• Bridge posture 

• Warrior pose 

Finally, here are the profits What you can get from urban yoga: 

• Stress reduction

• Improved mobility and flexibility 

• Muscle strengthening

• Improved concentration and mental clarity

• Promotes better energy

Be relaxed at POSES

Want to bring a touch of relaxation to your urban life? POSES invites you to approach yoga gently with s50 minute sessions where you will delicately perform transitions, movements et postures which will do your body good. Take the opportunity to meditate on exclusive playlists and stretch your limbs under a dim light. 

A moment of inattention when reproducing a gesture? Have no fear, our educational coaches are here to explain how to reproduce it in detail. 

Come forget your urban side at POSES!