online yoga forum

I've been cutting back on my workouts in the gym and the more I do yoga the more I like it. I never liked strength training in the gym, and of course there are only so many hours in the day. I wonder if it is true that yoga can provide the same toning benefits as strength training in the gym? What do you think?

Hi Lizzy. I have quite a recent experience with what you describe. I stopped my cycling, skiing, hiking and trekking and have been doing only yoga in the past few months. Then I went to see an ayurvedic practitioner and he suggested that my body was not having enough cardio workout.
I really liked his idea that the exercise we do should be formed by walking, stretching and flexibility oriented exercise (like yoga), cardio, toning and meditation. It makes a lot of sense to me, because it is based on a harmony and balance principle, which I believe is a key to everything.

Lizzy I reckon yoga can provide some of the same benefits as strength training in the gym but not automatically.

My first teacher had a soft-looking body, but the strength was evident. He mentioned once that dedicated hatha yoga practitioners can look trim on the outside but they also have a core of steel, with the deep muscles close to the bone being toned, lengthened and strengthened. So you wouldn’t necessarily get ‘buff’ but you’d probably tone up pretty well.

The most you will lift is your own bodyweight, but the great thing about doing yoga is that you can achieve 1) strengthening 2) cardio and 3) stretching outcomes; if you go about it with those aspects in mind, and ask your teacher about your options.

A famous example is the flowing Sun Salute sequence (Surya Namaskar). It can count for a full body workout (I’m trying to remember some info from an excerpt from ‘Structural Yoga Therapy’ by Mukunda Stiles):

- You could do it dynamically or you could do it slowly, exploring each pose, round after round.
- There is strengthening by lifting, supporting and holding your weight using different parts of your body.
- The movements within and between different poses incorporate your whole body, they access many different joints and tendons and ligaments and let the muscles ‘speak’ to each other in an integrated way (rather than isolating them one by one).
- If you maintain the flow at a reasonable rate your heart rate increases; it can be equivalent to running around the block without the knee aggravation, or swimming but with the benefit to your bones of normal gravity.

I’ve actually seen a book in the shops called ‘weight yoga’, or something like that, where additional weights are worn during a yoga session to take advantage of the benefits of extra weight bearing. That seemed interesting.


Doing the yoga postures would require you to investigate your own body as a tool, instead of relying on a machine to do the thinking for you. It may be good to do some specific weight training or exercises to help your body ‘think’ - to isolate specific muscle groups, so that you’re at least aware of them in your body.

By the way, if you have group training classes such as Pump or Step at your gym, you could maybe try those as a more interesting alternative to the weight room?

Dear Lizzy,

You would become perfect not only physically but also mentally if you do Yoga. Yoga have large impact on both. So, I advice you to prefer Yoga.

Thanks Bestyoga, you know I kinda' agree. If you have a strong practice then you get toned, and it definitely calms the mind, but what about the cardio benefits? I know when I'm in the gym my heart rate gets up as I pound the machines. You don't get that in a yoga class...