An Overview of Yoga By World Gym Smyrna

Yoga descends from ideals and practices of Ancient Indian asceticism, an effort to reach spiritual objectives. Steatite seals dated to 3300 B.C. depict figures in meditation and traditional yoga poses. While the sacred Indian Vedas vaguely reference yoga precursors, the Vedic commentaries discuss ascetic practices in detail and the Upanishads heavily reference meditations and an evolving concept of yoga.

Around the world, individuals continue to practice many forms of yoga, the most popular of which is hatha yoga. An estimated 30 million Americans regularly engage in hatha yoga. Introduced in the 15th century by Yogi Swatmarama, hatha yoga cleansed and purified the body, preparing it for a higher level of meditation. Yogi Swatmarama wrote the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a comprehensive text based on traditional Sanskrit works.

The book focuses on various postures, the ability to control one’s energy, the body’s center of energy, symbolic gestures, and specific techniques, among other subjects. Some practitioners attribute the foundations of hatha yoga to Lord Shiva, who taught the practice to the Goddess Parvati, including inherent positions and philosophies. While Lord Shiva was teaching her, a fish overheard and later taught a limbless man the art and restored his missing legs and arms.

Modern yoga, however, derives directly from the teachings of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who began teaching yoga in 1924. His students brought yoga to the West, where it quickly grew in popularity. Hatha yoga’s tenets include discipline, physical postures, poses, breathing, meditation, and bodily purification. In the West, practitioners focus primarily on the asanas, the traditional body poses, and various breathing techniques. Many Westerners today rely on yoga for physical fitness and stress reduction. World Gym Smyrna offers group yoga classes of varying difficulties, granting opportunities to beginners and advanced practitioners alike.

Benefits of Strength-training

by World Gym Smyrna

The benefits of strength-training extend beyond giving you the ability to lift heavier objects and firming up your muscles. At World Gym Smyrna, we provide a variety of options for strength-training. Many people harbor the misconception that strength-training builds bulky muscles; however, there is little truth to this belief. While large muscles result from a concentrated effort, participating in regular strength-training activities will bring the following benefits:

1. Strength-training enhances your ability to perform daily functions, giving you added strength for lifting, pushing, and pulling activities.
2. Building strength reduces your risk of injury from the activities of daily life.
3. Weight bearing exercise and strength-training both increase bone density.
4. Strength-training contributes to a healthy body composition.
5. Metabolically, muscle is “hungrier” than fat. As you build more muscle through strength-training activities, your metabolism increases slightly.
6. You can improve your physical appearance through strength-training.
7. People who do some type of regular strength-training activities report better sleep and increased levels of energy.
8. As people age, their basal metabolic rates decline. Strength-training can help reverse or halt this metabolic slowing.
9. People who incorporate strength-training have less risk of lower-back injuries.
10. Strength-training reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes.
11. High-density lipoproteins (the good kind of cholesterol) rise with strength-training.
12. Coordination and balance improve with strength-training.

Frequently Asked Questions About FreeMotion Machines

At World Gym Smyrna, we are proud to offer a comprehensive and up-to-date selection of the best fitness equipment available. Among our many amenities at World Gym Smyrna, we provide FreeMotion machines. Here you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about FreeMotion. What is FreeMotion? Based on scientific understanding of human kinesiology (movement), FreeMotion was designed to adapt to the specifics of each individual. Traditional training methods try to adapt the individual to the equipment; FreeMotion does the opposite, allowing a full range of motions in three dimension. Is FreeMotion safe? Yes, if used properly. FreeMotion equipment is designed with the natural movements of the body in mind, minimizing the stress caused by traditional equipment. Can anyone use FreeMotion? Generally yes, FreeMotion is appropriate for beginning or advanced users, for young and for old, for men and women, and for all body types. FreeMotion can be used in rehabilitation settings. How do you learn to use FreeMotion equipment? The machines are intuitively constructed. When you get on a FreeMotion machine, no adjustment is necessary. Just grab the handles and go; the system will adapt itself to your weight and height. What are the things I can do with FreeMotion than I can’t do with traditional equipment? FreeMotion trains posture and balance much better than traditional equipment. FreeMotion also allows three-dimensional training, coordination training, and core training. What does FreeMotion training look like? See this promotional video on YouTube: