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Power Yoga: Thirty Years of Functional Training
By Monica Schmidt, BS Exercise Science and Health Promotion

In the 1970s, references to yoga would not be found in the same article as the modern fitness discipline called "functional training." At that time, the first functional training concepts were only breaking ground in strength and conditioning research and yoga was not yet part of the fitness world. An unlikely pair, they are currently intersecting. For many who have discovered and enjoy the effectiveness of functional training, power yoga is a suitable companion to their prescribed program. Those who practice power yoga and wish to conquer difficult positions can use advanced functional training to supplement strength while still doing yoga. This cross over is fluid for the participant, in either scenario, because the basic movement principles are surprisingly consistent.

Yoga Evolution
Yoga is a 2000 year old science based on theorem layers thick, taking years to master, and are complex beyond the scope of this article. An over-simplification is to assert that yoga is a system of holistic living intended to purify the whole person so that one can discover a more blissful existence. Specific physical positions, known as hatha yoga poses, were intended to create and maintain a healthy body so that the deeper layers of existence could be fully realized. Now, we see that yoga poses performed in local health clubs are taken highly out of context from the original intentions as outlined in ancient Eastern texts. Yoga, especially power yoga, has evolved in the US to become an exercise craze.

The original power yoga, called Ashtanga, was first introduced in the US in the 1970s by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Ashtanga is comprised of a series of poses, linked together through choreographed transitions. Poses are held for five breaths, and the practitioner follows the set method of moving into the next pose, directed by the rhythm of the breath. Ashtanga is a vigorous set of sequences, highly demanding in terms of strength, flexibility, and balance. So intense, in fact, that the series cannot fully be accomplished without the dedication to practice the sequences up to six days a week.

Power Yoga
As an increasing number of fitness enthusiasts found Ashtanga yoga to yield enhanced results in their athletic performance, a need for a more practical approach was arising. From this extreme regimen sprang forth several moderate versions of Ashtanga, offering more creativity, less intensity, and much less time needed to complete a session, hence "power yoga" was born. Although no one individual is credited with originating the term, a few pioneers that were instrumental in the original developments include Beryl Bender Birch, Baron Baptiste, and Bryan Kest.

This more generic form of athletic yoga was gaining popularity based on the individuality and charisma of the person teaching the class rather than the order of the poses. However, one defining point remained. Yoga poses were and still are taught in patterns of movement called flow, or "vinyasa," and at the heart of this flow is a sequenced pattern called "Sun Salutation." Sun Salutation is the pattern of movement that creates, when done regularly, the spinal stability to advance to more challenging yoga poses. A physical platform of strength and flexibility results in better performance in athletics and in functions of daily living. If power yoga enhances one's function then we can conclude that power yoga is a form of "functional training."

Functional Training
The fitness method known officially as functional training is fundamentally a method of training that enhances the body's structure by "training movements, not muscles." Training exercise movements relevant to the needs of the client is a unique component in functional training because each client is trained differently. For example, a secretary has less physical function demands than a professional football player does. Both still want to function well in their own capacity and their prescribed functional training would reflect that individual necessity.

Training movements according the need to utilize them functionally was not considered a serious training method until recently. The fitness authorities observed functional training to be a supplemental type of workout, less effective than traditional methods of pumping iron. Investigation into why functional training has gained in popularity leads to one of the country's most respected strength and conditioning specialists, Juan Carlos Santana, M.Ed. Mr. Santana has emerged as a trend-setting phenomenon in the field of exercise science mostly from his work in functional training program design. He confidently excels beyond the traditional fitness premise by dismantling the belief that isolating muscles is the most effective way to train. His success has inspired much controversy in fitness academia and power yoga may soon be under the same microscope. 

A notable distinction of functional training is that this regimen uses training tools such as medicine balls, stability balls, rocker boards, and power yoga uses nothing but one's own body weight. For the seasoned yoga practitioner, training with these aids will prompt the progression to the next level of poses by shocking the nervous system with an unstable environment and more weight than what yoga students are accustomed. Conversely, if an athlete who practices functional training regularly needs to supplement the program by adding variations to the skill set, power yoga is the perfect companion. If the participant is proficient, power yoga can offer a fun change of pace. Both functional training and power yoga demand stabilization for multi-joint movements in all directions. Functional training regimens have the incomparable factor of offering individual assessment and prescribed exercises beyond basic functional training movements that mirror yoga. Yoga concentrates entirely on primary movements establishing core stability through repetition.

Define Your Goals
If the goal is primarily performance enhancement in various sports and recreation, continuing to concentrate on the quality of the movements in power yoga can result in optimal functional training like results. Adding prescribed functional training exercises will further the progression. However, if you are hooked on functional training you can choose to delve into a yoga program and still get your exercise. Further, you may discover the deeper essence of yoga. No matter how you choose to proceed in the endeavor of self improvement, you have plenty of options in a culture where yoga and fitness are uniting.