If you’re new to Tabata, it’s a specific type of high intensity interval training, or HITT, in which you alternate between 20-second bouts of all-out effort and 10 seconds of rest. A complete workout is eight rounds long, or four minutes total. The name comes from Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata, who in 1996 authored a study that showed athletes who trained on an ergometer (an exercise bike) for a total of 20 minutes per week experienced similar aerobic benefits to a group that performed more moderate exercise each week for five hours.

HIIT training techniques, like Tabata, appear to have an outsize impact on fat loss. A 1994 study from Quebec found that while exercisers who used HIIT burned fewer calories during the actual workout than those using longer endurance training, they lost nine times more fat. In 2008, Australian researchers, who compared the fat loss effects of HIIT and steady state cardio in young women, found that HIIT caused a significantly greater decrease in total body fat. Researchers aren’t sure why HIIT techniques are so adept at annihilating adipose. A 2011 review of 64 studies published in the Journal of Obesity chalked it up to several potential factors, including the hormonal response it causes (HIIT stimulates the release of fat-burning catecholamines) and a possible appetite-suppression effect.

For all of these reasons, Tabata has recently captured the imagination of trainers and other fit-minded individuals, who have applied the :20/:10 pattern to seemingly everything, even planks. And that’s where things have started to get wonky, and leads us to the part that everyone screws up.

Related: The Case for Exercising Less to Get the Results You Want

The crucial element of Tabata, according to Craig Marker, Ph.D., associate professor at Mercer University and Research Director at Strongfirst.com, is intensity. “The concept of Tabata training is to go at max effort,” Marker says. “One of the reasons that the original research was done on an ergometer was so that there would not be easy place to rest.”

That means any exercise in which there’s a natural place to pause—the top of a push-up, the bottom of a burpee, or the moment after you’ve landed from a jump squat, for example—isn’t really congruent with the technique. “Some athletes might be able to do a push-up in an all-out manner. The difficulty is that one could rest at the top or bottom of the movement,” Marker says, adding, “I am not sure many people have that much upper body endurance to do a push-up in a sprint-like manner.”

Your best bet is any exercise that has constant forward movement, or no easy place for rest. (Both of which are reasons why planks are definitely not Tabata-able.) “The key is to think about accelerating throughout the movement,” Marker says. “It will likely be impossible to keep accelerating for 20 seconds, but the idea is to push as hard as you can.”

You can effectively apply the Tabata protocol to the six exercises below, be in-line with the original study, and presumably be better able to capture similar cardiovascular benefits. But before you do, beginners should take a longer warm-up before diving in to the workout, and may want to scale back the intensity at first.

Keep in mind another often-overlooked fact about Tabata: During the original study, researchers would cut a subject’s workout off at seven intervals if the person was falling off pace. You should do the same—and may even want to wrap it up sooner if you feel like you’re dying a few rounds in, which given the intensity, you might. “I would strongly suggest that people stop at seven sets if their performance is slowing,” Marker says. “I stop most of my athletes at seven sets as it is difficult to maintain that pace for the full eight. Tabata’s team was working with elite athletes. For the everyday athlete, I might even suggest fewer sets, like three to five.” As you get used to the exertion, you can add intervals over time.

Here are six ways to tap into Tabata’s power—and test your own personal mettle.

TABATA WORKOUT #1: Sprints (run, bike, swim)

By land or sea, nothing exudes constant forward motion like a sprint. Mercer says the bike is probably a better bet for beginners. He also recommends against using a treadmill, which can take time to speed up and slow down.

TABATA WORKOUT #2: Jump Rope

Jumping rope in a Tabata format can be tricky if you tend to hit your feet with the rope a few times in a set. But if you can consistently get up and over the line, it’s a great Tabata option. Keep count of how many times you clear it during your first set, then try to hit or beat that number in your successive ones.

TABATA WORKOUT #3: Mountain Climbers

This move poses a dual challenge in that your upper body has to support you while you’re lower body stays in constant motion. Performing mountain climbers with your feet on a slideboard or on a set of Valslides (like this) will make it even more potent.

TABATA WORKOUT #4: Battle Rope Waves

You’ll probably have to head to a gym to get the right gear for this one (pictured above), although the heavy ropes are coming down in price. Remember to keep moving for the entire work interval (see sample moves here). This is another exercise where you can keep track of your reps on your first set (count every time your right arm moves as one), and try to meet or exceed that number on every set that follows.

TABATA WORKOUT #5: Prowler Sled or Plate Pushes

If your gym has a prowler or weighted sled, try pushing that as far as you can during every work interval. No prowler? No problem. Put one of the larger weight plates (a 25-, 35- or 45-pounder) on the floor and push that. Just be sure that you’re doing it on a surface that glides (astroturf is best) and that won’t get damaged by the plate.

TABATA WORKOUT #6: Kettlebell Swings

This is a skill movement—one that’s more technical and involved than you think. It’s definitely not supposed to be a bent-over half-squat with a shoulder raise at the end, which you will see some people do. Read up on how to swing properly before you dive in.

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The device’s concave platform curves upward on the ends like a smile, and when you step on the molded slats you quickly discover this machine is missing a motor. To move the conveyor belt-like surface, you need to harness your own energy, similar to a bike, rather than rely on a wall outlet to power the equipment.

As you pick up the pace, you’ll find it impossible to heel-strike, which is a controversial running-style. Though a study published in Gait and Posture reports that this is how most people instinctively run, many experts believe that the sheer force of striking the ground with your heel can create a jarring effect to the skeletal system, and may ultimately lead to injury. The Skillmill’s unique curvature supports a more widely encouraged form of running—short, quick strides where the forefoot hits the ground first to cushion the impact.

With a better stride and no set pace, I was able to easily surpass my usually max speed of a 6.2 minute-mile, and hit a 7.2 minute-mile (well outside of my comfort zone) without the intention to go that fast. Amazingly, my body could handle the stress just fine. It was my cardiovascular system that gave out first, forcing me to slow down to gasp for air within 30 seconds of reaching my top velocity. Going for a long run on the Skillmill would be incredibly hard, and apparently unnecessary. Machines, like this one, were made for high-intensity interval training, not for building endurance.

“Because it’s non-motorized, the Skillmill is completely controlled and propelled by the force of the user. This was designed to push the exerciser’s body to the limit,” says Michael Zieminski, a home-wellness manager and master trainer at TechnoGym, the leading global supplier of products and services in the fitness industry, which brought the Skillmill to market. Since the machine can’t hold a manually selected pace, like on a treadmill, there’s no cruise-control option. Instead, your body will go as fast as humanly possible simply because it can. Science says that’s a good thing.

According to a new study published in PLOS One in April, short bursts of arduous efforts—even as little as 60 seconds—may be just as effective at improving health and fitness as 45 minutes of moderate exercise. Canadian scientists split 25 out-of-shape men into three groups: 1) endurance exercisers trained for 45 minutes on a stationary bike, 2) high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercisers did 20 seconds all-out on a bike and 2 minutes easy for a total of 10 minutes, and 3) non-exercisers changed nothing in their routine. After three weekly sessions for 12 weeks, they discovered the endurance group, who rode for 27 hours total, and the HIIT group, who trained for 6 hours total (with only 36 minutes of strenuous exercise) saw identical fitness and health gains despite the discrepancy in volume and time commitment.

What makes short, all-out training so effective? It doesn’t hold you back. “We’re all victims of our own minds sometimes. The treadmill limits your potential,” says CrossFit coach Kenny Santucci, director and creator of Body by Solace in Manhattan, who is considering a Skillmill for his fitness facility. “You might say, ‘I can’t go to 12 because that’s too high so I’ll stay at an 8- or 9-minute-mile pace.’ With the Skillmill, your potential is limitless. If I shorten your time and ask you to sprint, you’d be surprised. You’re only limited by what you think you can do.”

The machine’s potential (and your own) doesn’t end there. Two standout features add an extra layer of training: the sled push and magnetic lever. A U-shaped handlebar attachment at the front of the Skillmill invites you to grip the top ends for a straight-arm sled push or rest of your forearms below for a lower push. Using the built-in, magnetic lever on the righthand side you can add resistance, from 0 to 10, much like upping the incline would on a treadmill. At levels eight to 10, sled pushes will fire up various muscle groups as you walk forward, sideways, and/or backwards.

“The Skillmill could replace half the equipment I’d have to buy,” Santucci says, noting that a traditional sled push requires up to a 50-yard stretch of space, which is tight in New York City. On the Skillmill users could do high-resistance pushes that target hip range of motion, the posterior chain and upper body strength, all while basically staying in place.

Related: The Cardio Workout You’re Not Doing But Should Be

“As soon as you add resistance, it’s going to affect the posterior chain, in particular the glutes and the hamstrings, therefore, increasing your metabolic rate, or calorie burn, as you propel yourself forward,” Zieminski explains. For sprints, it’s best to set it at zero. For power-walks, anywhere between one to three is ideal. For power development, especially in a high and low sled push positions, you’ll want that lever closer to 10 for short bursts (about 10 seconds) of hard-as-hell work. If you come across a Skillmill in your local fitness facility—Equinox and Life Time Fitness will soon have them available—or can afford the hefty price tag (the Skillmill Go starts at $6,890) to add one to your home gym, here’s a fast workout to get you started.

Warm-up: 3-minute power walk at resistance level 2, 30 seconds of skipping on level 1, and 30 seconds of lateral shuffles on each side at level 3 to 5.
All-out sprint: 100 meters (or .06 miles) resistance free sprints. Recover for one minute, then repeat for a total of 5 sets.
High sled pushes: Using the dual handlebar, with your hands high and arms straight, push with fast, high knees at a resistance level of 5 to 7 for 30 seconds. Walk to recover for 30 seconds, then repeat for a total of 5 sets.
Low sled pushes: Using the dual handlebar in the low position, give it your all at a resistance of 8 to 10 for just 10 seconds. Rest for one minute, then repeat for a total of 5 sets.
Power-walk: At a resistance of 2 to 3, power walk for 2 minutes.

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The excuse to not hit the gym is right in front of you, babbling and flinging food everywhere but his mouth. Babies are a handful and a legitimate reason why many moms—and new parents in general—skip daily exercise. But that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your health altogether. Do yourself a favor and try to squeeze in 15 minutes of fitness a day.

How will you make the time? A recent survey of 1,154 moms conducted by Woman’s Day and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national non-profit founded by the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation, found that mothers are spending 10 minutes or more a day doing something sedentary with their kids, including eating a meal, watching TV and doing homework. Those 10+ minutes are a good time to do a few simple workout moves from Pete Egoscue, Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor. Get your kids to join you or do it alongside them while they eat, play, nap, or study. If you can’t spare a full 15 minutes, start with five and work your way up.

Related: A Meditation on Self-Care for Mothers

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If this sounds like something you’ve witnessed or experienced—whether you’re the one on the treadmill or the elliptical—you might have wondered, is the person who’s audibly panting getting a better, more effective workout than the one who’s silently chugging along?

Noiseless exercisers can continue to breath easy: The answer is a clear-cut “no.” Recent studies in sports science reveal that labored, erratic, or rapid breathing may actually hinder your movements and even cause harm.

“A cardiovascular reflex is activated when the breathing muscles are forced to work hard during exercise that restricts blood flow to the limbs,” says Alison McConnell, Ph.D., the world’s leading expert on breath training and author of Breathe Strong. McConnell also points out that this type of breathing compromises the stabilizing muscles in the trunk, which translates to weaker limb movements. This puts you at risk for injuries, especially in high-impact sports like running, where each step must absorb as much as three times one’s body weight.

“The diaphragm, [the main abdominal muscle below the lungs], is an important contributor to the increase in intra-abdominal pressure that stiffens the trunk and stabilizes the spine,” McConnell says. Without a strong and engaged core to manage the impact, runners feel the effects in their knees, hips, and back, confirms a 2010 study published in the journal Spine.

Related: Is Your Breathing Pattern Normal?

The risk of getting injured is only the half of it. You might also unintentionally trigger the fight-or-flight response with this kind of intense breathing, too, which can really make exercising stressful. When inhalations are rapid and shallow, called apical breathing, only the lungs’ upper lobes inflate. As a result, you might set off a stress response, a hormonal shift associated with feelings of anxiousness and panic, explains chiropractor John Douillard, the former director of player development for the New Jersey Nets NBA team and author of Body, Mind and Sport.

To avoid getting sidelined or going into panic mode, try slowing and deepening each round of breath so that the diaphragm is fully engaged. This form of breathing pulls oxygenated air into the lower lungs and activates the relaxation response, which elicits feelings of calmness, control, and focus. A body that is relaxed and calm performs more powerfully and efficiently.

This is where learning to breathe mindfully may not only improve the ease of your movements, but also greatly boost your fitness outcomes, too. This is especially important when exercising at high intensities. “As your rib cage opens and becomes more flexible [as a result of diaphragmatic breathing], the breath rate will slow down rather than speed up while you increase your workload,” Douillard says. This is particularly helpful for those exercising to lose weight since it keeps the body in fat-burning (aerobic) zone.

Use the following three mindful breathing techniques to enhance your workout. Practice them separately for at least one week each. Then employ all three together to create better fitness outcomes with less stress and exertion, and more ease and efficiency.

1. Breathe like a baby.

We’re born masters at belly breathing. But as we age, a stressful and sedentary lifestyle leads us to become habitual shallow breathers. To breathe like your first day on earth again, inhale slowly, extending the belly outward. This helps draw the breath into the lower lungs and extend the diaphragm. By fully inflating the lungs, you’re also taking in the maximum amount of oxygen possible with each breath. As you exhale, the belly draws in and the diaphragm moves upward. Since it may feel backwards to breathe this way, practice belly breathing while walking before using it in workouts until it feels more natural.

2. Find a rhythm.

During aerobic exercise—such as cycling, swimming and running—aligning your breath with your movements in a regular pattern creates more ease, flow, and aerobic efficiency. Do you have one area of your body that is chronically more tight, sore, or injured? That achy side is probably taking the brunt of mechanical stress during exercise. Rhythmic breathing can help equalize your movements and prevent favoring one side over the other.

Depending on the type of exercise, the pattern may be three beats (such as foot strikes during running) for the inhale and two beats for the exhale. This 3:2 pattern, for example, alternates between feet as they hit the ground at the beginning of the exhalation, which is when your core is weakest. This more evenly distributes the landing impact stress across both sides of your body, reports a 2013 study published in PLoS ONE. This technique also keeps you calm and relaxed even when performing difficult or high-intensity movements.

“Rhythmic breathing creates a pathway to a deep centeredness,” says exercise physiologist and running coach Budd Coates, author of Running on Air: The Revolutionary Way to Run Better by Breathing Smarter. “In the martial arts, this inner connection and centeredness allows more immediate and precise control of the physical body,” adds Coates, a four-time qualifier for the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials.

3. Use only the nose.

Breathing only through the nose during exercise has many benefits. The snout’s smaller, narrower shape forces pressured, slower inhalations, which give the lungs more time to extract oxygen from the air you breathe. Plus, a study published in the Australian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport showed that nostril-only breathing during exercise mitigates the effects of exercise-induced asthma, allowing those with asthma to exercise harder while breathing easier. Keeping your mouth shut during exercise feels hard at first (a bit like you’re suffocating) and forces you to slow your pace until your nasal passages expand and adapt, which they will! When starting, perform nasal-only breathing in 15-second increments, then gradually build up to several minutes at a time.

The post The Intriguing Way Breath Affects Your Workout appeared first on Sonima.

Follow this fast-moving 14-minute workout that engages both your small and big muscles groups, from your calves and hip flexors to your glutes and back, to get that strong and lean body that you want. Start with a series of step ups, which you can do on a park bench or your house steps. Be sure to go at your own pace here. Speed means nothing if you break good form. From there, do 30 seconds of running in place to spike your heart rate. Without taking a break, move onto 10 up-downs (aka burpees). Repeat running in place and up downs. Wrap up the workout with floor work, including mountain climbers, roller coasters, donkey kicks, and flutter kicks.

Related: A Simple Solution to Heal Plantar Fasciitis

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Join in for this 15-minute workout that will ignite your abdominals and strengthen your core musculature with a few simple exercises. The efficacy of this workout relies on your commitment and focus, as well as proper alignment. Listen closely to instructions from Pete Egoscue, the founder of the Egoscue Method for alignment-based pain relief, to get the most out of your workout. This series of planks, pushups, abdominal crunches, and core walks are all familiar postures, but are sequenced here for maximum results.

Related: A Core-Strengthening Yoga Sequence

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Riding a bike is a full body experience that activates and relies upon the major muscle groups in the body. Pete Egoscue, an alignment expert and founder of the Egoscue Method, designed this sequence of stretching exercises for cyclists to help reset and rejeuvinate the body for proper functioning. These warm-up and cool-down stretches will help stop injury or discomfort before it slows you down on the bike. You’ll open up the hip flexors, release tension in the shoulders and upper back, and lengthen the hamstrings, to prevent over-tightening while cycling. Some of these postures are more demanding than they appear, so be sure to approach them ease and mindfulness.

Related: An Incredible Fix for Neck and Shoulder Pain

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If so, there’s a lot more to it than you realize. When done properly, rowing is a surprisingly calming and invigorating routine that challenges the whole body without the wear and tear that come with other intense activities. It’s also an excellent fat-burning exercise, according to a new study published in June in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, which compared fat oxidation during rowing and cycling at various intensities. Rowing consistently won out thanks to the recruitment of larger muscle mass on the erg.

So how is such a challenging workout also considered calming and restorative? During a rowing session you should spend more time on recovery than all-out effort, to the tune of a 2-1 or 3-1 rest-to-work ratio, according to Eric Von Frohlich, the co-founder of Row House, an indoor rowing studio in New York City with a new location in Chelsea. In other words, if you pull back for one second of explosive effort, you’ll spend two or three seconds recovering as you exhale and return to start in a controlled, fluid motion.

This steady yet powerful movement is key as it ensures a work pattern that’s sustainable for a long session and maximizes fitness benefits. “With that 1-3 recovery ratio you can get a lot of power and a little breath, or rest, in each stroke. You get a lot of fitness effort but you don’t burn out,” says Debra Strougo Frohlich, the co-founder of Row House.

Physiologically you activate a lot more muscle rowing than you do in just about every other form of cardio. “It’s in a category of cross-country skiing or swimming as a full-body exercise,” says Von Frohlich. “Each stroke should be driven 60 percent by the legs and 30 percent by the core, and then it’s being finished with the arms. It’s a lot like jumping, but instead of a vertical component it’s in a horizontal movement.”

Related: How Setting an Intention Can Transform Your Workout

The mechanics of the motion break down like this: Start on the erg with the knees bent, fingers lightly hooked around the handle, and torso tilted slightly forward at 11 o’clock. Exhale as you explode back, first through the legs, then the abs, and finally bringing the handle back just below the sternum, with elbows naturally at the sides of the body and torso coming to 1 o’clock. On the return, take the reverse course and exhale as the arms move forward, followed by the torso, and finally bending the knees. This steady pattern combined with breath and the swooshing of the machine makes the activity almost like a meditation or breathing exercise.

In addition to being mentally calming, it’s also accessible to those new to exercise, partially thanks to the low center of gravity on the erg, which is helpful for anyone who has physical challenges, weight issues, or anything that inhibits them from moving as well as they’d like, says Von Frohlich. It’s also ideal for marathon runners seeking the intensity and volume of exercise without the wear and tear.

Another important benefit rowers experience is better posture and less pain. “Most of our days are spent in forward flexion, whether you are a new mom or work in an office. If you think about how people traditionally work in an office setting their shoulders roll in, their hands are up—that’s all internal rotation that tightens the shoulders, closes the chest, tightens the abs, and overstretches the back,” says Von Frohlich. This leads to postural imbalances and problems with the neck, upper back, and shoulders, as well as tight hips, psoas, and piriformis. Rowing makes you feel a lot taller and more conscious of posture; the shoulders pull back and the body opens up. That’s such a huge benefit—if that were the only upside you could make a great case for it.

Related: Your Body in Downward-Facing Dog

Interested in trying out a rowing workout? The following routine based on the Row House Full Body class is a good place to start.

Warmup: Row at a moderate pace for 5 minutes
Stroke Ladder (3 to 5 minutes): Incrementally increase and then decrease strokes per minute (SPM) in the following pattern 24-26-28-30-28-26-24. (You’ll spend about 30 seconds at each SPM.)
Power Strokes (3 to 5 minutes): Do 2 rounds of 10, 15, and 20 powerful strokes, keeping stroke rate consistent and working to bring down split time. Start with one minute of 10 power strokes then do 10 light strokes. Move on to 15 power strokes at the same SPM, and attempt to bring down split time. Recover for 15 light strokes. Now do 20 power strokes, aiming for the same SPM and a lower split time. Repeat this pattern of 10, 15, and 20 strokes again.
Go the Distance (4 minutes x 2): Row for 4 minutes and note how many meters you go. Recover, then go the distance for another 4-minute spurt and attempt to go farther this time.
Off-Rower Exercises (7 minutes):
Lower Body (30 seconds each): Forward lunges, side lunges, reverse lunges, air squats, and squats with calf raises
Core Work (30 seconds each): Forearm plank with small alternating leg lifts, side plank with hip dips, and high plank with shoulder taps
Upper Body (30 seconds): Pushups

The post The Cardio Workout You’re Not Doing But Should Be appeared first on Sonima.

Now before you come storming into my mentions like a Warrior II: Yes, yoga can get your heart pumping. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that Americans get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or even better, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity. In this case, “moderate” is linked to a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 12 to 14, which correlates to 120 or 140 heartbeats per minute. Vigorous exercise is an RPE of 15 to 17, or 150 to 170 beats per minute.

This level of cardio activity is difficult to sustain, especially in a traditional strength session or yoga class. The American Heart Association does not count yoga toward the weekly recommended amount of cardio activity. This might come as a letdown to those who love yoga for the strength, balance, mental clarity, and community it provides. Fear not. Here’s an overview of a few cardio routines that incorporate yogic principles and allow you to experience the best of both worlds, achieving a satisfying mind-body experience.

Swimming

Yoga movement is coordinated with the breath, and the same practice is required in the pool. If you’re swimming freestyle or breast stroke, there are only certain times when you can breathe to do the movement correctly. This attention to breath can make swimming, like yoga, a moving meditation.

Related: The Radical Healing Effects of Water

From a cardio perspective, it’s tough to beat: Swimmers have about half the risk of death compared to inactive people, according to the CDC, and the exercise is far easier on the joints than bicycling or running. It’s also a natural interval training exercise: Swim one or two laps, rest, and repeat. Intervals like these—alternating between bouts of intense exercise and rest—have been scientifically proven to burn more fat than steady-state, medium-paced cardio, and they count towards that “vigorous” number from the CDC.

Not a strong swimmer? You can obtain the meditation-like benefits of a smoother stroke with your old friend from beginner lessons—the kick board.

Spinning

The stereotype of thumping music and shouting instructors is well-earned in the group cycling space, but strip those aspects away, and you’ve got a very yoga-like experience—smooth, controlled movements done communally without competition.

That’s what SoulCycle is selling for $34 per class, and it seems to be working. The New York-based company now has studios in New York, California, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Chicago, Florida, and other locations. At each, the class includes positive affirmations, and a sense of what yogis call “bhava,” used to describe an uplifting group energy.

Other group cycling classes across the country incorporate this mind-body approach. Google “zen spinning” and you’ll find similar studios in Arkansas, Connecticut, and other locations. AQUA, an underwater cycling studio in New York City, offers a “Mantra Flow” class that combines the energy of Spinning class with the therapeutic and meditative qualities of water-based exercise, all set to the soundtrack of mantra music.

Stand-Up Paddleboard

It’s no wonder stand-up paddleboards have become another location for yoga: They require great balance and place you in a peaceful natural setting in the great outdoors. To get moving on the board requires rock-solid core stability and rhythmic, repetitive paddling movement. Connect the stroke to your breath: Breathe in each time your draw the paddle forward and switch sides, and empty your lungs as your bring the paddle back to stroke.

Don’t know where to try it? Many kayak rental locations now offer SUPs for the same price. Alternately, a rowing machine offers a similar rhythmic experience indoors at a higher intensity. Breathe in as your draw your knees toward the flywheel, and breathe out as you press back. As with swimming, rowing is perfect for intervals. Start with 30 seconds of work alternated with 30 seconds of rest, going for at least six intervals.

Cardio Flow

Some yoga studios and gyms offer hybrid classes that combine yoga and elements of cardio training. Heidi Kristoffer, a yoga instructor in New York City, created one program like this called CrossFlow X, a yoga class that incorporates high-intensity bouts of gym exercises, like pushups or mountain climbers, with restorative yoga poses. The high-intensity part doesn’t sound very yoga-like, but the instructor says the intense exercise can actually help improve your practice.

“Our mind can be all over the place in yoga. For a lot of people, especially in type-A environments, people’s heads don’t ever turn off,” she says. This can lead to tight, awkward poses when the mind doesn’t turn off. But the intensity of other exercise can help clear things up. “After the interval, your body is so tired. Your mind isn’t thinking about tense spots anymore, so you have the space to let go.”

Try a mini-class made up of intervals like this yourself. You’ll perform each exercise for one minute, then the yoga pose for one minute. Perform each pair twice (in the case of pair one, alternating the side on the pigeon pose so you do each side once).

• 1 minute mountain climber + 1 minute Pigeon Pose
• 1 minute speed skater + 1 minute Frog Pose
• 1 minute low Boat Pose to Boat Pose + 1 minute supported Bridge Pose

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