Exploring Strength and Flexibility in Yoga with Jules Mitchell

Aug 7, 2024

Jules Mitchell, a leading expert in yoga biomechanics, dives into how yoga can enhance strength and flexibility unlike any traditional approach. She emphasizes the crucial role of the nervous system in strength development, revealing that strength is more than muscle size; it's about coordination. Jules discusses the unique relationship between yoga and strength training, encouraging practitioners to embrace yoga's diversity. She also critiques the one-size-fits-all approach in wellness, advocating for a more inclusive and understanding practice.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Strength and Mobility in Yoga

01:34 • 24min

Embracing Personal Experience in Wellness

25:33 • 15min

Navigating Yoga Education in a Capitalist World

40:35 • 5min

Accessible Language in Yoga: Connecting Through Movement

45:21 • 2min

Adapting Movement for Holistic Well-Being

47:13 • 3min

What if yoga could build strength in ways you never imagined? Jules Mitchell, an expert in yoga biomechanics, explains that yoga involves both strength and flexibility, emphasizing the importance of the nervous system's role in strength development. Strength is not just about muscle size but also about coordination and motor unit recruitment. Yoga enhances body awareness and coordination, complementing traditional strength training. Flexibility and mobility are distinct, with mobility being more functional for specific tasks. Integrating yoga with strength training leads to a balanced and holistic approach to fitness and well-being. Yoga practitioners should embrace its diverse benefits, while yoga teachers should educate students holistically and foster inclusivity.

About Jules Mitchell

Jules Mitchell leads advanced continuing education programs in biomechanics for intellectually fearless yoga teachers. She helps them integrate principles of exercise science and applications of pain science into their classes. Jules is the author of Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined, a unique, evidence-based exploration into the complexities of tissue mechanics and the human body’s resilience and adaptability. She leads workshops and courses online and worldwide, runs a popular 300 hour yoga teacher training, frequently serves as guest faculty, and hosts a comprehensive mentoring program to support teachers in both education and business. Her passion is bringing the most useful and applicable research-based concepts into the yoga community, even when it invokes a discerning analysis of popular opinions. Jules lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her cat Pitbull.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julesyoga/

Website: https://www.julesmitchell.com/

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Context

02:28 Defining Strength and its Adaptations

11:07 Strength in Yoga: Challenging Binary Thinking

13:49 Inclusivity and Individual Needs in Strength Development

23:59 Taking a Holistic Approach to Strength in Yoga

24:54 The Nuanced Approach to Strength in Yoga

25:39 Navigating the Influence of Marketing and Capitalism

29:52 Embracing Curiosity, Uncertainty, and Self-Awareness

40:34 Selling Yoga Classes with Authenticity and Education

47:12 Moving Away from Rigid Guidelines in Strength