How Are Yoga Exercises Different From Stretching Exercises?

Yoga is a form of mind-body-spirit fitness that certainly involves stretching -- a lot of stretching, in fact. And if you’ve stretched before or after a workout, you may have done some moves that would be just as at home in a yoga class. In fact, stretching is very important as part of your overall exercise routine, and it enhances a yoga session just as much as it enhances a weightlifting session; but there is definitely a lot more to yoga than just stretching.

  1. Types of Stretches

    • Yoga moves that involve stretching are typically based on active stretching, where you hold a position without any outside assistance. You might be familiar with several other types of stretching, including dynamic stretching, where you gradually increase reach or speed, and passive stretching, where you use a partner, another body part or some other assistance to help you maintain a stretch.

    Yoga vs. Stretching for Back Pain

    • Stretching and yoga were found to equally benefit people with chronic lower back pain, according to a 2011 study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine." “Our results suggest that both yoga and stretching can be good, safe options for people who are willing to try physical activity to relieve their moderate low back pain,” said Karen Sherman, Ph.D., one of the study’s authors and the senior scientific investigator for the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

    Physical Comparison

    • Stretching is meant to help loosen your muscles, reduce risk of injury, relieve pain and improve your range of motion. It also improves posture, reduces muscle tension and improves overall performance. Typically a stretch is held for several seconds and then deepened slightly for further benefit.

      Yoga, rather than just focusing on stretching and loosening muscles, also greatly increases strength and balance. While stretches can be done seated, standing or lying down like yoga, they typically involve being steadily grounded. Yoga, on the other hand, uses a series of poses that often require physical stamina or intense focus just to maintain.

    Mental Comparison

    • Yoga isn’t just about physical stamina; it also tests your mental stamina by requiring focus, concentration and balance to achieve and hold the postures. Yogis believe that the body and mind are linked inextricably, and many yoga aficionados report a clearer, quieter, more peaceful mind; a sense of calm; mental relaxation; or even a startling mental breakthrough after a session.

      While stretching can offer an opportunity to quiet the mind, think or ponder something, it is focused on physical benefit and doesn’t involve mind-body integration to the degree that yoga does.

    Spiritual Comparison

    • Any type of physical exercise, including stretching, can affect us on secondary levels. However, yoga is very much based not just on mind and body practice, but on spiritual evolvement and enlightenment.

      Conquering difficult yoga postures can bring not just a sense of physical accomplishment, but an otherworldly feeling of empowerment and even invincibility on a spiritual level. In addition, yoga involves conscious deep relaxation and often a meditation portion -- known as Savasana in Sanskrit -- that is meant to revitalize and renew you, inside and out.

      “Savasana is where people are most likely to experience the meaning of yoga, which is their conscious unity with Infinity,” explains Erich Schiffman, a teacher at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement in Venice, California, and the author of “Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness.”

    Breathing Comparison

    • Whereas stretching only requires that you breathe normally instead of hold your breath, yoga relies heavily on a certain pattern of breathing. To fully benefit from a yoga session, you must breathe deeply and fully, coordinating inhales with certain movements and exhales with others. This delivers an increased level of oxygen to your body, while holding the poses improves your circulation.