Kettlebells & Yoga?

A few years ago I was researching stretching on the internet and came across some books on stretching by Pavel Tsatsouline, a Russian emigre who had been a trainer to the Spetsnatz, the Soviet-era military special forces. The Russians had done research on stretching to support their athletic teams in Olympic sports, so it was interesting to read about the discoveries, much of which we know and practice in yoga, but sometimes without knowing how or why it works.

In addition to being an expert on stretching (part of the graduation requirement in the Spetsnaz is the ability to do a full splits), Pavel was also a master of sport, a kettlebell trainer. I became curious about kettlebells and saw on Pavel's website that an introductory course was offered here in Louisville by a certified trainer, Dave Randolph. So I contacted Dave and took his introductory course. After just a few minutes of swinging around an 18 lb kettlebell I saw and felt the benefits kettlebells could give to yoga practitioners.

Kettlebells build strong but not bulky muscles, improve core strength and stability and endurance. I could see an immediate effect on my yoga postures. Poses that had challenged my strength like standing poses, arm balances and caturanga dandasana, became easier. My own experience with kettlebells is that they reduce shoulder strain by making the shoulders stronger and more stable, improve hip flexibility and strength, and stabilize and strengthen the knees.

Research shows that in spite of all our efforts, we lose muscle mass and bone mass as we age. An article in the NY Times on Sunday Nov. 28, shows that the loss can be as much as 50% after age 67. Weight training at any age helps maintain muscle and bone mass, can improve balance, and burns more calories than aerobic exercise alone.

I like kettlebells because they are fun and only a few minutes of kettlebell lifting are needed to make improvements in strength. I teach kettlebells as an adjunct to yoga and only teach those exercises that I think are complimentary to yoga practice. Students who would like to learn kettlebells can take my introductory workshops which are held on the first Saturday of each month (see our Kettlebell Page) or can attend the Tuesday 5:00 pm kettlebell class at Kentucky Street. Kettlebells can be used in the afternoon Mysore classes at Holiday Manor between 3:30-4:30 pm, if you have been trained how to use kettlebells.

Students who would like to practice full blast kettlebells can go to some of our excellent local kettlebell trainers, like my teacher Dave Randolph or Katie Hawbaker.

For kettlebells classes: bring your own kettlebell, a water bottle and towel. For recommended kettlebell sizes and where to buy, see our Kettlebell Page.