;

Yoga for Strength and Stamina

$129 USD free today for members!
Start Now
“High quality courses and classes with experienced and authentic instructors.”

Course Overview

Join Luke Ketterhagen to learn and practice the four essential steps for building sustainable strength and stamina.

Then we’ll put all of these components together in a daily hatha yoga sequence that will boost your strength and energetic power. You'll enjoy this sequence again and again as you refine your practice and experience its enormous benefits.

“When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world. ”

— B. K. S. Iyengar

Are you looking to develop strength that supports all aspects of life—mental and emotional, as well as physical?

Certificate of completion

3 CEU’s Upon Completion

Self Paced Learning

Course Outline

3hrs to complete

Collapse all

Section 1
  • This course will give you sustainable access to power, good posture, and core strength that will span your entire life and will help you in all areas of your life. We’ll explore and practice the essential aspects of building strength and stamina: building essential power and stability, building good posture, deepening the breath, and supporting and stabilizing the nervous system.
Section 2
  • Trying to build strength without first removing tension just builds rigidity, and the strength isn’t sustainable. To build a sustainable foundation for strength, we first need to release tension and create openness and expansiveness in the body. We can do this in two ways: by grounding and supporting the musculoskeletal system, and by calming tension in the nervous system through deep breathing and relaxation.
  • This practice will ground, support, and settle the body, allowing you to release tension in the muscles and the nervous system as your body relaxes and opens. Start by breathing deeply and letting the floor support you in crocodile pose. Continue to let go of tension and open the body with a sequence of simple, grounding postures, and then rest, breathe, and deepen relaxation in shavasana(corpse pose). Props (optional): yoga block and blanket.
Section 3
  • Once we remove initial tension from the body, the next step in building sustainable strength is to focus on flexibility, or the range of movement across joints. Flexibility reduces the effort needed to move, thus increasing strength. We’ll broaden our range of movement in two ways: by linking movement with the breath as we move in and out of postures, and then by pausing to deepen and slow the breath, which allows the muscles to release even more.
  • This practice links repetitive movement with the breath as you move in and out of selected postures to create space and flexibility in the body. You’ll also pause and hold postures as you deepen the breath and let your body open and release further.
Section 4
  • The conventional way of building core strength is to build up the muscles of the abdomen, but this often creates rigidity and limits breathing. Yoga offers us a different, more sustainable way to access core strength and power. By gaining awareness of the muscles of the abdominal area and learning how to use them in the practices of agni sara (essence of fire) and uddiyana bandha (upward, or abdominal, lock), we can create enormous energy, power, and core strength that support the entire body.
  • In this session, you’ll build core strength and energy through the practice of agni sara—drawing in the lower, middle, and upper abdomen and then releasing in a wavelike motion coordinated with the breath. Then, if you feel ready, you can pull the abdomen up under the ribcage in uddiyana bandha, which stretches the diaphragm and creates even more energetic power. Finally, rest and feel strength and energy supporting your whole body.
Section 5
  • Matching strength with relaxation allows us not only to build lasting physical strength, but also to create dynamic energetic and emotional strength. To integrate strength and relaxation, we need relentless assessment—assessing which muscles need to be engaged and strong to hold a posture and which muscles need to relax to support that posture.
  • Now we’ll practice joining strength and relaxation. Through a sequence focused on sun salutations and standing postures, you’ll experience how being grounded and strong where it’s needed allows the rest of the body to relax, open, and breathe. Strength in the poses supports you in accessing ease and calmness. The practice ends with a complete relaxation in shavasana.
Section 6
  • We laid a firm foundation for strength by relaxing and releasing tension. Then we increased flexibility, built core strength through agni sara and uddiyana bandha, and finally bridged relaxation and strength. Now we’ll put all of this together in a fluid daily practice. Building strength and relaxation is an ongoing process in which we continue to refine the practice.
  • This balanced daily practice includes all the components of building strength and stamina—from releasing tension to integrating strength and relaxation. The practice begins with breath awareness and warm-ups and includes a sun salutation variation, a flowing standing sequence, agni sara, seated postures, and a deep relaxation in shavasana. You'll enjoy this practice again and again as you experience its enormous benefits. Props (optional): 2 yoga blocks and a blanket.

How to Get This Course?

To obtain unlimited access to this course on all your devices, along with access to 300+ other yoga course and challenges, and all the content of Yoga International, just create a Yoga International account. The first 7 days are free. Cancel anytime!

Start your free trial

Meet Your Teacher

teacher avatar image
Luke Ketterhagen
Hi, I’m Luke Ketterhagen. I’ve been teaching and studying yoga for over twenty years. I specialize in... Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely, you can include this course in your Yoga Alliance training hours, with each hour equivalent to one continuing education credit.
This course is entirely self- paced, allowing you to learn at your convenience.There are no imposed deadlines or time constraints for Course completion.
No prerequisites are required; this course is open to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and practice.
No, the course is accessible to all individuals interested in enriching their understanding and practice of yoga.Yoga teaching certification is not a prerequisite.

Our Customers Love to Practice With Us. We Think You Will Too!

Audrey Walker
“I appreciate the breadth and depth of offering—classes, articles, workshops, courses for all levels of practitioners and for multiple styles of yoga teaching. I always learn new material and appreciate the opportunities to expand my own yoga knowledge and practice—as a teacher and a practitioner.”
Megan Green
“Yoga International brings diverse offerings in yoga, meditation, pranayama techniques and further education right into your home. I love the ability to use the various programs from home, making it possible to keep my practices consistent.”
Richard Williams
“Excellent source of information and knowledge! Many thanks! I love this platform and so do my students. The articles are amazing as are the classes and courses. YI covers every angle of helping us all deepen our practice.”

When you sign up for this course you also get:

  • 200+
    additional yoga courses
    Deepen your practice
  • 3000+
    yoga practices
    All styles and durations
  • 100+
    yoga challenges
    Get that extra motivation
  • yogic docu-series
    Learn and relax
  • 700+
    meditations
    Find your peace
  • 100+
    pranayama practices
    Get centered
  • Ayurvedic tutorials and recipes
    Get practical
  • Spiritual Teachings Lectures
    Go deep
  • 2700+
    articles
    Full access to our library
  • Unlimited access on all your devices
    Practice anytime anywhere
Start your free trial

Experience the Yoga International difference

We’ve spent the last 30 years becoming an indispensable compendium of yoga practices and resources like no other. Since 1991, Yoga International has been a trusted source leading students to the best yoga classes and teachers in the world so they can experience the transformational health benefits of yoga.

While other platforms have shifted to pilates and fitness focused content, we’ve stayed true to yoga and our mission to help you find the path that works best for you.

Course

Sign Up
Luke Ketterhagen

Unlock This Course Today

Start your free trial