Can yoga harm instead of heal? The latest SELF magazine article indicates that yoga may not be as safe as one might expect. Over 4,500 people ended up in the emergency room after yoga injuries in 2006 (according to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) and the incidence is rising.

Churches and gyms offer WholyFit as a safe and effective Christian Alternative to Yoga in order to fill the need for exercise that is safe spiritually as well as physically. WholyFit follows the group exercise safety recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine. Laura Monica, certified ACSM HFI, developed WholyFit based on 25 years of experience in group exercise instruction and personal training.

Laura says, “It’s amazing that basic principles of group exercise safety are often overlooked simply because a class is called ‘yoga.’ Following fitness industry safety guidelines should be standard practice for every type of exercise class. For example, full ‘Lotus,’ ‘Locust’ and ‘Plough’ are contraindicated for the general public, according to the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. WholyFit instructors are trained to follow accepted fitness industry standards.” It’s not just beginners who are injured in yoga classes. It is the foundational nature of yoga that is being questioned.

So what’s the Difference between WholyFit and Yoga? Yoga is a system built on ancient religious worship as its primary focus, not modern fitness guidelines. Jeffrey Halbrecht, M.D., medical director for the Institute for Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine in San Francisco says, “And it’s not only those in the recent wave of newbies who are getting hurt. I’ve treated more experienced yogis than rookies.”

1. Laura says, “Teaching flexibility takes an understanding of how God designed the human body to move. Flexibility requires stability and strength first so it’s not just a simple matter of stretching.”

WholyFit offers a crucial ten to fifteen minute warm-up which is often neglected in yoga classes however a warm-up is of the utmost importance to gradually ready the body before doing advanced stretching of all muscles. (Note: Relying on a hot room is no substitute for a proper warm-up.)

WholyFit Classes offer different levels of intensity for the beginner and the advanced so all can work the same format together. No one is ever left behind. WholyFit is perfect for Personal training with its cutting edge techniques that train the whole body in every way.

Laura Monica and Leah Nelson demonstrate exercises that are taught in WholyFit classes with modifications being offered first.