Not that long ago, most Americans thought of yoga as an obscure practice, the province of health nuts and quirky hippies. Athletes and cardio-junkies never considered yoga serious exercise.
 
How times have changed! Yoga is now one of the most popular forms of exercise in the country. If you still think yoga is a lot of sitting around in pretzel positions and chanting, with very little heart-pounding or sweating, you don’t know yoga.

“I believe the biggest challenge [in yoga] is just getting the courage to try something different or new,” says Kristian Bush of Sugarland. “Try to forget the stereotype in your mind. Yoga is for everyone — children, athletes, moms, dads, accountants, truck drivers, even country stars.”
 
He’s right. LeAnn Rimes, Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Bush’s bandmate Jennifer Nettles are just a few of the major believers in the benefits of yoga, including increased strength and flexibility, stress relief, and improved overall fitness.

“I’ve been doing yoga for about nine years,” says Shannon Wright, of The Wrights. “I can honestly say that it is my favorite type of exercise. It’s a ‘one-stop-shop.’ You’re working out your mind, body and spirit. I walk away feeling stronger, more focused and with more energy every time I practice. What more could you ask for in a workout routine?”

If yoga seems too tame for you, maybe you haven’t taken the right classes. Some are gentle Hatha-style yoga, and others are variations of the more vigorous Vinyasa style. Ashtanga yoga is fast-paced, and is sometimes the basis for “power yoga” classes. There are dozens of variations of these, mixing different styles or combining yoga with Pilates or some other exercise. Every yoga instructor is different, using his or her own eclectic mix of poses at his or her own pace. If you sample a few, you’re bound to find one that meets your needs, including weight loss, if that’s your goal.
 
“The change in my body was quite a surprise,” says Bush. “I have the waist size back that I had in college, and the mental benefit is tremendous. To take an hour or even a half-hour every day helps to keep my mind clear and make space for new things.”

“Yoga is great for me on many levels, not only as a way to stay in shape on the road, but also as a great way to meditate,” says Sweet. “I started doing it in earnest about three years ago and have never looked back. It takes great strength and balance to hold the positions, and it also requires you to still your mind, your breath, and stretch at the same time. It is challenging, and I can do it almost anywhere.”

Read more about Sugarland and yoga.

Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild are partners in marriage – and in the gym, too.

“We like to work out together,” Karen says. “We try not to talk too much business while we’re working out, and plus we like to hold each other accountable for staying in shape. We hadn’t been very good at in the last year, because we had gotten so busy, and in the last few months, it’s picked up again. We said, ‘OK, we’ve got to be disciplined.’ It’s a chance to clear our heads together and be away from everyone else on the road, and to be a couple.”

With a boost from a personal trainer, they gravitate toward circuit training, because it hits so many body parts in a short amount of time. Jimi, fellow LBT member Philip Sweet and the guys in their touring band are also partial to basketball on the road. “That’s some of the best cardio you can get because you’re constantly moving,” Jimi says.

“That’s fun for the boys,” Karen adds. “I like to do yoga too. That’s a newfound interest for me. Sugarland is really into yoga. I had taken about 10 classes or so, and now that we’re on tour with them, I’ve been taking more classes with them. It’s great to give your mind a break, and the stretching. You have to be pretty strong to do some of those positions.”

In the last few years, Jimi and Karen have discovered a feeling of peace that goes along with skiing, citing Crested Butte and Steamboat Springs, Colo., among their favorite slopes. With the fourth member, Kimberly Roads, heavily devoted to her fitness routine on the road (as well as bringing along her new baby on tour), the band members simply can’t shrug off an afternoon of exercise.

“We don’t really have an excuse on our bus,” says Karen, “other than just laziness.”