Yoga ?

[silverclaws]

Anyone do it ?

Feeling the benefits ?

But to not destroy another thread, I thought to start a new thread, but from that thread ;

I have practiced Yoga since 1989 every morning.........i used to teach about every other year.

Used to do 2-2 half hours a day...now about 20mins....but will never give it up as long as i can do it.

I used to do the 1st series of Ashtanga vinyasa (power yoga) but formed my own style of 'quick yoga' for people who don't have 2 hours. It can be done in 20mins if your fast.

I have done something I read in a book for about twenty years off and on, from a book my father had until I pinched it, can't remember the name, only recognise the cover and see it come up quite often in charity shops and with that might get it again if I see it for the retro appeal, as I think the book was from the seventies.

But a few years back in preparation for learning to dance, I did a year of pain with Iyengar to correct some postural problems to include scoliosis and hip misalignment resulting from slipping a disc twice in the same place and just battling through it modifying my posture to avoid the damaged area as much as possible. The Iyengar did it's stuff and I vowed never again as the dancing keeps the core strength I need to keep the injury happy and maintains my mobility. But despite saying no more Iyengar, I have found myself wandering back into some of the asanas during my dance practice at home. But what I learned years ago from that little old book, I still do, that is the core of my practice. ( Ah, remembered the title; Yoga for Men )

But a video I am always impressed with;

http://youtu.be/Hu9Sq1RvuoA

and Iyengar for back, knees and a few other bits ;

http://youtu.be/62wpqMuXzqc

Anyone else ?

 

[greenstiles]

when you mentioned book from 70's i assumed you meant 'Richard Hittlemans' series on books ? That's what i started with, his meditations, then i went to a lessson with 'Danny paradise' from Hawaii for astanga and was hooked........that was as i said late 80's
What is interesting now though is a lot of people inc teachers (like richard black) are coming forward about yoga injuries due to over practice.

Most people don't realise that yoga was meant as a preperation to raise your lifeforce out of your body and attain other planets. Basically suicide to other worlds. Sound freeky i know but that's the truth of it. It just so happens that yoga has phyical benefits that the modern world latched on to.

Now you get all kinds of stuff with the word yoga attached to it ! but has absolutly no connection what so ever.

As an exercise it it great but repetative strain injury is possible with yoga as much as anything else.

Old yoga was sitting postures mainly with emphesis on the breathing and meditation, not the gymnastic show that it is today and worse......baby yoga :roll:

 

[greenstiles]

That was my moan above....but being positive any physical exercise that has variation in is good for you.

The breathing techniques take things to another level though. The audiable breath is quite astounding at creating an internal heat and why i don't know but it really does detoxify the body...............when i 1st started i broke out in water blisters that smelt of fags (i was still smoking then ) i could go on, but it is like having a sauna from the inside out !

I once tried a cleansing technique snorting water up my nose, 1/2 pint went in , and i'm still waiting for it to come back out (22 years later !!)

We all have different body types and shapes, some of us respond better to certain types of exercise than other. It's good to try a few different types to see what suits you.

 

[silverclaws]

Yoga to me was attractive because I don't believe in exerting oneself without a good reason to do so, and sports never were my interest, as competitive I am not. Yet I had to exercise, I knew that, but what interested and satisfied me was the idea of fitness as flexibility, litheness and agility, not muscles and all that, I have not the build for bulk and so far I have kept it off with ease, but times are changing, age is creeping in and now I realise I have to do more to keep what I have got and become fitter as my other interests demand more fitness to excel and the singular activities I do, for the first time in my life I feel the need to be the best I can be.

Oh yeah and that breathing water through the nose thing, I did that when I had hay fever, at first I felt like I was drowning, it was not nice at all, but I persevered with salt water and got to the point where hay fever for the first time I could control it without drugs, as I had hay fever, allergic to every pollen from age 4 right through to age 37, then it suddenly went, gone, and never a sniffle since. But my youth was always tired, all through summer as piriton was a mild sedative as wel as being an anti histamine.

But of yoga, where I dabble, it appears to me you went for it big, but with that you could be envied for what you can do, for Yoga does very good thing I know, and I was once impressed as I was taught a bit of yoga in the Middle East, where I once lived, by a 78 year old woman, who could tie herself in knots, the likes of which I had never seen before, so flexible she was, and at here age too. I there realised this practice was to ensure health and wellbeing for life, not just until retirement age.

 

[greenstiles]

One thing to remember is that flexibilty although desirable is natural to some and others have to work very hard for it.

Some people who have never done yoga can (because of their genetic pysiology) bend into most moves with little effort or practice, but although it may look good, if they are not working/taxing the body to do that, then they are mearly 'making shapes'

Where as some people start and can't do a thing through stiffness and sometimes old injury and they can work through stuff and gain in fitness and flexibility.

Example one famous teacher who could get into very advanced postures had a stiffness with one ankle that took 15 years ! to become as flexible as the other.

Also you can do the same routine for years only to realise that your body is so used to it that it doesn't demand a lot of effort to do therefore is less effective and is not pushing thebody gently to improve.

As you get older i have found that any 'inversions' even just touching your toes for a few minutes at a time greatly help with keeping your circulation good (a problem that can lead to all kinds of bad when getting older)

I still say walking is the best exercise in the world for a human. But because it takes a long time (we don't all have 2-3 hours spare a day) other exercise routines must be found. Obviously cycling in great too.

But as a basis to fitness, some yoga and breathing make a great frame to work from. But sometimes with our complex stresses listening to nice music can relax your body as much as doing relaxing exercise.

Being holistic is prob the best way, ie yoga 1st thing, eat well, watch your posture in work, don't eat too much in the evening, do something relaxing before bed.



Just to add if you want to do Ujjayi breath the best way to learn it is to geta mirror and breathe onit like your trying to mist it up. ha ha breaths.......do this a few times slowly, then close your mouth and do it through your nose. Bingo ! that's the best way to learn it proper. Just make it as loud on the in as the out then, but not raspy...smooth..........helps you get up big hilsl cycling too