Yoga

[vashti]

Who here is in to yoga?

I just paid for a one-month, all the classes you can take membership in order to give it a fair shot.

yesterday's class was relatively easy, and pose-focused. None of the hippy-dippy earth-mother stuff, thankfully, but none of it strenuous enough to make me feel like it could replace real exercise. I also could have lived without the "ohhhhhmmmmmmmm" stuff at the end.

Today's class included a 30 minute meditation class that asked us to plug up one nostril at a time while chanting "ohhnnnngggggg" and exhaling through the remaining nostril, each side for 11 minutes, followed by laying on the floor in "corpse pose". I felt like an idiot.

Afterwards was a Kundalini class. The teacher tried to get me to do poses that I knew for sure would dislocate my left kneecap (it is already prone to dislocation), and suffered through her telling me the crunching sound in my knee was okay, just a result of electrolyte imbalances. Despite realizing she didn't know a thing about my anatomy/physiology, I liked the poses (they were harder to hold, and some of the exercises she had us do seemed to go on for hours), but I hated the focus on the wierd, animalistic breathing patterns. Listening to the girl next to me grunt like an animal is very distracting, and not at all attractive, IMO. To make matters worse, the instructor came around to listen to our grunts to ensure we were doing it correctly, so I couldn't even fake it.

So this is the thing: I know normal people who love yoga. What I want to know is why? Am I taking the wrong type of class? Is there one style that attracts less freaky people than another? Am I just going to have to learn to tolerate freaks better? Also, if you do yoga, do you combine it with real (cardiovascular) exercise, or do you consider this a workout? And did your love for yoga happen instantly, or over time?

[misombra]

i really like yoga. don't like the hippie classes. i did breathing exercises in one class in the university but he eased us into it. it was intense. some of the poses were seriously difficult.

but yoga is the only relief for back pain for me. can you try another teachers class? some are less fruity than others.

[s_b]

Hi Vashti,

I took up yoga this year. I took my first class back in February and then went back to it in August after i tore a muscle jogging - i figured i needed to lay off running for a few weeks to repair the tear and yoga was the perfect choice to keep me active.

I was concerned about the hippy-dippy shit at first but the class i go to is called Bikram yoga (or hot yoga). Basically, the room is heated to 45C and you go through the same postures each class for about an hour and half. I like it because:
1) You are so hot you have to learn to control your breathing and this is calming in so many situations outside of class
2) The classes are taught by upbeat instructors (emphasis is on having fun and doing what your body allows)
3) All sorts of jokers (including myself) go to that type of class - for the 90 mins it's an intense workout but chatting outside class the mix of people is nothing like what i expected in a yoga class (no strict grass eaters)
4) Because of the heat, it feels like a proper workout as your heart is pumping and physically you can feel exhausted but there is an energy rush a little while after that lasts the day i find
5) As each class is the same postures, you know what's in store for 90mins and you simply shut-off your mind and do the class. Just simply focusing on the class means i'm not focusing on all the other shit going in my head for this time and i find it very liberating and calming.
6) You sweat like a pig but the glowing skin that remains is great - especially when you head out into the cold in winter.

There are no weird-ass postures and no grunting at all - just an emphasis on natural breathing and control really. The postures are just variations on stretchings and building up core strength along the spine (no legs behind head type gumbo)


I tend to go a couple of times a week (depending on my work schedule) but might have to cut this down as I need to start running again (training for first marathon in April). I'm thinking of combining though to see if it gives any benefits.

Hope this is useful.

[vashti]

Misombra - Yeah, I can take all the classes I want for a month at this studio, with any teacher I want. Is there a particular style you prefer?

[vashti]

sb - my sister does hot yoga, and she likes it too, but I don't understand why it should be beneficial to artificially heat the body to the point where you are losing electrolytes. Anyway, I don't know that this studio offers hot yoga - the room they work out in is fairly large and open.

BTW - both of my knees hurt from this morning's session!

[misombra]

Misombra - Yeah, I can take all the classes I want for a month at this studio, with any teacher I want. Is there a particular style you prefer?

ummmmm, i guess hatha yoga was a style i liked. you do breathing exercises but you do them while you're doing your poses. you move with your breath. breath in/ downward dog, breath out/ childs pose, etc etc.

but i don't really know about the styles. i just did the general thing. i'm starting prenatal yoga this week yipee!

[s_b]

Well one benefit is that warming the room heats the body and in-turn aids your warm up before you hit the postures. Perhaps not warming up screwed your knees? Defo not a good sign if your knees hurt - i only know of people tired after class, not in pain. Speak to your instructor if they weren't hurting before.

Yes, sweating does lose your electrolytes naturally, but it's no different to hitting the gym and doing some hardcore cardio work. You can take water/drinks into the class to top you up if needs be and drink like a fish after (i've found coconut water is great for getting the salts back in shape).

I like to think it's almost like exercising in a sauna - quite often if i'm just not in the zone to do the moves I lie on the mat, close my eyes and make-out as if i'm on a beach in Thailand.

[vashti]

I guess the difference in my thinking is that when you sweat during a cardiovascular exercise, you are also burning a lot of calories, which doesn't seem to be the case with yoga (so far).

You can probably tell there are few things I consider worth sweating over, namely burning calories, and sex.

And my knees? They actually hurt, although that is probably because I normally tend to minimize the stress I put directly on them, but today I pushed it further than I usually do. It's all good, so long as the patella stays in place.

[s_b]

All I can say is watch them knees - this Christmas (and last few weeks) have all been about knees...my mum went in for an op on one and she's been hobbling along ever since bless-her. I guess standing up and working in a store for 30 years doesn't help.

[Charlie Boy II]

i love yoga. What i found was that it felt a little too easy at first, but as your technique develops it can get incredibly hard. Even simple poses really work you when they're done with the right technique.

Keep it up Vash, it's one of the best forms of exercises you can do, I think.

[vashti]

I tried picturing you doing the chanting, charlieboy.

Impossible.

[AdminOnline]

I am choosing between learning taiji or yoga..

my uncle who practice both before say yoga is easily to get hold.. it is not so long winded like taiji...

[vashti]

Really? Well I am all about simplicity... you should try it and let me know what you think, loveadmin. We can suffer together.

So today, my knees don't hurt anymore, but my thighs and back are sore. I'm actually good with that, because it makes me feel like my efforts weren't wasted.

[Perryville]

Vash, maybe you should try Tai-chi or something like that.

[Charlie Boy II]

haha, no I don't do chanting. Our classes don't have that.