Yoga

[vashti]

Look around for different yoga places. Some yoga places are really retarded and filled with new age yuppies who think they'll find spiritual enlightenment, one of my friends recommended the final place I went to and it was a sane relaxed place with people who liked the art and didn't have any bizarre pretense about what yoga really is.

Is it in Berkeley, by chance? If so, what's the name of the studio?

[lahnnabell]

I enjoy hot yoga classes. They allow my muscles to warm and stretch better. The heat, the sweat, and the pace of the classes (some instructors are more intense than others) get me out of my head and back into the rest of my body. After an hour and a half I feel cleansed and focused. I'm at my most content when I'm doing yoga consistently.

[vashti]

After an hour and a half I feel cleansed and focused. I'm at my most content when I'm doing yoga consistently.

Cleansed of what, though?

See, this is my issue with a lot of this new-aged pseudo-science. The liver and kidneys function to rid the body of impurities, and sweat does little more than nothing.

This is why I get so irritated at yoga teachers like the one I had that teaches kundalini... I resent that they capitalize on the naivety of some of their students by promoting the idea that they know as much about physical health as a doctor.

If you are talking about being spiritually cleansed, that's fine... I just don't think it is at all medically accurate to say there is anything cleansing about it.

[lahnnabell]

Cleansed of what, though?

No, it is not a medical cleansing. It is a mental and spiritual cleansing for me. The deep and rhythmic breathing bring more oxygen to my brain and a strong sense of clarity envelops me. I can think straight, and my life makes sense. I don't feel lucid when I'm bogged down in work and paying bills.

Yoga takes me away from my anxiety. I like the physical sensations of being enveloped by the heat of the room and the sound of my breathing. We spend so much time locked in our heads, judging and criticizing others as well as ourselves, that it is refreshing to block it out for a while.

[lahnnabell]

And the sweat, for me, is more like a representation of how hard my body is working. I feel the sweat on my skin, and I see it, and it signals to my brain that I am working. But I am not working for anyone else but myself. No one's expectations matter but my own. If you find yourself in a room with a judgmental instructor who is not letting you practice at your own pace, then you need to find a new instructor. However, it is their job to push you as well.

Yoga is also about pushing past limits, real or imagined. You teach your body to do things you otherwise thought it couldn't do.

[Charlie Boy II]

when I was doing hot yoga, people kept commenting on how good my skin looked. Which is kind of weird, as I'm a guy.

[qwertz]

Ive thought about going to some classes, but really dont have the first clue about it, all i know is that i can do the whole leg behind my shoulder and head position..if thats even a position! lol
But seriously though, i might look into it.

[MVPlaya]

Is it in Berkeley, by chance? If so, what's the name of the studio?

It is, its called Yoga to the People. I went there about 3 years ago.

[IndiReloaded]

I enjoy hot yoga classes. They allow my muscles to warm and stretch better.

This is what hot tubs are for. Plus you get to drink a nice, cleansing martini or G&T while in it.

Of course, yoga CAN be cleansing if you get into the weird things like pulling a wet cloth through your nostrils. I think neti pots come from yoga, don't they?

Its just a question of what you like. I do a fruit/juice only fast 1-2 a year. I always feel prett good on it.

[lahnnabell]

This is what hot tubs are for. Plus you get to drink a nice, cleansing martini or G&T while in it.

Of course, yoga CAN be cleansing if you get into the weird things like pulling a wet cloth through your nostrils. I think neti pots come from yoga, don't they?

Its just a question of what you like. I do a fruit/juice only fast 1-2 a year. I always feel prett good on it.

Ahhh... I want a G&T so bad right now. I just got the last of a bottle of Jameson at the moment.

Neti pots freak me out a bit. It sounds like it MIGHT feel good, but I've had issues with stuffy nose and sinus infections before so I worry it may upset the balance more than help.

My boyfriend has a cold at the moment. He'd probably freak out if I told him what a Neti pot was for, haha. "You do what?! Why? In my nose?!"

Juice fasting has always interested me. I try to at least maintain a balanced diet by drinking plenty of water, taking my fish oil capsules, and drinking more juices than coffee or soda. I've been really bad lately, but hey, the holidays and the stress of this economy are my excuses

[vashti]

So I tried a pilate/yoga class last night - it was the best so far. I took my kids and one of their friends with me, and I laughed when then the instructor asked my girl if there was anything wrong with her. (She is very inflexible.) I think there was a lot more muscle work with this class, and a lot of abdominal work, which my kids complained about, but I didn't because I already do quite a lot of abdominal work so I won't hurt my back rolling around those really big patients at the hospital.

I tried just a plain level 1 yoga class tonight... it was okay, I guess. Nice nap at the end...

BTW - those neti pots are great if you suffer from sinus infections or allergies. They are disgusting and kind of creepy, but offer a lot of relief.

[vashti]

JACKPOT!

I found a class I liked - they call it "flow yoga", meaning you flow from one pose into another without holding any single pose for a very long time. This class had me sweating, so I feel like I got a good workout.

[lahnnabell]

Yeah, those are the best ones!

[vashti]

Today's yoga class was kind of painful... in a good way, I think.

[lovesjoyajm]

My roommate had a neti pot and she swore by it. Luckily I haven't been really congested in awhile, but I'll probably get one if a cold hits.

So vash, are you saying there's no "cleansing" aspect to a sweat lodge or sauna? Underground (literally and figuratively) sweats were an enjoyable part of my last two summers - the best one was right next to a stream, so we would jump out of the sweat into a cold stream for a few minutes (allegedly to rinse off all the "toxins" we had sweated out) and then go warm up around a fire and eat crackers with homemade butter.