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Yoga

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    • Yoga

      Does anyone here do yoga?
      Do you think it helps with long distance backpacking?

      Planning on doing the last 440 miles in NH and ME in the Summer of 2017, and know with all the climbing (I am guessing this part is not going to be "just walking"), I need to become more like a cat or a monkey (currently probably more like a bowling ball). I went to my wife's yoga class last week, and considering doing it one to two times a week. Wondering if the benefits of that outweighs the extra time I am giving up walking.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • i have not but I'm sure it does. It's on my list of things to do. Probably will when I retire. I'm very non flexible. It should help with aerobic ability too. I know that if I do a home improvement project that involves holding you body in an unnatural position (such as plumbing under the kitchen sink) it is amazingly exhausting. For some there is a spiritual aspect to it which I am less interested in. I would look for a yoga class that stresses the physical benefits.

    • Yoga is great as long as you have an instructor who is right for you. IMO, that's the most important consideration when looking for a class.

      A good instructor will show you alternate ways to do poses so you don't hurt or embarrass yourself. They should tell you that each person's practice is different and to only do what is comfortable. They should be mindful of injuries or physical limitations and provide blocks and straps (and demonstrate how to use them properly).

      There are some great yoga classes on YouTube for those who prefer to practice in private.

      Pro tip, don't eat beans before yoga class.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • odd man out wrote:

      i have not but I'm sure it does. It's on my list of things to do. Probably will when I retire. I'm very non flexible. It should help with aerobic ability too. I know that if I do a home improvement project that involves holding you body in an unnatural position (such as plumbing under the kitchen sink) it is amazingly exhausting. For some there is a spiritual aspect to it which I am less interested in. I would look for a yoga class that stresses the physical benefits.
      Most gyms teach 'fitness yoga' and minimize the spiritual aspect.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • One of the folks I snow ski with (she's much better than I) recommended yoga. I started and have since continued. I can't specify whether it has improved endurance, but give credit to improved flexibility which most likely reduces injury potential.

      However I've gone from thrice to a single weekly session, but have continued at home.

      Concur with TJ regarding an instructor willing to demo alternate positioning particularly for new folks or the inflexible.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Dan76: Clarity ().

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Yoga is great as long as you have an instructor who is right for you. IMO, that's the most important consideration when looking for a class.

      A good instructor will show you alternate ways to do poses so you don't hurt or embarrass yourself. They should tell you that each person's practice is different and to only do what is comfortable. They should be mindful of injuries or physical limitations and provide blocks and straps (and demonstrate how to use them properly).

      There are some great yoga classes on YouTube for those who prefer to practice in private.

      Pro tip, don't eat beans before yoga class.
      The instructor appears to be very good, my wife has been going to her classes for years. They had mats, blocks, and straps. As for beans, since it is at 6am I do not believe that should be an issue, but thanks for the warning.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • I used to do yoga with some regularity, it helps immensely with improving your stabilizer muscles as well as with stretching.

      One less obvious benefit is it helps you identify problem areas in your body that need more attention, which can mean anything from a muscle that is really tight, a place that needs more strength training, or an imbalance between your right and left side of your body (for example my right leg is "shorter" than my left due to hip issues and I have learned that I need to do regular hamstring stretches to pull my femur back it the correct position)
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Did y'all know there is hot yoga and naked yoga? Hot yoga is done in a hot environment so you sweat and naked yoga is self explanatory. You can find naked yoga on YouTube also.
      I'm thinking hot naked yoga because well you know cold naked yoga would make things well you know...... :)
      "Dazed and Confused"
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      Make a difference

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Did y'all know there is hot yoga and naked yoga? Hot yoga is done in a hot environment so you sweat and naked yoga is self explanatory. You can find naked yoga on YouTube also.
      I'm thinking hot naked yoga because well you know cold naked yoga would make things well you know...... :)
      ...that's some next level hippie stuff right there.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      There are some great yoga classes on YouTube for those who prefer to practice in private.
      In my extremely limited experience, using a video isn't worth a damn for a beginner. Or maybe it was just me. Once you've learned the basics it's probably great. But I had no one to correct me if I was wrong, or as you mentioned, give me alternates when I couldn't get anywhere close (I'm about as flexible as concrete with extra rebar). I also found that looking up at the TV messed up a fair number of poses.

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Pro tip, don't eat beans before yoga class.
      Cof124


      Now for a--**GAG**--serious answer. I haven't done enough yoga to benefit from it, but I have never known anyone who practices regularly who hasn't seen benefits to pretty much every aspect of fitness/physical performance. And some with all the spiritual blahblahblah, but that part doesn't interest me.
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Grinder ().

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Did y'all know there is hot yoga and naked yoga? Hot yoga is done in a hot environment so you sweat and naked yoga is self explanatory. You can find naked yoga on YouTube also.
      I'm thinking hot naked yoga because well you know cold naked yoga would make things well you know...... :)
      I believe the word you're looking for was coined by Bob Ross who had a term for something similar...he called em "little hangy downs" :D

    • Interestingly I was talking to a graduate of a Marine sniper school last month and he spoke of advice he received from instructors to partake of yoga classes to maintain flexibility. Some stances a sniper takes to get into a shooting position requires holding motionless for hours on end.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Who needs yoga? I just crawl into a small confined space under my tarp, take off and put on shoes, and wriggle into and out of a mummy bag, all while trying to avoid the condensation on the underside of the tarp. That's plenty of stretching for me.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does