Namaskaram and Happy New Years Eve fellow yogis and yoginis!
Im sure this has been discussed before but I am wondering if you could share your ideas with me on whether yoga is enough of a physical exercise. I practice every day for 2 hours a day but lately Im starting to ponder whether I need to incorporate weight training and cardio into my life. Most people I’ve spoken to on this have told me that yoga does not build muscle and that i need to use other ways of exercise to be fully healthy. Yoga is #1 for me so i dont want to cut time out of my practice and adding weight training and cardio would put me at over 3 hours of exercise on some days. I dont have that kind of time. So I would love to hear from you all on your ideas. Infinite Blessings
hmmmm… please say more about what you expect from being “fully healthy”.
I guess what I mean is healthy heart (cardio) strong muscles and bones (weight lifting) and even being physically in better shape.
To begin, it is important to clarify that Yoga is not physical exercise. Yoga is a vast system for human evolution of which a miniscule fraction is a physical practice. Furthermore, if discussing only asana, one could make the case that it is a physical practice but viewing asana in such a way is slightly myopic as the physicality is but bait to draw one in to a much larger exploration.
That having been said, both Iyengar and Jois have lived well beyond their 80’s without weight training. Of course their lifestyles are a far cry for the ones we live - Iyengar at times practicing asana for 8 hours a day.
I believe Yoga mandates a certain malleability of mind. Therefore what is appropriate has to be crafted within a context. For today’s person it may very well be necessary to do some mindful work with light weights, lead a more active lifestyle in terms of walking or riding their bike (as a lifestyle not as hours dedicated to fitness) in order to be “well”.
For building muscle it is true that the load on the muscle must increase. However there are some differing views as to what muscle health means and what role that plays in overall health over time.
I personally have stopped going to the gym but I do have a bar I can hang from at home (traction the spine daily) and there are some lightweight dumbbells under the couch.
We all have to discover what health means for us and how best to pursue it. The tool all students of yoga must cultivate is the tool of discernment so that such questions can be answered within.
Namaste,
Thank you for your reply InnerAthlete. Your reply has been very insightful for me. I am fairly new to yoga but very deeply commited. Im still learning to trust myself and my body. Because i enjoy my practice so much sometimes i think that maybe im not doing enough. I agree with you have said, Om Shanti
if you are fairly flexible and strong you may want to take up ashtanga. the vinyasas and charturangah throughout the practice would be able to provide you the cardio and muscles that you are looking for. :lol:
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;26596]
I personally have stopped going to the gym but I do have a bar I can hang from at home (traction the spine daily) and there are some lightweight dumbbells under the couch.
[/QUOTE]
I fall into this same camp. Having been a weightlifting gym rat for 25 years I came to yoga as a means to help reverse some of the resultant damage.
In addition to the the hanging bar and dumbbells I have a jumprope at home. In about 20-30 minutes 2-3 times per week I can knock out enough resistance work to complement my daily yoga practice. This has allowed me to eliminate time in the gym.
Another thing that many underestimate the impact of is how we move our bodies outside of formal exercise practice. There is much to the truth of life being a vinyasa. Mindful breathing and body awareness in all activities is exceptionally beneficial.
The style of kundalini yoga, from the classes I have attended and the manuals I have bought, may fit what you are asking about. Is it a style that fits you, I cant answer that one. There are probably classes in your area that you can try and see.
best of luck to you
Brother Neil
It’s all about balance and what brings you joy. I’m a bit of a gym addict, although I did stop for 3 months when I discovered yoga for the first time. My muscles were dense and shortened and I allowed my practice to ‘free’ them a bit. Then I returned with a new range of motion which allows me to go ‘deeper’ at the gym, while the strength I gain at the gym allows me to go ‘deeper’ at my practice.
That said, I agree that anyone practicing yoga for 2 hours a day is likely to have some happy, healthy muscles - without the need to grunt away.
I happen to dislike going to the gym so I guess I ask this question with the hope that it would not be necessary to go to the gym however, I know that if its weightlifting and cardio are necessary for wholistic health then im willing to struggle through it. I appreciate all the feedback .
I would have to disagree that asana cannot be used for building mucles and leanness. Depends on what type you do - ashtanga yoga is quite good for that but not very good for folk with postrual issues so i would really advise against it. The pace is far too quick to cultivate any awarensss of what is actually going on in the various bodies. But some types of hatha yoga & asana it is a great work-out and easily beats any gym woork-out any day… The thing with weight machines i the tend to target very specific muscle groups but not in a very balnced or methodical way even with the best of sequences and methods. Also lacking in the cardio deparrtment too. No muscle works in isolation. The body is an organism,not a machine.
As i say ashtanga yoga is a great workout- and beats the gym any day but is not apporpriate for folk with postural issues or stiffness. It can tend border on the agressive and risk bolstering the ego which can lead to injury.
Y ou can get cardio, muscle-strength bulking, detoxiiiiiification, cleansing- everything for physical health ,and more ,in some of in some hatha yoga but yet it is not appropriate for everyone. In fact i would strongly advise against it for some people, with certain health or postural health for which this yoga can only make things worse, bbut that is not what you asked.
But if you can doing alot of arm-balnces and inversions, chataranga dandasana and the like if these are not contr-indicated for you can really build & bulk up your upper body-muscle strength if that is what you are after… this might dpend to some degree on genes and/or constittion but this was my experience. besides the gym is so boring and asana can also give you a high too… ideally you want balanced body type which means wworking on the legs, the foundation, holding poses longer, coming out of poses slowly careully and in a controlled manner.
You will find the depper you go in yoga the obession with body image and how you apear becomes less & less, as you discover this is not what makes you happy over-all… That’s to say your goals and motivations change as your consciousnes shifts.As you get older you tend to be less and less concerned about how you look. You realise it is phony anyway.
So yes yoga is enough, & more.That’s not to say- stop hillwalking or swimming or entering iron-man’s or triathlons , But Go with the yogas that giive you more of a work-out if that is what you want.
Doing yoga only is not enough in todays Chaos Life. You must improve your belief system about the world. You must read good books written by famous yogic or else you can listen rhytmic music to improve our presence of Life. Tracks which I hear more are from Ojas Foundation’s, Ojas - Vedic Chanting, Eliminate Stress and Ardhana.
alfred – I suggest that these other elements do fall within the realm of yoga, even if one does not do them on the mat.