New to Yoga (and hooked) Combining with Exercise/weight Lifting Question

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I just started taking Yoga a month ago and am loving it. Best workout of my life, best sweat, and I feel like a million bucks after… zing! I’ve been doing vinyasa flow at a local studio (90 minutes).

I still like to lift weights (I’m a male) and do cardio but I find I am extremley sore everywhere for 2 or 3 days after yoga.

Can anyone tell me if continuing to lift weights and or do cardio is going to hinder my growth in Yoga or vice versa?

Do you know how often I should do yoga to to grow? I’ve been going once a week.

I have to say I’ve never felt so good, spiritually and physically since i’ve started. Its helped me get in the mindset where I have been able to quit drinking caffeine, take sleeping medications, and even eat healthier… somehow

I feel more at peace all together!

#2

Depends how fast you want to grow:)) I’m practicing every day for 10 years now (asanas, good thoughts:) pranyamas, diet, ahimsa, meditation, chanting etc) not just for sweat! Ones a week good too, but keep in mind that too much stretching weakens muscle power for weight lifting. I do minimal weight and martial arts and it just helps me discover and improve myself as well. Good luck with your yoga practice!

#3

Surfr,

What sort of “yoga growth” are you referring to?

There may be some places you will not be able to take your practice in Yoga as a result of cardio and weightlifting. But of course that depends on how you are doing it, what your intention is, how old you are, what you eat, how you sleep, what you breath…

We’re on a forum with no one right answer, my friend.

#4

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;28509]Surfr,

What sort of “yoga growth” are you referring to?

There may be some places you will not be able to take your practice in Yoga as a result of cardio and weightlifting. But of course that depends on how you are doing it, what your intention is, how old you are, what you eat, how you sleep, what you breath…

We’re on a forum with no one right answer, my friend.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess the main area I was thinking about is becoming flexible like some of the more advanced people. Beyond that I do want to be able to meditate and breathe better, to be more centered and calm. Part of the reason I’ve pursued this is to defeat anxiety, was taking meds for it for a while but have been able to stop since I started yoga.

I’m not so much interested in the spiritual side, to be honest some of the “spiritual” teachers of yoga turn me off to it as much as tv pastors turn me off to Christianity. Maybe because I’m just seeing the Americanized Hollywood twist to it, I don’t know.

#5

I used to do traditional exercise like running, sit ups etc (even free weights for a while), I found Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, so did both for a time. Eventually I found yoga was much more practical and wide ranging in my life. So I use only yoga.

I think so long as you are honouring your body and not abusing it, it doesn’t matter if you combine yoga and traditional exercise, but you may find traditional exercise becomes less satisfying, possibly, although this is my experience.

#6

“I’m not so much interested in the spiritual side, to be honest some of the “spiritual” teachers of yoga turn me off to it as much as tv pastors turn me off to Christianity. Maybe because I’m just seeing the Americanized Hollywood twist to it, I don’t know.”

I hear ya!

“I feel like a million bucks after… zing!”

But why so much better than after a “regular workout”?

And if you can feel like a million bucks in SoFla there must be something to it! (Apparently I will respond to anyone from WPB south with what I hope to be a witty barb!)

#7

@soflasurfr

Flexibility it is then.
It is more challenging, though not impossible, to maintain flexibility while simultaneously lifting weights. And this too would depending on the type or nature of weight lifting one was doing.

Functional strength training would be different than weight training and both would be different than body building. Some weight work contracts the muscle while it is shortened (or shortening) which is a concentric contraction (generally). The work of yoga is to contract the muscle while lengthening it (eccentric contraction). Ergo some weight work is slightly helpful while other weight work is not at all helpful - when the mission is flexibility.

I’d also add this caveat: Flexibility in yoga is not only low-hanging fruit, it can also be misleading and dangerous. The body has some limitations and inherent ROM (range of motion). Yoga is not about flexibility. It is about moving some things while stabilizing other things. This however may be a more intermediate perspective which a beginning student or one studying with an inexperienced teacher might not “get”.

#8

I can share my experience as it mirrors yours fairly well. I ‘discovered’ ashtanga yoga about 5 years ago. Prior to that I was a weight-room guy for over 20 years. I had some difficulty at first and decided to stay away from the gym until I felt comfortably on my way to being fluid in my asanas - about 4 months.

When I returned to the gym I had to adjust and modify my workout routine a bit. My weights dropped by 30% for more reps. What I have found is that I have gained more muscle definition and overall tonality. Now, I alternate back bending and forward bending between sets to remain flexible, but also to balance my heart rate. I have found more stamina as well.

I’m not a pro, but I feel that my yoga practice was very effective in elongating and strengthening my muscles, particularly chest, hamstrings and biceps. I am still working on opening my shoulders.