Balancing my practice

[Jade]

I have been practicing Integral Hatha Yoga for 2 years. Before practing yoga I was working out with weights and doing Karate. I went cold turkey from that into yoga because my body and mind broke down emotionally and physically. Since starting my yoga practice yoga my energy both mentally and physically have returned and I feel healthy once again.

As of late though. My body feels as though it needs more physically. I have started to workout with weights again, and feel that this is helping alot. I have even notcied it helping with my yoga practice as far as feeling stronger in certain poses. My problem is finding the balance between just a physical workout and my yoga practice. I will be honest in saying that I have never been one to workout everyday or even do my yoga practice every day. When I "physically workout" I feel guilty for not doing yoga, And at times when I'm doing yoga I feel that maybe I should have done a physical workout instead. How do I balance the 2 and still have a life? LOL!! I'm quite busy and do not have time to do an hour wokout with weights and an hour of yoga each time I practice. Maybe I am asking too much of myself?

Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[Mukunda]

Yoga can certainly built upper body tone. Though Integral Yoga is not reknowned for builing buff yogis. If you simply do more sun salutes than is in the normal integral routine you will definitely develop more strength and stamina. I always encourage more sensibility in yoga rather than searching utside it for benefits not found there. One needs to understand what yoga can do and then pursue developing common sense along with your physical body goals. One hour is plenty of time to achieve your goal. namaste

[donna]

The fight with tamas and rajas is different from individual to individual.

I believe that your natural intelligence is telling the truth - listen to it!

Obviously, you have enough energy for both fitness and yoga.

If you feel that you need to mobilize your physical tamas through fittness, do it now, before tamas gets to your mind.

Some years ago, yoga wasn't enough for me, either. I chose to practise fitness every other day, in the mornings. And yoga, every evening. This combination worked wonderfully for me, beacouse my mind was stiller and my body more fit for asanas, so I became able to practice yoga for 2-3, sometimes even 4 hours every day, with a great pleasure.

When somebody has a strong, healthy body, this means he worked hard to build it, through several lifes. So it would be a personal waste to ignore its needs. (Sorry, but this is the true: yoga is amazing, but some people can and want to do some more physical work with their bodies.)