OT: Yoga

[August_West]

I think I might have to change my signature.

" Economy of motion"


I'm nothing if not efficient.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ok, I'll admit I've been curious for at least a few years but afraid to check it out because every time I researched it there were so many options that I felt at sea and that it would be too uncomfortable to start now.

As we know, our new coach is apparently a fairly recent convert and Some Guy asked him about it yesterday at the presser.

I run daily and I love it, but I do very little strength/core stuff and I know I should do more. My CrossFit friends keep on me to try that, but I know that's not for me. I've also been curious about Pilates, but I have pretty much the same apprehension that I have with yoga, i.e., too many options and too awkward to start now.

So...any Yarders do yoga? What would you recommend for an active 50-something guy to start?

Many gyms have these classes. It’s mostly yoga with some Pilates and taichi mixed in.

BODYBALANCE – Yoga-Based Group Fitness – Les Mills

 

[huskyrob1]

Ok, I'll admit I've been curious for at least a few years but afraid to check it out because every time I researched it there were so many options that I felt at sea and that it would be too uncomfortable to start now.

As we know, our new coach is apparently a fairly recent convert and Some Guy asked him about it yesterday at the presser.

I run daily and I love it, but I do very little strength/core stuff and I know I should do more. My CrossFit friends keep on me to try that, but I know that's not for me. I've also been curious about Pilates, but I have pretty much the same apprehension that I have with yoga, i.e., too many options and too awkward to start now.

So...any Yarders do yoga? What would you recommend for an active 50-something guy to start?

If you're fifty something, single or divorced and want to meet single gals or divorced mommies 10-15 years your junior, take a bikram (hot) yoga class. People are warm and friendly especially when you and one other guy are the only guys in the class. Things get hot and sweaty, the temperatures rise in more ways than one. Lol. If you can stand 108 degrees and 90% humidity for 90 min, you will get an unbelievable workout and several phone numbers. Lol

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Yoga is awesome, don't listen to these old farts. It can and should be a part of everyone's overall fitness regimen. Cardiovascular and weight training are great, but flexibility is wonderful, too. There is plenty of scientific research to show that yoga reduces injuries, tension, increases strength and flexibility.

Plus, I think it really helps with awareness, especially if you go to classes. It's often focused on the breath and how you are feeling. Mindfulness has enormous benefits to people, and yoga is definitely intertwined with mindfulness some. I don't get into all the hippie dippie stuff some instructors go for, but there is something to be said for holding a difficult pose and focusing on the breath and being in the moment.

You can create a free account on doyogawithme.com and they have a ton of yoga videos for beginners. If, like me, you're a little afraid to try a class, these videos can be a great start. But I do think classes are great in terms of forcing you to use the right postures, etc. You can't easily correct yourself. Many yoga studios have classes specifically for beginners, and those classes tend to be very friendly and welcoming. You will see people of all sizes and ages there, and for me, at least, that made me more comfortable.

I still do more running and strength training than yoga, but I have to say, the feeling when you finish a hard yoga class is amazing. And I really think it does great things for you.

Best of luck.

 

[HuskyNan]

If you're fifty something, single or divorced and want to meet single gals or divorced mommies 10-15 years your junior, take a bikram (hot) yoga class. People are warm and friendly especially when you and one other guy are the only guys in the class. Things get hot and sweaty, the temperatures rise in more ways than one. Lol. If you can stand 108 degrees and 90% humidity for 90 min, you will get an unbelievable workout and several phone numbers. Lol

Bikram yoga isn’t for everyone. Beginners need to be very careful until they’re acclimated to the heat and humidity

Is Bikram Yoga Safe?

 

[uconnphil2016]

The P90x Yoga is pretty tough for a beginner.

CrossFit seems like paying for the privledge to be injured with people who are way too close.

There are a million yoga videos online. I need to get cracking myself. My back has gotten so bad I avoid golf.

Picturing whaler doing yoga at home is giving me about a week's worth of joy

 

[HuskyNan]

Yoga is awesome, don't listen to these old farts. It can and should be a part of everyone's overall fitness regimen. Cardiovascular and weight training are great, but flexibility is wonderful, too. There is plenty of scientific research to show that yoga reduces injuries, tension, increases strength and flexibility.

Plus, I think it really helps with awareness, especially if you go to classes. It's often focused on the breath and how you are feeling. Mindfulness has enormous benefits to people, and yoga is definitely intertwined with mindfulness some. I don't get into all the hippie dippie stuff some instructors go for, but there is something to be said for holding a difficult pose and focusing on the breath and being in the moment.

You can create a free account on doyogawithme.com and they have a ton of yoga videos for beginners. If, like me, you're a little afraid to try a class, these videos can be a great start. But I do think classes are great in terms of forcing you to use the right postures, etc. You can't easily correct yourself. Many yoga studios have classes specifically for beginners, and those classes tend to be very friendly and welcoming. You will see people of all sizes and ages there, and for me, at least, that made me more comfortable.

I still do more running and strength training than yoga, but I have to say, the feeling when you finish a hard yoga class is amazing. And I really think it does great things for you.

Best of luck.

Yep, lots of men in my yoga classes. Many YMCAs or adult ed programs have excellent yoga classes. It’s a great stretch, awesome for core strength, and most have a meditation session that’s very relaxing.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Hot yoga only. Ask Some Guy.

I find that hot yoga isn't good for me. The focus ends up being on how much you're sweating and just surviving the hour, and form goes totally out the window to the point where you can get really hurt. West hartford yoga has been great when I've gone--teachers paid attention to me at my very limited level. I broke my pelvis a few years back, so they were really good with me in working that out and helping with my weakness and inflexibility there. It felt really, really good.

 

[huskyrob1]

Bikram yoga isn’t for everyone. Beginners need to be very careful until they’re acclimated to the heat and humidity

Is Bikram Yoga Safe?

Yes absolutely.☺️

 

[8893]

Hot yoga scares me. I hate heat and humidity.

 

[CL82]

Do it by youself until you know how much gas you’ll pass.

Oh there has got to be a story behind this. C'mon 68 don't hold out on us.

 

[huskyrob1]

Hot yoga scares me. I hate heat and humidity.

The first class I took was on a dare from a lady friend at my gym, went something like "if you're so tough why don't you take a hot yoga class with me", so I did as her guest and never thought I had that much water in me. Lol. But felt great for days after. I joined the next day.

 

[CL82]

Do it by youself until you know how much gas you’ll pass.

don't listen to these old farts.

<chuckle>

 

[8893]

The first class I took was on a dare from a lady friend at my gym, went something like "if you're so tough why don't you take a hot yoga class with me", so I did as her guest and never thought I had that much water in me. Lol. But felt great for days after. I joined the next day.

Oh I know how much water is in me. That’s part of my concern. I don’t sweat as much as I did when I was 65 lbs heavier, but I still sweat like a bastard.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Ok, I'll admit I've been curious for at least a few years but afraid to check it out because every time I researched it there were so many options that I felt at sea and that it would be too uncomfortable to start now.

As we know, our new coach is apparently a fairly recent convert and Some Guy asked him about it yesterday at the presser.

I run daily and I love it, but I do very little strength/core stuff and I know I should do more. My CrossFit friends keep on me to try that, but I know that's not for me. I've also been curious about Pilates, but I have pretty much the same apprehension that I have with yoga, i.e., too many options and too awkward to start now.

So...any Yarders do yoga? What would you recommend for an active 50-something guy to start?

I'm in my 16th year of steady and thoroughly undistinguished, not terribly flexible yoga practice. It can be an exercise program or adjunct to spiritual inquiry, or more commonly, something in between. The set, setting, style, class, teacher, and your own orientation will determine this.

Google "The Yoga Poster" for a nice overview of what initially seems too vast to approach, and then ease off from any ambition to 'get it all' instantly. Doesn't matter.

YouTube's "Yoga w/Adrien" has a nice enough vibe & variety for initial exploration before you go out into the world, which you should. @Walker11 mentioned 3 others, but I'm not familiar with them,except Tara Stiles from DVDs.
@HuskyNan was helpful to me in mentioning Les Mills Body Pump, because it's available at one of the Ys that I go to, and I will check it out. Pilates is definitely helpful for core work, and Tai Chi is good for balance & mindfulness.

Yoga has impacted my balance, breathing, flexibility, strength, mindfulness, and overall psycho-emotional well-being. In the truest sense, its purpose is to support the body to be able to better sit in meditation. But, at many fitness clubs that is either downplayed by management or seen as contrary to why busy exercisers show up for class. People's mileage varies all over the place on this balance of exercise class vs. holistic life enhancer.

My best yoga teachers are like low level gurus for a balanced life, in that they work my body, mind & soul, and any good teacher is fully supportive of *their* class being *your* practice. There are many classes during which this man's aging body says, "Not today" and I spend lots of time doing my own thing, including lying in Shivasana ("corpse pose").

Get yourself started, at a slow pace, and without high ego. Go more gentle to begin with, which argues against Bikram, Vinyasa, and other more vigorous practice.

PM me if you want more specifics, particularly in the New Haven area. I believe you are Shoreline, and I have a very wonderful teacher who has a studio in Branford (Short Beach). What would be best is for you to get yourself started and then come to her classes at Cosey Beach in East Haven once the weather warms.

With that, I cede the floor to @champs99and04...

 

[kris1]

Anybody try this? Asking for a friend.

 

[the Q]

The P90x Yoga is pretty tough for a beginner.

CrossFit seems like paying for the privledge to be injured with people who are way too close.

There are a million yoga videos online. I need to get cracking myself. My back has gotten so bad I avoid golf.

YouTube is your friend to get started.

I do it a few days a week to prevent injuries wih my 5x5 lifting program.

 

[storrsroars]

Picturing whaler doing yoga at home is giving me about a week's worth of joy

You know that the first piece of yoga gear Whaler will buy is gonna be a column.

 

[uconnphil2016]

You know that the first piece of yoga gear Whaler will buy is gonna be a column.

what is this column joke all about? seen it a few times and don't know what it's referencing

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Anybody try this? Asking for a friend.

Still and all, a nice version of "trikonasana con decolletage," well explained & accurately portrayed.

 

[HuskyNan]

@HuskyNan was helpful to me in mentioning Les Mills Body Pump, because it's available at one of the Ys that I go to, and I will check it out. Pilates is definitely helpful for core work, and Tai Chi is good for balance & mindfulness.
[/USER]...

Body Pump and Body Flow are different workouts. The first is more weight lifting oriented, the other is grounded in yoga.

There's also Body Attack (for the young, strong, and limber), Body Step, and Body Combat, a sort of martial arts based workout. Great music in all the tracks, though.

 

[JustinesGuy]

yoga is tremendous. if you can get your hands on the P90X yoga it's a good starter for beginners and you can do it at home no problem.

P90 X YOGA is so long(90 minutes) and a bit much for beginners. I would suggest P90 X 3 Yoga and Pilates for beginners. They are only 30 minutes and a good starter to yoga. Even Tony know that it was way too long and lost a lot of people.

 

[JMick]

P90 X YOGA is so long(90 minutes) and a bit much for beginners. I would suggest P90 X 3 Yoga and Pilates for beginners. They are only 30 minutes and a good starter to yoga. Even Tony know that it was way too long and lost a lot of people.

It's really not hard if you are in shape. It takes some getting used to but if you're doing it 3 times per week you'll breeze through it after a month. You also don't have to do the whole thing

 

[JustinesGuy]

It's really not hard if you are in shape. It takes some getting used to but if you're doing it 3 times per week you'll breeze through it after a month. You also don't have to do the whole thing

I did probably 3 or 4 rounds of P90 X and I agree that over time it does get easier and maybe enjoyable but I never was able to commit 90 minutes. If I recall( and its been awhile since I now do X3 or my own modified program) that theres Yoga(vinyasa), stretching(30 minutes) and balance postures(30 minutes). 80 % its too much, 20 % the moves are tough....

 

[8893]

I don’t do anything for 90 minutes.

 

[Hamms30]

Ok, I'll admit I've been curious for at least a few years but afraid to check it out because every time I researched it there were so many options that I felt at sea and that it would be too uncomfortable to start now.

As we know, our new coach is apparently a fairly recent convert and Some Guy asked him about it yesterday at the presser.

I run daily and I love it, but I do very little strength/core stuff and I know I should do more. My CrossFit friends keep on me to try that, but I know that's not for me. I've also been curious about Pilates, but I have pretty much the same apprehension that I have with yoga, i.e., too many options and too awkward to start now.

So...any Yarders do yoga? What would you recommend for an active 50-something guy to start?

I do DDP Yoga when I can remember to because it's accessible online and relatively cheap. Plus DDP was my guy when I was in middle school. Like you I am a runner. It has really helped loosen my hips and hammies. I've got better range of motion everywhere. I'd definitely recommend any type of yoga in some capacity. DDP goes from very easy in the beginners workouts to pretty tough in the more advanced ones. But since it's suited to people who are very out of shape and have never done yoga before, there is a very wide spectrum in between beginner and advanced. After a couple weeks when I started I was impressed with how good I felt and felt like I was recovering better from tough runs. I don't think that's necessarily a testament to DDP yoga.. rather yoga itself.