Yoga - CD/SD

Also, I want to try out pilates, which has been described to me as yoga inverted, all backwords with the breathing.

Some of it may have some health benefits, but I think it should be remembered that it wasn't primarily developed for health reasons (let alone keeping slim--check out the guts on some famous yogis).

There was a very good article about competing yoga schools in New York Magazine (2/2/98).

Comments I have made elsewhere re: Yoga.

I am not anti-yoga, but I don't think everyone's body is compatible with all asanas (sp?).

I do not stand on my head, nor do I do handstands. These things are okay when you are 30kg and bouncy (i.e. a child) but if poorly executed when 70kg and flab+flaccid+brittle (i.e. an adult) they are plain dodgy. Being inverted with minor risk rocks though! Like hanging or walking up walls with hands on the floor.

People who do Bikram yoga (in a 100F room!) are crazy. The head supposedly makes it easier to stretch, but i would die from dehydration and heat exhaustion if I ever tried it.

That is all.

I don't know, but they were weird.

I did my first Astanga class on Friday night - previously I'd done a couple of "power yoga" classes (hurt for 3xdays afterwards), 1x hatha class (snoozeville), 1xpilates class (ridiculous). I liked it! And the teacher is a foxxx. It is VERY popular! Bring on the trend!

The breathing, is a bit, wack.

I would like to talk to T about yoga!

I COULD BE IN THE PUB YOU KNOW I JUST CHOSE NOT TO

(today i walked for more than two hrs becuz i wanted to check out yarn shop. i'm completely bonkers.)

I moved on to a Hatha Flow class that was also pretty intense, but mostly manageable for me. I liked it a lot and got into fairly good shape.

But that was a long time ago. Now I just sit on my ass and eat fried food dipped in Ranch dressing.

The odd thing is that when I actually tried Ashtanga I liked it way more than Iyengar. So now it is practitioners of Bikram Yoga (TM) that I scoff at as trend.

I think kundalini sounds pretty intense! The breath control appeals to me for singing reasons. There's a studio 2 minutes from my house that has a donation-based class, but despite those two compelling reasons I've not gone because fuck if I'm going to chant IN ENGLISH with a roomfulla flakes! (in this class they make you chant in Sanskrit and English). See, my heart is too calcified for such a discipline!

Pilates to thread!

-- Graham (graham), Thursday, 19 September 2002 11:24 (5 years ago)

oh ffs.

HELP!

ARRRRRRRRRR

oh sorry

Pirates?

Sheesh.

hehe

yoga is classic but there is a lot of super dud yoga out there that i wldn't even call yoga

it puzzles me when people are like, "i want to try yoga but i don't want to do funny breathing or chanting, or do any meditation. " in that case, you probably just want a sculpt & tone class.

otm omg

Meditation is a tool of Satan, BEWARE, BEWARE!!

is BEWARE BEWARE your mantra?

Just kidding. But I remember some lovely alarmist rabidly Christian fiction series that posited that Satan and his minions would try to get meditation and "spirit guide" programs into schools as a front for possessing our children if we didn't surround them with the protection of Jesus' blood.

Which is just to say that there's a lot of misconception and um...probably unnecessary concerns about some elements of yoga.

i want to take ballet

do they have beginning ballet classes for adults??

I'm sure someone does.

i thought if i entered a question in this box, the internet would tell me

We are all the internet.

I don't know the answer to the thread's question, but let me say that I love that Namaste Yoga they show over-and-over on the Fit TV channel. It's like the old 20-Minute Workout on HBO in cable's early days. Hott.

i skipped it today but i have been going to a workplace free yoga class taught by my coworker and it is so wonderful. not only does it feel good, but stretch-bonding with my coworkers is a nice side effect.
otherwise i normally do yoga in my basement by myself. going to the class 1x a week is really nice because i don't have to make any decisions and someone else (the teacher) is in the driver's seat. not being in the driver's seat periodically is essential for people who work in emotionally draining professions imo.

Plus a teacher shows you other ways to do things and streches (no pun intended) any notions of what might be possible.

ok shit I have a groin strain on my right leg aargh - got it by doing warrior pose against the wall.

I am still practicing every day - but not that.

Has anyone here had this? How long does it take to heal up?

I had a minor car crash about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I crunched my wrist, not sure that it is a full on fracture, mire like a bine bruise, but it looks like I'm done with yoga until next year. 😣

damn sorry to hear that - my body really missed yoga for about 2/3 weeks when I broke my toe last year.

(someone I know is a piano player and has had issues practicing yoga with her wrist issues but now has qualified recently to teach yoga..)

I've had a series of injuries over the past year, mostly shoulders and neck, that have slowed me down, but this is the first one where I feel like I just need need to stop for a while.

that's crazy, i ALSO got a groin strain on my right leg this past thursday when i was climbing. It really pulls you out of running/yoga/climbing for sure.

Depending on the severity, my understanding is between a week and a half to several months will heal it. I was bouldering ten feet up on a wall when i heard a pop in my upper thigh... not a good feeling.

I believe you want to avoid static stretching while the adductors heal... they're tiny little muscles but they can bounce back if you don't fuck with them too hard. The pain from it is waking me up in the mornings but it's starting to fade a bit... unfortunately it also feels like it's pulling against my right testicle all the time, which is a very funky and unpleasant sensation.

sorry about your wrist moodles, that sucks. maybe talk to your yoga teacher and ask if they have recommendations for work you can do at home to make sure the scar tissue doesn't cause problems later?

Actually a day or two after I posted that back in November the strain cleared enough so I could walk at my usual pace and then I kept practicing. It is now pretty much gone. I didn't feel any strain whatsoever in class this morning.

Course finished last month - we went through a variety of approaches so I am using that plus getting whatever bits and pieces I learn in class. I make notes (though not as much as I should) from class and try and incorporate with the practice the week after too.

In May it will be nearly four years since I've started - and given what has been going on personally I have to say it just makes things a bit better. Any bit of daily practice gives me 'space' and strengthens my nervous system for the challenges ahead. I will need it.

I'm back at Hatha Flow now even though my hand hasn't healed up at all after 3 months. Using a block to prop up my right arm for stuff like down dog and plank. I'm really feeling the lack of exercise for 2 months, everything seems way harder than I remember.

Alabama may lift a decades-old ban on yoga in public schools, but the greeting "namaste" would remain on the forbidden list. Under a bill in the state House local school systems could teach yoga, but moves and exercises would have to have English names. https://t.co/sttgfCylZv

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 8, 2020

do they allow French in ballet classes?

Funnily enough I tried this power yoga class run by an Indian teacher yesterday.

Looked him up and he has a decolonising yoga project and he seems really left-wing (judging by his twitter). He is very much into demystifying yoga for complete beginners.

I'll go now and then as we don't often get to practice arm balances in Iyengar yoga.

Anyone got recommendations for YouTube yogis? I can’t see myself going back to class for a while

A couple of teachers I know are doing zoom classes. Not ideal but this is all that is available to me.

I have used this time to actually practice using the sequences at the back of Light on Yoga. First time I have really engaged with it, the photographs of Iyengar doing advanced postures always put me off.

I started doing yoga for the first time ever to counteract the effects of working from a kitchen chair all day, just using that Down Dog channel. It's ok, I like it fine, nothing overly challenging and it's easy to follow. I have nothing to compare it to though.

Anyone got recommendations for YouTube yogis? I can’t see myself going back to class for a while

― badg, Thursday, 2 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

A lot of studios are doing online classes. Do you mean specific YouTube only ppl?

I believe the place I had been going to, Black Swan Yoga, has a daily livestream on YouTube. Can't vouch for their quality. They also have an app you can subscribe to that has a bunch of content.

"Black Swan Yoga" is a bit on the nose, no?

I like EkhartYoga and Fightmaster Yoga on YouTube. I avoid classes with music (just no) and instructors I find irritating (obv).

There's a lot that's unfortunate about their branding, tbh. I'm hesitant to fully endorse them because their vibe is a little offputting in general, but I at least get solid workouts from their routines.

xp

I avoid classes with music (just no) and instructors I find irritating (obv).

yeah i'm permanently scarred from having a beck song come up on some instructor's playlist.

The studio where my wife teaches is streaming live throughout the day On IG and archiving on FB. I highly recommend a Bikram class with Gary or Power with Claudia.

https://m.facebook.com/ashrambellevue/

I use this for Ashtanga:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJzfZ6w0s4g

Though there's also this class from K Pattabhi Jois too, which I haven't checked out.

I like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Krp4W0TlAU

yeah i'm permanently scarred from having a beck song come up on some instructor's playlist.

Lol! This happened to me too w Beck but it was a free class my coworker was giving and I let it slide, she’s nice and I like her. The only music-containing yoga class I’ve enjoyed that wasn’t self-directed within the last 15 years was a metal yoga class. I love the immersive loudness and now I just do metal yoga at home.

Strongly recommend the track “Catharsis” by YOB bc it’s 23 min long (perfect for warmup) and has a spectacular ending.

Most of the non Ashtanga classes I've attended have had some kind of music, ranging from unobtrusive to painfully cringe inducing. The best ones lean heavily towards balearic bliss. I will credit one teacher, who mostly had terrible taste, for once having a playlist that featured "Tears in the Typing Pool" into "Parallelograms".

I sort of expect & enjoy fairly cheesy songs at class but an instructor played Bill Callahan once which was a pleasant surprise.

Thanks for the recommendations they were exactly what I was looking for.

We just tried a Yoga app that used Nick Cave’s soundtrack from The Road, which was a little on the nose.

I like Yoga with Adrienne. She can be cloying but I like the pacing and she’s good (speaking as an amateur) at explaining the moves. And she has a cute dog.

Though there's also this class from K Pattabhi Jois too, which I haven't checked out.

― Triceratops Vowell (Leee), Thursday, 2 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

It's a notorious demonstration in that community but it isn't for beginners.

Adrienne uses the word “yummy” too much for me bit otherwise I think she is a good teacher.

I've been using Yogiapproved.com for classes since before this started.

no annoying music so far, but they have a 30 day free trial and a lot of classes so its fairly mindless to open up the app and decide on something.

I mainly use the same 3/4 classes. but I have no issues with the range.

they also do something called 'outlaw yoga' which I have a strange fascination with, it seems to be yoga for aging bikers, but with a dude playing guitar in the background to take the edge off...

I've watched the trailer loads in weird fascination but can't bring myself to actually open one of the courses.

Adrienne uses the word “yummy” too much for me bit otherwise I think she is a good teacher.

Disgusting
No one should be describing anything as juicy or yummy during a YOGA class? No.

Juicy gets used a lot, it's a problem

you mean like "a deep juicy stretch"? yuck.

Ms. T. and I used to go to a studio that catered to "angry screenwriters and suspicious IT workers" years back and ran across the Yoga With Adriene videos at the beginning of the pandemic. Her teaching style works well with us, especially since it's just the two of us at home watching a YouTube video, and I'm somewhere between ambivalent and not-giving-a-shit about her adjective choices.

I knew my posture was bad, but I didn't know just how bad it was. Twenty months of daily practice (yes, daily) later, I'm totally shocked to discover that I gained almost a centimeter of height back.

Amen to Yoga With Adriene, I'd let my regular yoga lapse since my old Y membership expired but a friend recommended her videos last year and I'm back to at least several times a week. I really like her range of classes, that you can pick one for just neck and shoulders if those are sore or whatever. And her patter's generally pretty likable. Anyway, yes to regular yoga!

Just thought I'd draw your attention to the journal of yoga studies. All open access.

There has been plenty of scholarship on the roots of modern yoga but this is something else. Papers on yoga and its relationship to dance, Indian martial arts. Yoga in China and Tibet. I am making my way through it so will read some articles and say anything as and when.

https://journalofyogastudies.org/index.php/JoYS/issue/view/2023.V4

Sickening.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/india-modi-yoga-whitewash-crimes-use-how

Though I will never practice Ashtannga at a Shala with a shrine to Patthabi I found this interview (from 2009, before the abuse surfaced) fascinating.

https://www.integralashtanga.com/mind-medicine/2024/9/7/interview-with-brad-ramsey

I had been meaning to try Bikram for a while now after years of various flow and corepower on stop-and-start basis. Went to my first proper Bikram class a couple of days ago and loved it. Just the right pace and the instructor was super cool to this newbie and my daughter. The intensity of the heat felt great rather than punitive as it does at Corepower, even though the Bikram room is 10 degrees hotter. Will go back.

Been reading Elliott Goldberg's "The Path of Modern Yoga" which comes after Mark Singleton's "Yoga Body" (which it argues with at times). Really informative in the first place: looking at the way Indian teachers like Yogendra expanded yoga by putting on classes (before this it was always one-on-one from teacher to student, which is ofc not commercially viable), then Swami Kuvalayananda propagation of Yoga as health/quackery, building up to Krishnamacharya and Iyengar..though I've yet to get to that bit.

While I partly agree with the thesis of these books there is an undercurrent of Western journo/academics hounding Easterners for not citing everything they say; its a journalist-thing in trying to get at the truth except its not a corrupt politician but just some random Indian bloke trying to get by with what sounds like good intentions of helping other ppl. Its too text based, when old books on yoga (which they cite and I'm reading rn) weren't books or even manuals but read like teacher to student class notes. Transmission was oral, and a lot of it is to be practiced with a lot of trial and error on the student's part. So any changes and innovations were organic.

The other undercurrent is of this sort of liberal politics of feeling aggrieved or cheated somehow. Like yoga was sold as this thousand year old indigenous practice, and now it turns out that what's being taught today is a modern take. There is almost a relief that their yoga mats can be stored away and you can go to a gym or do pilates now, they have the license.

I do think this feeling 'aggrieved or cheated' is an odd take on yoga. A bigger problem feels like the rampant commercialisation and 'life-styling' of modern yoga practice (for example the Lululemon 'yummy mummy' yoga accessories) rather than Yoga's historic authenticity.

How authentic are the Boxing/Boxercise/Fixboxing/non-contact boxing classes that are offered in many gyms?

Well I am talking about the mindset of those writers and how some of those books were positively received at the time in reviews. It feels like they are having a go at some more recent takes on genuinely interesting variations of Hatha Yoga just because it isn't noted down.

I have no idea about boxing but I guess some of the yoga equivalents could be things like acro yoga and so on. But yes the expansion and commercialiasiation (like the way its been absorbed into a fitness) can bring its own set of problems for sure.

In traditional martial arts, it's common for instructors and students to be strongly invested in questions of lineage and history and to claim that their forms of practice are more authentic than others. The same phenomenon is not unusual in yoga schools.

Recent historical research has documented how much these disciplines as they exist now were shaped by Western ideas of pedagogy in the 19th and 20th centuries. There's been a lot of resistance to acknowledging this two-way influence, mainly because the folklore of thousand-year-old traditions is so useful for appeals to authority. There's a strong element of Orientalism in these attitudes.

None of this historical controversy seems very relevant to doing yoga or martial arts today. Over time people always find new ways to teach and organize physical practices, that's good not bad! Many of these traditions would have disappeared if they hadn't been modified in ways that have allowed millions of people to experience them.

Teachers who use bogus historical claims to assert their personal authority can be bad actors, but not necessarily; that's probably better judged by the quality of their teaching and practice than by the oral history they like to share.

That last point is really true.

But there was a lot of anger from the Indian yoga people that were interviewed for these books and felt like what they said was distorted.

In Goldberg's account of Krishnamacharya and his work in Mysore (which basically laid the foundation in how yoga is taught today in the West) there is an assertion that he must've seen contortionists because the deep back bends are similar to contortion. The pictures don't lie but I think the assertion is faulty.

I read K's biography/remembrance written by one of his later students (Mohan) and I gotta say there's no way he would've attended a circus show. Goldberg does say he has no evidence so its just speculation. Whereas K was probably capable of inventing deeper backbends given what children are capable of when young, and many of his students in Mysore were kids...the best thing would be to say that we don't know; there is no evidence of East-West information exchange, in that one instance.

yoga is materialism, that is all

That's right.

(Funnily enough I was going to type up a big-ish series of posts on all the yoga books I have been reading since Xmas)

This Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher gives a brief talk, tackling spiruality in materialist thinking in that somewhat annoying academic manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkSNg9IET7g