I confess that I've had a Yoga DVD for athletes (by Rodney Yee) for over a year now, and I've never once done it. I've never actually done yoga before, ever. I watched the DVD and thought, "Dude, way too boring for me. Forget it. I need to sweat." But today I needed to do something to get my body moving; I needed to do something to elongate my muscles, and I needed to do something at home because my daughter is home sick from school. So I broke out the Yoga DVD.
I went right into the "Combination Workout" of opening, strengthening and integration. Wow! The poses were hard for me because my hips are so tight and my hamstrings are a mess, not to mention that my balance is not the best in the world. But I focused on exactly the things Rodney told me to (as he narrated the video), and by golly, the stuff works. My entire body just opened up and the different ways of bodily movement were amazing. I loved the cues he gave to remind me keep my shoulder blades wide and relaxed, my feet broad and my toes wide, release my back, open the heart, etc., etc. Perfect.
At the end of the workout while centering my body but before the "Namaste," I felt beautiful. I felt that the world was a beautiful place and the only word that kept popping into my head was "BEAUTIFUL."
How weird is that?!
I think I just found another way to use my body, and I love it. Freaking beautiful, man!
10 comments:
I did yoga for the second time today...it was definitely harder than I thought it would be, but I'm not quite cold on it yet. Maybe the third time is the charm?
I wish I could get into yoga!! I have a couple DVDs and everytime I try I end up getting bored and stopping it. Its soooo good for you! Great job :)
Way to yoga GB. It is also a great way to relieve stress which is very good for the heart.
Thanks for the post.
gaj
I have that! It's great. Also, if you're short on time, yogajournal has a bunch of 30 minute (some shorter) podcasts you can download for free.
I've been doing yoga for years, it really helps a runner body
I have the same DVD. I've used it once and it was hard! But it's great for the core and stretching.
I should be doing that, too. I just hate yoga (sorry). I honestly cannot stand it. I've heard it does wonders for flexibility in runners, though. Can't wait to see you on RWOL again!
I think yoga is a great accompaniment to running, especially if you enjoy it.
As for your previous post, I thought this article was excellent: http://xtri.com/coaches_display.aspx?riIDReport=5494&CAT=48&xref=xx
It basically emphasizes that you need to be patient and consistent, training at a level you can "absorb" and that allows training adaptation without injury (cuz if you are injured, you can't keep with the program and make steady progress). Your intuition is probably telling you that you are pushing too hard for quick results and risking injury. You certainly have the talent, but haven't given your body time to truly adapt to the stresses. The article I think also explains that you don't need a huge training load to make progress as long as it is consistent. I know my husband runs with me, slow as I am, and has progressed very well despite almost never pushing as hard as I do (ave heart rate 10 points below mine usually).
Good luck and don't be so hard on yourself. Follow that intuition!
Cynthia
Yoga, so good for you but I find it so hard. Im just not that flexible. A friend did lend me one of his videos at one time.
Awesome! I was hopeing you would try yoga! I've found it a wonderful escape, I love concentrateing on the breatheing a escapeing for an hour. Its such a different experience, especially for someone on the go all the time.
As someone who got told recently that my knee problems were due in part to tight hip flexors, I'm in need of yoga. I love it-- and my friend recently told me about www.yogatoday.com- it's classes that you can watch online that change all the time. I have the Rodney one and it's fine, but I have become more of a fan of yogatoday-- particularly of the instructor named Adi. I just did yoga for skiiers this morning and my hips definitely got a workout!
Post a Comment