Side Effects of Yoga

Options
13»

Replies

  • matt2442
    matt2442 Posts: 1,259 Member
    Options
    - My back screams a lot less at me and I haven't had an exacerbation in years (I started yoga after I pinched my piriformins and ended up sleeping on the floor for a few weeks cause my bed was too painful)
    - I can touch my toes. And the floor. While bent in interesting ways. I never could do that in my 20s. Matter of fact I can out-bend many 20-some-year-olds (that's right, who is old and stiff now? :tongue: )
    - It helps me wake up on days when caffeine just won't do it.
    - It helps me go to sleep on nights when nothing much else will.
    - Improved body awareness (which comes in handy with lifting cause I know where all my bits are and how they're aligned).
    - Better posture.
    - Better balance.
    - Better focus.
    - There's muscles under all that tummy flab I swear !!!!
    - I can't do a push-up but I can at least hold a plank for a good while, so there. :tongue:
    - Breathing. You'd think I know how to do that since I do it all the time, but it turns out when left to my own devices, all I know to do is shallow breathing; had to actually learn the deep/controlled breathing.

    As to beginner DVDs my favorites are Yoga Zone cause they have two 20-minute workouts that you can do separately or combine into 1 session. I also like Rodney Yee although I can't keep up with his power yoga DVD (and probably never will). Anything Gaiam is decent. Check Youtube for some material. These days I mostly design my own workouts depending on what needs stretched the most and how much time I have. I also use the Simply Yoga app with some Zen music in the background because it lets me design my own routines, or follow the pre-canned ones; whichever I happen to be in the mood for.

    I've been doing yoga for about 10 years or so and it's the only exercise that I've actually stuck with for this long, which is a record for me. If I haven't done it in a few weeks, my body definitely lets me know! You get used to not being so tight all the time. There's really no downside to yoga whatsoever; it's pretty amazing and will easily complement and improve everything else you happen to be into exercise-wise (and life in general).

    This. 100%. Except I am in my 20s and can out bend other people in their 20s.

Categories