I Don't Get Yoga

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  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Love how in one breath people are arguing that yoga is just a stretching/relaxation method and in another they are talking about the spiritual aspect of it.

    Either it's a spiritual practice or it's a fitness thing. I don't think it can be both.

    Then you'd be wrong? It can be both at the same time or either one depending of when, when or how it's practiced.......

    It's fair to say that in the West we've extracted the fitness aspect of it and basically said it's great for core strength, flexibility and calmness. For the majority of people in the West it is a fitness activity (note I said majority - not all)

    Originally, as stated by someone above, it involved sitting still in a chair and meditating. Pretty much devoid of all physicality. There is a reason that the corpse pose is said to be the hardest to learn pose in all of Yoga. Anyone can plonk themselves on their back on the floor - to do this pose right, however, takes years of practice and is almost a wholly mental move. So this chimes with a vision of Yoga as a purely spiritual discipline as laid out in the Katha Upanishad in which the goal is to bring yourself in alignment with (literally to yoke yourself to) Atman.

    Then there are also practitioners in India who have given up all their worldy possessions and devote themselves entirely to advanced Pranayama and Asanas - for these guys it's a spiritual AND physical AND moral move - the physical and moral practices involved are what they believe help them achieve their ultimate spiritual goal.

    This is a three paragraph sketch of three different looks at yoga in different historical/cultural settings. There are many other ways you could hash this out. Jainism and Buddhism as related to Hinduism and having their own Yogic practices obviously need to be touched upon. The founder of Sikhism was said to have vigorous debates with Yogi's and was in favour of a meditative (non-physical) form of Yoga......

    I'd go and discover more about a massive, subtle and historically deep subject before making sweeping statements......
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Bump
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    I tried taking a class a few times but they kicked me out :) I had issues spreading my toes and well trouble with giggling when I'd fall over or when they'd tell me to touch my navel to my spine. Yes I'm a child :blushing:

    What?!?!? They kicked you out of class? Have you tried Anusara, they love to laugh in those classes.

    We surely do :bigsmile: :laugh: :noway: :smile: ........:flowerforyou:
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    Love how in one breath people are arguing that yoga is just a stretching/relaxation method and in another they are talking about the spiritual aspect of it.

    Either it's a spiritual practice or it's a fitness thing. I don't think it can be both.

    Then you'd be wrong? It can be both at the same time or either one depending of when, when or how it's practiced.......

    It's fair to say that in the West we've extracted the fitness aspect of it and basically said it's great for core strength, flexibility and calmness. For the majority of people in the West it is a fitness activity (note I said majority - not all)

    Originally, as stated by someone above, it involved sitting still in a chair and meditating. Pretty much devoid of all physicality. There is a reason that the corpse pose is said to be the hardest to learn pose in all of Yoga. Anyone can plonk themselves on their back on the floor - to do this pose right, however, takes years of practice and is almost a wholly mental move. So this chimes with a vision of Yoga as a purely spiritual discipline as laid out in the Katha Upanishad in which the goal is to bring yourself in alignment with (literally to yoke yourself to) Atman.

    Then there are also practitioners in India who have given up all their worldy possessions and devote themselves entirely to advanced Pranayama and Asanas - for these guys it's a spiritual AND physical AND moral move - the physical and moral practices involved are what they believe help them achieve their ultimate spiritual goal.

    This is a three paragraph sketch of three different looks at yoga in different historical/cultural settings. There are many other ways you could hash this out. Jainism and Buddhism as related to Hinduism and having their own Yogic practices obviously need to be touched upon. The founder of Sikhism was said to have vigorous debates with Yogi's and was in favour of a meditative (non-physical) form of Yoga......

    I'd go and discover more about a massive, subtle and historically deep subject before making sweeping statements......

    Thank you, well put and lays the foundations well.
  • vendygirl
    vendygirl Posts: 718 Member
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    There are so many different styles of yoga and it also depends on your instructor. However it isn't for anyone. Personally I hate running and LOATHE kettlebell. I would rather do a 1000 burpees than swing an effing kettlebell ever again. It is just what you find enjoyable. I love yoga and I there have been many a times I have been sore after. Nothing major but really got some muscles to do things they haven't.

    It isn't you there are a lot of folks that don't like yoga.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I would like to go to a yoga class but I just don't have the time. I like it because it feels good... it improves your flexibility and balance. I don't do it for a calorie burn or anything.
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
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    I read philosophy for enlightenment, I go to the gym to get fit. Yoga is too cult-like for me.
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSllPcakg4afx92yqXEBU238lef1Uvf7KT5qVrCQkPdZD4IWyVmww
    THANK YOU

    lol
    zombie face. 16624614_5326_thumb.jpg

    Zombies don't do yoga. They'd fall apart.
    have you tried some zombie runs instead?
  • joeamendiola
    joeamendiola Posts: 54
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    I tried Yoga once after some hard core weight lifting and the push up positions were killing me. If that still isn't challenging for you, you can always try nude yoga.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    Well, I do like the meditative aspects but I also find similar qualities in hiking, running, or swimming. For me, I like the improved flexibility and coordination. I also find that if I'm combining it with higher impact workouts, I seem less prone to injury and don't have as many back problems. Seems to do wonders for stretching my hips and aligning my back. I enjoy the increased range of motion.

    I think we are conditioned to want immediate results to things and lack the ability to appreciate subtlety in the world around us. I think practicing mindfulness is extremely helpful on so many levels, not just physical.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
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    bump
  • rock127
    rock127 Posts: 369 Member
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    I've tried a few yoga dvds and have been to a class or two, and...I don't get it. Wtf is the appeal, if any? I always did everything exactly like the instructors said, and I barely broke a sweat, wasn't sore or tired afterwards, and just found myself rolling my eyes and sighing the whole time just because it was so d*mn BORING!

    Does anyone else feel this way? I'd like to tone and lean out and get more flexible, which they say yoga is great for, but can anyone else NOT STAND it? I've never been more bored in my life! Are there other types of yoga I could try that are, like, fun? Or at least not make me want to shoot myself in the face?

    First things first... its correct pronunciation is "Yog" and not "Yoga".

    Yog seems to be tooooo much hyped specially in the West.As a result Yog quacks are having a good time.It's an ancient technique which is a mix of flexibility exercises + breathing + spirituality + meditation and it does works.It needs good teacher and good learner and the DVD's etc would not teach you much since its not Zumba stuff.

    I belong to the country where Yog originated ie. India but to be honest it never intrested me either but it doesn't mean I start talking negative about it just because it's not intresting for me.This is even after I have few friends who are Yog teachers.I know many Yog techniques myself but its too slow and boring for me as well.

    If you want to sweat and breathe heavy then do some other stuff. I find powerlifting/bodybulding/running etc much more intresting and Yog is simply not my cup of tea or say at least not any sooner.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    I tried taking a class a few times but they kicked me out :) I had issues spreading my toes and well trouble with giggling when I'd fall over or when they'd tell me to touch my navel to my spine. Yes I'm a child :blushing:

    What?!?!? They kicked you out of class? Have you tried Anusara, they love to laugh in those classes.
    I had one yoga instructor who said that if you didn't fall over occasionally, you weren't trying hard enough.
    Yoga is full of contradictions... poses where you need to relax muscles to do them better, while others use core muscles that most other exercises never challenge.
  • olgamarie_t
    olgamarie_t Posts: 58 Member
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    to some people yoga seems harmless but its not,its a Hindu philosophy,research its goals and purpose ,where it comes from.Try LASTICS its a new thing, its getting rave reviews,its getting famous in New York,the only plave they give the classes.I got the dvd. its stretching and flexibility based on exercises for dancers,it really works and you might be sore after but it feels good

    lastics.com
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    What I love about Yoga is how during practice I can feel the movement and check the balance and strength and wellness of every little muscle in my body. Never before have I been in tune with any but my large muscles.

    This is what I liked about tai chi... am careful with yoga as I'm a bit too stretchy, but this balance stuff is great. I love my posture when I do my little salutations.

    Re the visualizations I mentioned top of thread, just to clarify, I am talking about mental images of things like colours (eg instructor says 'there is a blue stream', i see a blue stream). I'm crap at that, usually, not being a visual person.

    Re the chi/force etc being woo - an MRI machine measures the magnetism working inside our bodies. We can feel how we experience invisible physical force (sound) in our ears (and other systems). Guaranteed the other amazing things our bodies do will be quantifiable within a couple of generations.
  • Jkmumma
    Jkmumma Posts: 254
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    I like yoga. I don't really count it as a workout, but I enjoy it anyway.

    It helps me notice some of the physical side effects of weight loss.

    "Oh, look, I can breathe in child's pose"
    "Oh look, I can do that now, a couple of months ago, I had too much flab in the way"
    "Oh, look, I have better balance"

    My back hurts less when I take yoga.
    And I really really just like stretching, and the music is relaxing, and the room is dark.

    And seriously, where else is it ok for a 35 year old woman to try and do a head stand in public?
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    Yoga makes me want to commit violent murder.

    possibly spending too much time up-side-down! :devil:

    LOL nah I just think it's very stress-inducing.

    Not many times can I positively state someone is doing something wrong without actually seeing them, but Ya... You are most definitively are doing it wrong.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    to some people yoga seems harmless but its not,its a Hindu philosophy

    Come again? Are we to take it from this that Hindu Philosophy is harmful? Is it going to give me cancer like those nasty dairy products people keep telling me about?!
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    to some people yoga seems harmless but its not,its a Hindu philosophy

    Come again? Are we to take it from this that Hindu Philosophy is harmful? Is it going to give me cancer like those nasty dairy products people keep telling me about?!

    No, silly, but you might grow an extra pair of limbs like those strange deities "they" all worship!
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    I like yoga. I don't really count it as a workout, but I enjoy it anyway.

    It helps me notice some of the physical side effects of weight loss.

    "Oh, look, I can breathe in child's pose"
    "Oh look, I can do that now, a couple of months ago, I had too much flab in the way"
    "Oh, look, I have better balance"

    My back hurts less when I take yoga.
    And I really really just like stretching, and the music is relaxing, and the room is dark.

    And seriously, where else is it ok for a 35 year old woman to try and do a head stand in public?

    I totally get this - in my early twenties I was just over ten stone and could do a twist with my hands clasped behind my back. Then, on my return to yoga in my late forties I wondered if that was just a false memory - no way could I do that with three stone of fat in the way. Last night at yoga - with two stone to go, my hands were much nearer.

    I will get back there! inch by inch, as we all can.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Most of it is for the purposes of engaging your body mind and spirit and living in a more mindful and present manner.

    See, this is what I mean! So before yoga, my body/mind/spirit are NOT engaged? Engaged in, uh, what? Living in a present manner? As if I was living somewhere ELSE before? What does that even mean?? I'm pretty sure someone made that up, because it makes no sense at all, lol. Anyone who's seen "I Heart Huckabees" can maybe relate to how I feel about nonsense Confucio-talk like that. (No personal offense, poster)

    i didn't read all the replies so i apologize if I am being redundant...
    If you are thinking about what you are making for dinner while you exercise, instead of focusing on your breathing and movement, you are not engaged.
    If you are wondering who you can get to babysit for the kids on Saturday night, instead of focusing on the alignment of your body during a yoga pose, you are not living in the present.
    THAT IS THE CHALLENGE of yoga, just as much as any of the physical postures are a challenge.

    Why is that presence of mind so important? lots of reasons. During the practice it's important so that you can get deeply and correctly into the postures without distraction or injury. Once you practice that mind-set during yoga class enough, you take it out of the class with you into your life, and it can help you focus on what you are doing, and teach you to enjoy and appreciate each moment for what it is. It teaches us how to turn our mind from the day to day annoyances that stress us out, to getting work done efficiently. and it teaches us to take a moment and breathe, feel the sun on our faces, or whatever else it is that gives you a sense of peace and quiet, without all the internal chatter of our normal lives.

    You don't have to come to like it, but it's not as silly and "made up" as you think, and there is no need to mock this ancient practice just because you don't understand it.

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