This post is one big amen. I always thought yoga was too Foo Foo to be effective for anything. And then I tried it one day. The next morning I was crippled lol. It really DOES work muscles you never knew you had.
Now I love yoga so much and I find i need it so much more now that I have a sit-down job again. Sitting kills me and yoga is a lifesaver.
Thanks for this, Tim! I love hearing from men who practice yoga.
You're right about how yoga counteracts sitting. I spend a lot of time in offices, and the morning yoga is what keeps me from cramping up and hating life. That's why I think once a week isn't enough, since we spend so much time each day sitting.
Yoga is for Every Body! It does the body good!! I've been a practitioner for awhile, and an instructor for about 8 years. After having my husband practice with me as my yoga 'guinea pig', he actually started practicing on his own! Now, he practices a few times a week on his own with an online subscription we have. He has found that yoga is key to keeping his back healthy! Yay. Thanks Tim for sharing your experience with yoga.
I was that gym junkie who thought yoga wouldn't give me enough of a workout, hahahaha. Once I got started though, I couldn't stop. I started out with a class once a week, but now I've been practising at home daily for about 15 years. It's good in so many ways.
It won’t replace weight training, but it can still work the body! I’m a big fan of the home yoga workout, I do one every morning for about 20 minutes minimum.
Yoga has been on my "I'll get to it eventually" list forever. You mention that there are multiple types, and the tight shoulders and neck that I go to a chiropractor for sounds a lot like what you describe for yourself. So what type of yoga do you do?
I pretty much stick with Hatha yoga and Vinyasa flows. The vinyasa is more athletic and a bit more challenging, but it gives me a ton of benefit and seems to help the most. The hatha yoga that I've gone to is more of a combination of several types and I've heard it's good for beginners . Hot yoga is fun and gets you a pretty good workout in the heat.
Wise words, Tim! Yoga has been a game changer for me after years of lifting weights and not being overly limber (ever). I recently got back into the routine and can tell I've been absent for a while. The instructor said she thinks that 2-3 times a week for three weeks is where you'll really start to see an improvement. The 2-3 times a week is definitely my goal.
I only do an occasional full class now. I've switched to 20 minutes of yoga almost every morning before I leave the house, and the progress I've made that way is so good! It really helped me to make it a consistent thing and keep from getting all stiff again. One class a week would be better than not going at all though.
Yoga has been a complete life changer for me both physically and mentally. I had tried several yoga classes until I found the best for me. Focus on breathing, stretching and flowing. My lovely teacher has been teaching for over 40 years. What a gift🫶🏻
Thanks for this. A lot have people I know do yoga but I've never seen the apeal before, and I even do Tai Chi & martial arts. Thi wa great way to dispel some of the myths and concerns I had about yoga. I'll definetly be starting with some videos online, first, but it's a start right?
I have done tai chi, it’s pretty good too. But yoga takes the stretching to another level. The great thing about yoga is that there are so many free or darn cheap resources, and all kinds of live classes in every city. You can find a group that is a good fit
I daily do a hybrid form of yoga and qigong. Mostly Qigong. It is a lifesaver. So nice to read others reap the same benefits. Loose and limber bodies for everyone!
Qigong is a Chinese Movement practice. Taichi is a form of Qigong. I first took a Taichi class and later a Qigong class in a local community center. Later I took several online classes. I like www.energyarts.com. I find that they explain the Qigong sets very clearly from beginner to advanced. The Qigong forms I do are short fluid movement sets. When done right they stretch the inside of the body. The postures and movements in Yoga are generally larger and stretch the outside of the body more. Daily I do my basic Qigong sets and depending on how my body feels I add some Hata Yoga postures/flows or another Qigong set.
I don't know enough about your condition, but my first reaction was to think about the 70% rule in Qigong. You only move to 70% of what you can do and when injured or unwell you go to 50% of what you can do. Qigong as I see/do it moves slowly and also tries to remove the knots and tension out of the body.
Love this Tim. After practicing for a couple years now i feel like i rewired my whole biology, not just my muscles. Way to shine light on such an amazing topic. you are doing the world a favor!!
This post is one big amen. I always thought yoga was too Foo Foo to be effective for anything. And then I tried it one day. The next morning I was crippled lol. It really DOES work muscles you never knew you had.
Now I love yoga so much and I find i need it so much more now that I have a sit-down job again. Sitting kills me and yoga is a lifesaver.
Thanks for this, Tim! I love hearing from men who practice yoga.
You're right about how yoga counteracts sitting. I spend a lot of time in offices, and the morning yoga is what keeps me from cramping up and hating life. That's why I think once a week isn't enough, since we spend so much time each day sitting.
Yoga is for Every Body! It does the body good!! I've been a practitioner for awhile, and an instructor for about 8 years. After having my husband practice with me as my yoga 'guinea pig', he actually started practicing on his own! Now, he practices a few times a week on his own with an online subscription we have. He has found that yoga is key to keeping his back healthy! Yay. Thanks Tim for sharing your experience with yoga.
Thanks for sharing your story! I love hearing that your husband's back is better because of yoga. It's healing and preventative maintenance all in one
I was that gym junkie who thought yoga wouldn't give me enough of a workout, hahahaha. Once I got started though, I couldn't stop. I started out with a class once a week, but now I've been practising at home daily for about 15 years. It's good in so many ways.
It won’t replace weight training, but it can still work the body! I’m a big fan of the home yoga workout, I do one every morning for about 20 minutes minimum.
My biggest gym vice was cardio. I was afraid I wasn't going to get my heart rate up. How little I knew! ;)
Yoga has been on my "I'll get to it eventually" list forever. You mention that there are multiple types, and the tight shoulders and neck that I go to a chiropractor for sounds a lot like what you describe for yourself. So what type of yoga do you do?
Bear with me, I'm not an expert on the types!
I pretty much stick with Hatha yoga and Vinyasa flows. The vinyasa is more athletic and a bit more challenging, but it gives me a ton of benefit and seems to help the most. The hatha yoga that I've gone to is more of a combination of several types and I've heard it's good for beginners . Hot yoga is fun and gets you a pretty good workout in the heat.
Wise words, Tim! Yoga has been a game changer for me after years of lifting weights and not being overly limber (ever). I recently got back into the routine and can tell I've been absent for a while. The instructor said she thinks that 2-3 times a week for three weeks is where you'll really start to see an improvement. The 2-3 times a week is definitely my goal.
That's fantastic!
I only do an occasional full class now. I've switched to 20 minutes of yoga almost every morning before I leave the house, and the progress I've made that way is so good! It really helped me to make it a consistent thing and keep from getting all stiff again. One class a week would be better than not going at all though.
That is a good point, too. We don't have to go full out to see improvement, right?
My favourite.
Yoga has been a complete life changer for me both physically and mentally. I had tried several yoga classes until I found the best for me. Focus on breathing, stretching and flowing. My lovely teacher has been teaching for over 40 years. What a gift🫶🏻
That’s great to hear! This is the reason it has become so popular and widespread. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for this. A lot have people I know do yoga but I've never seen the apeal before, and I even do Tai Chi & martial arts. Thi wa great way to dispel some of the myths and concerns I had about yoga. I'll definetly be starting with some videos online, first, but it's a start right?
I have done tai chi, it’s pretty good too. But yoga takes the stretching to another level. The great thing about yoga is that there are so many free or darn cheap resources, and all kinds of live classes in every city. You can find a group that is a good fit
Yes, for sure, access hasn't been the issue, it's always been more of a "why bother?"
But now I know why 😉
Thanks again!
lol, loved your take. Here is my journey in case your audience may be curious.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jayshreegururaj/p/my-journey-through-yoga-in-india?r=1si0oc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I daily do a hybrid form of yoga and qigong. Mostly Qigong. It is a lifesaver. So nice to read others reap the same benefits. Loose and limber bodies for everyone!
I don't know much about Qigong. How do you incorporate it, and where did you learn it?
Qigong is a Chinese Movement practice. Taichi is a form of Qigong. I first took a Taichi class and later a Qigong class in a local community center. Later I took several online classes. I like www.energyarts.com. I find that they explain the Qigong sets very clearly from beginner to advanced. The Qigong forms I do are short fluid movement sets. When done right they stretch the inside of the body. The postures and movements in Yoga are generally larger and stretch the outside of the body more. Daily I do my basic Qigong sets and depending on how my body feels I add some Hata Yoga postures/flows or another Qigong set.
I guess Yoga is the missing link in my personal health chain.
I’m running out of excuses why I have not yet done it.
Time to hit the yoga mat
I'd love to hear how it goes, if you do try it, report back!
I so wish I could do yoga again. It was great when I was younger but with hypermobility syndrome it is no longer in the cards for me.
I don't know enough about your condition, but my first reaction was to think about the 70% rule in Qigong. You only move to 70% of what you can do and when injured or unwell you go to 50% of what you can do. Qigong as I see/do it moves slowly and also tries to remove the knots and tension out of the body.
I remembered that you had that problem while I was writing this, definitely not a good mix. Does it give you a lot of pain?
Ashtanga is a practice I’ll practice till 108
It will definitely help you reach that age!
Love this Tim. After practicing for a couple years now i feel like i rewired my whole biology, not just my muscles. Way to shine light on such an amazing topic. you are doing the world a favor!!
It’s amazing how toda and other similar types of stretching and movement can make such a difference in our bodies.