I have begun to practice yoga. I over did it the last 3 days. 4 miles + daily on the treadmill 3 days in a row and a bike ride. I needed a rest and rebuild day and decided to "take it easy" with some yoga...HA!I found a good beginner video online and started this morning. Well "started" may over state things. I'll be more specific. I've begun to grunt and sweat thru a series of beginner poses and stretches that I can do at about 20%. Except the corpse pose. I got that one down.
Making it thru a 20 minute beginner session this morning was very interesting. Here is what I learned. I am not very flexible (shocking right?), my body is in it's own way for many basic positions and stretches. And by "body" I mean the extra "body" I'm luggin' around. And lastly I discovered I have no idea how to breathe.
I thought yoga was kind of an exercise practice. But it is much more. Here's a good quote:
Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self realization. Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day to day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions.
B.K.S. Iyengar
Really? I just wanted to stretch, looks I'm gonna get the bonus package. The benefits of the practice of yoga are many. At least according to the century's leading health expert, Oprah/Dr. Oz, here's a link to the article on the Oprah website Oz Yoga
Yoga is also strongly tied to diet and health. Here's is another great yoga quote:
Through the practices of yoga, we discover that concern for the happiness and well being of others, including animals, must be an essential part of our own quest for happiness and well being. The fork can be a powerful weapon of mass destruction or a tool to create peace on Earth.
Sharon Gannon
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