Yoga

RyuJin wrote:

Connor L. wrote: The coolest thing I ever learned about Yoga was that it isn't just an exercise. It is a complete spiritual discipline. With principles, breathing meditations, spiritual rituals, and yes, training the body.

It made me wonder... What if other spiritual disciplines had a "workout"? Just a cool thought.

The first jedi training I ever did actually did have a workout....the physical aspect was emphasized as an important part of the training...the philosophical part came later...there was a rope obstacle course as well as another obstacle course, plus saber sparring...

I had a similar first encounter with Jedi training. The Cerulean Academy required you to demonstrate a physical proficiency with stamina (running), strength (push-ups/sit-ups), and coordination (saber technique) but I think they kind of missed the connection to the spiritual aspect and that may have had more to do with their philosophical ideology than anything else.

I've been thinking about joining a local Kundalini (or "laya") yoga but I have such conflicting feelings about yoga.

Any physical discipline without some sort of mental/spiritual/philosophical discipline is incomplete....I discovered that the long way with martial arts...they got better once I added zen to them....probably why buddha used martial arts to teach buddhism....the mind/body/spirit connection, 3parts to one being....

One point is the translation of yoga steps:
asana-pranayama-pratyahara-dharana, dhyana-samadhi
yama and niyama / thats can to be considered as degrees
of learning.

Some legacies in some western schools,are worked in conection with
others steps of philosophical learnings ,asociated to the idea of the steps...

The way of interpretation,translation, and understanding about yoga can to
change our understanding and interpretation and their effects

I accept the idea of postural and phisical yoga,just I do not centrated in all
postures, but ,yes, in steps to arrive to one result.

I'm not naturally flexible ,by example,I discovered a good asana for me in a
chair,or recumbent in carpet.
I accept the idea that phisical training is important when is possible,and in the percent
that each person can to work to arrive in calm to the other steps.

workout are also in many other ways.

But control can to be arrived in a natural postures.

One way to prove this is simple: try to be without movement
in any posture that your preference some minutes,and, maybe,
discomfort start,thats is because we are not trained to stop and calm to this
point,usually; (in any posture)

( in same way ,control concept can be worked in many simple postures )

Adder wrote: Contemporary Yoga might have taken a lot of the poses and used them for flexibility and exercise uses, where a hold might relieve the tension more effectively then a moment in movement into and out of a stretched position. That's my thoughts on it.

Some positions I see in videos etc are held, but in classes they are all held. I wonder if perhaps it is a country thing, I am in the UK for classes but all videos I see are American. Cultural difference in interpretation maybe?

Edan wrote:

Adder wrote: Contemporary Yoga might have taken a lot of the poses and used them for flexibility and exercise uses, where a hold might relieve the tension more effectively then a moment in movement into and out of a stretched position. That's my thoughts on it.

Some positions I see in videos etc are held, but in classes they are all held. I wonder if perhaps it is a country thing, I am in the UK for classes but all videos I see are American. Cultural difference in interpretation maybe?

Probably everyone is a bit different. Video's might be instructional and therefore hold positions a bit longer to demonstrate better for the audience. Also some people do Yoga as a calisthenics type of exercise which seem not to hold at all, almost like a cardio exercise banging out reps of full range motion!! For introductory Yoga it seems usual to approach a position and not reach it due to inflexibility, and then hold it a bit to help stretch out the muscles, fascias, ligaments etc as a way to get better at Yoga and improve flexibility more generally. I think there are benefits to that, as sometimes pain can be associated to imbalances in different muscles groups or stress etc. It is not my area though, its just a hobby my partner 'puts me through' occasionally.
:S

I would like to start doing some yoga at home. That being said, does anyone know of any good apps or videos to help with this?

Dessel761 wrote: I would like to start doing some yoga at home. That being said, does anyone know of any good apps or videos to help with this?

I do Cosmic Yoga... don't laugh, it works.

Dessel761 wrote: I would like to start doing some yoga at home. That being said, does anyone know of any good apps or videos to help with this?

I like 'yoga with Adriene' on YouTube.

I use Nintendo Yoga..... Does that count? WiiFit....