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Member
Posts: 17
| I practice at home, with the Bikram CD. Been doing so for about a month now...6 days a week. Last night it struck me one of his phrases "yoga is a gas station...you do yoga you never get tired" or similar words.
Funny that when he says this I'm lying on my back exhausted (in the middle of yoga). But on reflection its true...
I surf. In fact, that is why I do yoga. Used to be I surfed 2-3 times a day, every day...that was in my 20's. In my 30's it was every day...no problem.
Now mid 40's surfing is taking its tolll...or has been. I found if I do not go out for a week, then paddle out on a big day, I would be sore for a week.
Since Bikram, I can now surf whenever...no worries. went out yesterday, first time in a month...big day, great day....not sore at all (well, a bit last night during 1/2 moon). Then again today, big day...not sore. So yes, I can attest, yoga (at least Bikram style) is a gas station.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Okay, where is the "like" button??  |
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Veteran
Posts: 149
| very true .... for me though yoga also helps me accept that i'm not in my twenties and that i need to be more gentle on my body and self |
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| yup. yoga asana allows you to do what you love.
that's why it was always so silly to me when people in astanga circles would be like "don't do that! it gets inthe way of your yoga!" and i was like WTF is wrong with you people?! i love to run, lift weights, hike, canoe, climb rocks, whatever. i do yoga to facilitate living, not to keep me from it.
i suppose when people think of "exercise" in any form as "tedium" then, yes, yoga is all you need to be "fit." but it may not be all you want to *live*. and yoga helps you *live!* |
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Veteran
Posts: 149
| here here .... my yoga teacher is always telling me NOT to do X or eat Y ect I too LOVE the other physical aspects of my life and yoga keeps my joints and muscles in working order. I also love stir fry and other cooked foods... chocolate, frappicinos and an espresso vodka  I'm not a perfect specimen but I do strive to make healthy choices and enjoy my life at the same time ...... everything in moderation |
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| I second that emotion!!! Yes yes yes yes. Like.
We don't do yoga for the sake of doing more yoga, or for the sake of doing yoga better. We do yoga because it fixes our bodies, tightens the loose screws in our brain, and gives us more energy... so that we can live our lives the way we want to, and so that we can enjoy our favorite activities for longer. Yoga lets you live your life!!
And psimmons, the bit about "yoga is a gas station" is actually IN the dialogue. It cracks me up and I love it. "Every exercise/physical activity in the world you do, you burn energy, like driving a car burns gas. The tank is empty, you need to fill it up again. Yoga class is a gas station."
Amy, espresso vodka? Where??? Wow, I don't remember the last time I had a martini... damn this healthy lifestyle!! |
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| Yes, great post. I've always liked that line and believe it to be true myself. I am always thankful for the fact that it has given me this new lease on life--I have MORE engergy, MORE time, now that I practice regularly.
I'll have to tell my dad about surfing! He is in his 50s and is bummed about his body changing. He has a tough time paddling out now. I will share your story with him! |
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| I am 59 and can do everything that I could do when I was 19, some things better. I blame yoga.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | jimg - 2010-02-19 12:46 PM
I am 59 and can do everything that I could do when I was 19, some things better. I blame yoga.
OMG, |
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| So cool, JimG. Me too. Well, I'm not 59, but when I started Ashtanga when I was 16 I could not hike up a hill, I could not touch my toes, run half a mile, nothing. I wasn't overweight, just loathe to engage in any physical activity. Now I .... own :-) |
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Yoga is a gas station
