Runner’s Yoga – Official Blog

Yoga: A Fitness Fad or Spiritual Path?

Approximately 15 million Americans practice yoga on a regular basis. But for many, its primary benefit is as a fitness/stretching routine.

Now a group of Indian-Americans has started a campaign called “Take Back Yoga,” in an effort to help American yoga practitioners become more aware of yoga’s spiritual side.

It’s a campaign that is getting some strong reactions from figures across the full spectrum of spiritual pursuits. Deepak Chopra, for example, has dismissed the campaign as “Hindu nationalism.” While Baptist ministers suggest that Christians who practice yoga are imperiling their souls.

Read more here.

What really causes runner’s high?

For decades it has been thought that endorphins cause ‘runner’s high’ – that sense of euphoria and calm that many people seem to experience after prolonged exercise.

This article in the NY Times discusses some of the science behind the rhetoric: Click here

I’ve been teaching the Runner’s Yoga Program to the BC Men’s Ski Team – a very attentive and focused group of guys who seemed to ‘get it’ very quickly.

One of the things we talked about was the fact that the term ‘yoga’ itself can sometimes get in the way of athletes – males especially – giving it a try. A shame really, because athletes can benefit from yoga more than almost anyone. (I talk more about this on the Runner’s Yoga home page and in the material that comes with the program itself.)

In my experience, the reason male athletes often shy away from yoga is because of their misconception that it’s just for limber women wearing fancy fitness outfits who want to sit around on mats and hum.

Now, without a doubt, you can find that aspect.

But not in my classes.

So, I suggested to the team that if they had an image of yoga that made them skeptical about what I was about to teach them, they might want to use a different label.

Just think of the Runner’s Yoga routine this way, I suggested: “It’s a flowing series of dynamic stretches, all coordinated with a powerful breathing technique.”

Their eyes widened and I could almost hear them thinking, “Well, that sounds like a good thing.”

I continued, “It’s going to warm up, stretch and strengthen every major muscle in your body, helping it work better as a unit.”

Hmmmm. I still had them.

“The most it will take you is 30 minutes, you can do it almost anywhere, and this (I indicated my yoga mat and body) is all the space and equipment you’ll need.”

These guys can go over 60 MPH on a pair of skinny sticks, so they understand minimalism.

“And if that’s not enough, the breathing technique will improve your respiratory capacity and help you focus in the Start Gate.”

An hour and a half later, we wrapped up our first session (they’re learning how to do it on their own with the Audio Recording), and from their comments it was clear they had bought in.

Which is why I love teaching yoga to athletes – all I have to do is explain what’s going on physiologically (and make it practical), and they motivate themselves to do it.

Now in this case, the team is lucky – they happen to have a coach, Jordan Williams, who is always looking for anything that will help his athletes and he often has me in to work with his teams. So I know he’s going to offer them encouragement to practice what they’ve learned.

And personally, I don’t care whether they call it ‘yoga’ or a ‘flowing setries of dynamic stretches’.  Just as long as it helps.

Just in time for summer comes news that excessive use of high-SPF sunscreen lotions can impede our body’s supply of a vital nutrient – vitamin D.

And having too little vitamin D is a serious issue. Not only is it essential for building stronger muscles and improving reaction time (Any athletes out there?) but deficiencies in vitamin D have been linked to everything from osteoporosis to heart disease.

Unfortunately, there is virtually no vitamin D in our diet – you’d have to eat seven pounds of salmon every day for your daily requirement -  so the best source is the sun. (UV rays trigger our body to produce vitamin D naturally.)

But, if you’re coating yourself in high-SPF sunscreen lotion, those UV rays aren’t getting through. So you’ve either got to take supplements, or, as the American and Canadian Cancer Societies now suggest, consider getting small amounts of sun exposure.

Naturally, your doctor and personal situation  will determine the best course of action for you, but you might want to heed the advice of Dr. Robyn Lucas (MD, PhD) who says, “… short sun exposure of more skin is a lot safer than longer exposure of just your face and hands.”

And if you choose the sun-tanning route as your source of vitamin D, remember, you don’t need a lot: you can get almost a year’s supply of vitamin D by exposing 40% of your skin to the summer summer sun for just 3-10 minutes twice a week.

See you on the beach! (For just a few minutes )

Van

(For more, see National Geographic Adventure, June/July 2009, “The Sun Rx” by Kate Rope)

I’ve just finished producing six free lessons you are sent automatically when you sign up at RunnersYoga.com. (Enter your name and email address in the pop-up box, or about half way down the Home Page.)

I gave the lessons the shamelessly enticing title of “Six Secrets to Becoming a Yoga Master; Including How to do Yoga’s Most Difficult Pose.” (You have to wait for Lesson #6 for that last bit )

The content it covers (proper yoga breathing, effective exercise stretching, etc.) is not specific to the Runners Yoga routine – it will be valuable to any yoga practice. (In fact, much of it can be applied to any fitness training, yoga for health, or home exercise plan.)

Also, the movie files in the complete Runner’s Yoga Program are now downloadable in MP4 format. (In addition to the previous WMV & MOV.)

I have also found a free solution to the challenge that some owners of Mac computers face playing different video formats. I’ll be posting the link to the Freeware on the product download page today.

That’s it for now. (Haven’t forgot about Part 2 of Why Runners Need Yoga. Just on overwhelm with other chores at the moment.)

Hey … HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have an amazing ‘09.

All the best,

Van

It’s all about practicality. It’s the reason all those Health Club Memberships go down the drain. It’s why all those fitness machines end up sitting in the garage.

In my position with Mind Body Fitness, Inc., I’ve been introduced to every new machine… and technique … (and gimmick!) … that comes along. And I look at them all.

But my screening techniques have become very precise over the decades.

First, is it credible? Where’s the research? The clinical testing? The proof?

Next, what are the LONG-term effects? Anything can work for a short while. (Hey, crystal meth will give you an ‘energy boost’!) But what are the results when you use it for an extended period??

And third, IS … IT … PRACTICAL. If not, none of the other stuff matters. BECAUSE THE MOST POWERFUL FITNESS TRAINING TECHNIQUES IN THE WORLD ARE WORTHLESS IF YOU WON’T USE THEM.

I first learned this studying Martial Arts in Japan. I was talking to an incredible master of multiple self-defense techniques, asking him which was most effective. He just smiled and said, “The one you can use.”

Same thing later when I had a conversation with a world-famous “guru” about meditation techniques. The best one to use in his opinion? “The one that you WILL use.”

I’ve tried to apply that to everything I’ve studied ever since. And it has certainly saved me a lot of time and energy.

Which is why the Runner’s Yoga routine is only 30 minutes long.

Hey, I did the 90-minute routines. The 60-minute routines. Even the 45-minute routine. And I benefited from them all. For a while.

But for me (and the VAST MAJORITY of people) that amount of time out of your daily schedule, year after year (which is where the REAL benefits are), just isn’t realistic.

So the solution … the LONG-TERM solution … is a routine you can do in 30 minutes or less. On your own. From start to finish. Almost anywhere. When it best fits YOUR schedule. (Research confirms this.)

Otherwise it’s just another wasted gym membership. Another machine in the garage. Another DVD in the drawer.

So what’s it all about? Practicality. Accomplish AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Physically and mentally. In the shortest possible time.

That probably means no prep. No props. No travel time. And the whole routine finished within 30 minutes.

How does your program measure up?

Van

RunnersYoga.com