How Yoga Can Help You Become a Better Runner (by guest blogger Sarah)

Yoga is well-known for helping you to alleviate stress and to make your body stronger and more flexible. Less well-known is how yoga can help you to become a better runner.

While running faster on longer and more challenging courses can help you to improve your overall finish time and endurance, adding yoga to your routine can enhance your training and help you to have even greater speed and endurance.

Here are just a few ways that yoga can help you to become a better runner:

Strengthens Stabilizing Muscles

You need strong quadriceps and hamstrings to run fast and to run long. Without these strong primary muscles, you would have to work much harder and expend much more energy. However, these primary muscles are not the only important muscles for running. Many stabilizing muscles are also important, such as those in your feet, ankles, calves, and hips.

Yoga helps to make these stabilizing muscles stronger, helping you to be a more efficient runner and reducing your overall chance of injury.

Strengthens Your Core

Your core muscles — abdomen and back — help you to stabilize your body during exercise and your everyday activities. A strong core helps you to perform exercise more efficiently, helping you to get a stronger workout and to reduce your chance of injury.

Yoga is one of the best ways to strengthen your core, as many of the movements focus on these muscles. Strengthening your core will help you to maintain proper form when you’re running so that you run faster and reduce your risk of injury.

Increases Flexibility

Tight muscles with limited movement can increase your risk of injury. When your muscles are not properly stretched, or do not have a wide range of movement, a lot of big movements — such as you make when running — can lead to muscle strains and tears and other injuries.

Yoga helps make your muscles more flexible and gives them a greater range of movement, making them more responsive to running and to a variety of other exercises.

Improves Breathing

Proper breathing can help your body process oxygen more efficiently during exercise, making sure that your muscles are well-supplied. Ensuring that your muscles have enough oxygen during exercise means that you will be able to perform your activity more easily and that your muscles will have what they need to perform, reducing the likelihood of strains and other injuries.

Yoga teaches you to focus on your breathing so that your muscles will have an adequate supply of oxygen. Focusing on your breathing also creates a kind of meditative state, which removes some of the mental barriers to exercise — such as those nagging thoughts about how you just “can’t” get over the next hill or you’ll “never” be able to make it through the next 10 miles.

Enhances Body Awareness

One of the greatest things that yoga teaches is greater body awareness, which can help you to perform any physical exercise more efficiently. A greater mind-body connection can help you to become more aware of your body’s subtle cues, helping you to know when you are capable of doing more, when you can push yourself, and when you need to cut back to avoid injury.

You can often feel like you’ve reached your limit when running. In contrast, it is also easy to push yourself too far and to become injured. The mind-body connection that yoga teaches can help you know how to recognize these situations and act appropriately to reach your greatest potential as a runner.

While yoga and running may seem incompatible — one teaches slow, quiet movement while the other involves fast, heart-pounding movement — yoga is actually quite complimentary to a running practice. Yoga teaches a focus on breathing and a greater mind-body connection, while also strengthening key muscles and helping to make the body more flexible. All of these things can help you to run faster, to be stronger, and to reduce the likelihood of injury.

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Sarah Rexman is the main researcher and writer for bedbugs.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Florida State, with a degree in environmental science.  Her current focus for the site involves researching bed bug pics specifically, bed bugs nyc.

What’s the Deal with Broga by Guest Blogger Angelita

What is the deal with “broga”?

There is a new trend among yoga instructors who want to expand their clientele to include more males. It’s called “broga,” a new class catered towards men who feel out of place during the difficult poses of a traditional yoga class. There have been several reports about the broga classes, confirming that it isn’t the April’s fool joke that I first thought it was when I initially read about it. A yoga class for “bros”? How could it be real?

Image Source

What happens during a broga class?

Subsequent stories affirm the growing popularity of broga. The creators of the classes state that some men who took yoga classes wanted to work different areas of their body during a session, so they designed routines that were specially designed to target certain muscles in the body. For example, a broga class will address more muscles in the arms, back, and core as these are the most common areas of interest to male participants. Articles on the subject suggest that broga classes have more of a sports-rehabilitation flavor to them, with many of the poses working to target problem areas of the body overexerted due to athletics.

Is traditional yoga not enough?

The initial coverage of broga classes suggest that the atmosphere is made to be less threatening towards men who may feel emasculated during a traditional yoga session. Whereas many yoga classes boast a calming, almost spiritual environment, those in broga seem to adopt an aesthetic closer that of an aggressive workout video—a sort of macho, rock star tweak to the norm.

Image source

This would be all fine and good if it were branded as a different muscle training method on its own, but the fact that it’s called broga makes one draw an immediate contrast between it and yoga. And there’s something about the whole broga movement that doesn’t sit well with me. It seems a little odd that some men are uncomfortable enough about traditional yoga to go and found another set of exercises that closely resemble the original, only with a more bro-y atmosphere. Why not just swallow your pride and understand the amazing fulfillment of yoga as it was intended? I think the new trend sheds an interesting light on the public perception of yoga, and how it might be misinformed by harmful stereotypes.

What do you think?

What do you think about the broga movement? Do you think that it’s better for macho men to have their own space to practice their own version of yoga, or do you think they should suck it up and appreciate what real yoga has to offer them?

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This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

Sunday’s Sutra: 1.12 Abhyasa (by guest blogger and author Gary Kissiah)

I am beaming with gratitude to share with you a guest post by Gary Kissiah, the author of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Illuminations Through Image, Commentary, and Design… one of my favorite sutra books I reference when writing the Sunday’s Sutras.   Enjoy the post and share your thoughts, please.

Falling out of Handstand: Practice and Non-Attachment

Sutra 1.12:  Abhyasa vairagyabhyam tan nirodhah

Restriction of the fluctuations is achieved by practice and non-attachment.

In Yoga Sutra 1.2 Patanjali defines yoga as the cessation of the misidentification with the modifications of the mind. When our minds are still, we can then rest in our true Self. This state of being or resting in our true Self is the ultimate goal of yoga.

Patanjali takes an open and inclusive approach to Yoga practice and describes over twenty separate practices within the Yoga Sutras. One of the most important pathways to attain our true Self is described in Sutra 1.12: through consistent, devotional practice (abhyasa) and detachment from the results of that practice (vairagya) we can still our minds.

 B.K.S. Iyengar describes this practice as follows: “Practice is the positive aspect of Yoga; detachment or renunciation the negative. The two balance each other like day and night, inhalation and exhalation.”  Iyengar also equates these principles to hatha yoga. The “ha” or “sun” aspect represents practice and the “tha” or “moon” aspect represents detachment. These principles embody the two poles of our Yoga practice.

 Achieving the proper balance between a dedicated and successful practice and non-attachment to the results of that practice may be difficult because we may view these goals as paradoxical. This paradox is aggravated in Western cultures because we tend to be achievement and goal oriented.

 I frequently reflect upon these twin principles in Yoga class.  If I allow myself to become attached to my desire to progress up the asana ladder, I become ego-centered and try to outperform myself or other students in the class.   As I become more focused on my desire to “excel”, I lose awareness of my body in the asana, I forget to breathe, I tighten my muscles and I may fall out of the pose. This happened in class this week as I fell out of my handstand because I was so proud that I finally made it upside down! However, the fall in turn, triggered a cycle of self-criticism and judgment, a focus on other students who had beautiful handstands and other distractions. This attachment to achieving the “goal” only served to agitate my mind, disrupt the flow of the practice and prevent me from obtaining its benefits.

 On the other hand, if I focus too much upon non-attachment, I have a tendency to become apathetic, non-attentive and to daydream.  I do not push the poses to their edge or approach them with attention and concentration. Non-attachment provides me with an excuse to avoid challenging poses and to forgo practicing with the intensity that will expand my practice. In some classes I opt out of doing poses that are difficult for me to reach such as handstand. Again, the result is that I do not reap the full benefit of the practice.

 A bird cannot fly with one wing; it needs two wings to fly. To reach our spiritual goals we need both wings of yoga: practice and non-attachment. They need to be coordinated in a rhythmic flow to keep the flight path on course. If we can keep both principles firmly in mind and in balance through constant awareness, we will find that our practice will tend to be far more effective. And those of us who are challenged by handstand may find that we are able to find the pose and even hold it with elegance and stability!

For those of you in the Bay Area, Gary will be teaching a workshop:  Learning, loving, and living the yoga sutras at Breathe Yoga Studio Los Gatos on April 14, 2012.  

More info on his book can be found on Gary’s website or read a book review by Yoga Journal. 

 

Gary Kissiah has been studying Yoga for the past 10 years at various Yoga studios in California, the Esalen Institute and Parmarth Niketan Ashram in India. He has a Certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is a technology lawyer and enjoys traveling, trail running, graphic design and photography. Gary currently resides in Los Gatos, CA.

The Proven Abilities of Mind-Body Therapies

Guest Post From Allie:

Many people today, practice an array of mind-body therapies (MBT). Ranging from Reiki to Yoga, more than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative (CAM) medicine for a number of reasons. But as more health-care providers see the natural benefits of CAMs and MBTs, the popularity of practices like yoga, meditation, and touch therapies rises. The only bump in the road is that these therapies are suggested too late in treatment.

To support this claim, lead researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the BIDMC collected information from 23,000 U.S. households. Though they found that more than 6.3 million Americans practiced a mind-body therapy because of their doctor’s referral, they were actually sicker and used the conventional health care system more than people that voluntarily practiced MBT.

This means that health care providers see and know the benefits of MBT, but chose to use them as a last resort, once continuous use of conventional therapies has failed. Researchers say this will lead to a more in-depth study, to see if the use of mind-body therapies earlier in treatment will have better effects.

Though, the effects of mind-body therapies are old news for the readers of this blog, it is good to have science promoting the use in the medical realm. The use of CAM in integrative medical facilities has been widely used, but now maybe a direct plan from the start of treatment will be adopted. Now an easier, less painful, and faster treatment can be implemented for chronic conditions and deathly cancers, like pancreatic cancer or mesothelioma. So far, many people swear by the effects of mind-body therapies and other complementary and alternatives medicines.

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Allie Brooks went to the University of Mississippi, earning a degree in biomedical anthropology.  She is currently studying in the field to finish an ethnography on the effects of biomedicalization on Bolivian cultures, but relate on other societies as well.  She loves to guest blog on my time off to past time and spread the word.  Check out her new blog and musings at:  http://curiousmindmusings.blogspot.com

Yoga for Cancer

There has been some kind of electricity in the air these past weeks where I am because whatever I’ve been thinking about, things start manifesting!  Magical like that.  Twice over the last week, I heard knews of some sort of cancer someone is going thru out there and then voila, I get an email from a reader, Krista Peterson, who offered to share an article on this blog about guess what?  Yoga for Cancer. 

I personally know several people who have either surrendered to the battle with cancer,  is in remission or have completely healed.  Although I have never experienced teaching yoga to a cancer patient, I imagine it to be no different than teaching to any other student.  The common thread that heals us all is our mind, body, and breath connection. 

Guest Post from Krista Peterson on “Relieving Cancer Symptoms Through Yoga”

Image: omyoga.com

Once the difficult decision has been made about what method of treatment would be best to treat a patient’s cancer, the more challenging question is how can you help the patients deal with the taxing side-effects of treatment?

This issue can be seen as a challenging one for physicians because, there are very few scientific studies relating to effective ways of treating the side effects. Assisting complications like sleep deprivation and fatigue are vital toward helping patients maintain their normal lifestyle, and could potentially even encourage them onto the path of recovery.

More recently, studies have shown yoga to be beneficial in treatment of leukemia and cancer, including the rare cancer caused from asbestos exposure known as mesothelioma. While yoga cannot cure the disease, stretching and breathing techniques can be used to help relieve muscle pains and fatigue, and improve sleep, naturally leading to a decrease in the need for sleep aids. With these symptoms being an incredible burden on cancer sufferers, yoga can be an invaluable resource in complementary treatment.

Yoga can not only decrease the chances of cancer emerging, but also practitioners of yoga are much more likely to be diagnosed sooner. Yoga creates a bond with both the mind and body, and those who are more sensitive and in tune with this sense are more likely to notice changes like unexplained fatigue and unexplained weight loss, which are symptoms of colon cancer, and shortness of breath, one of the primary symptoms of mesothelioma.

It can be difficult for patients receiving chemo, and radiation therapy, to really get back to working out full force. These treatments often times leave patients bedridden and sap the energy from their bodies. It is often recommended they start with lower intensity workouts then what they’re used to, and progress much slower through the exercise routine.

With cancer patients needing a wealth of rest and relaxation, as well as the physical demands of the disease, yoga is quickly becoming a popular complementary aid in relief of cancer symptoms.

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If you do a google on ‘yoga for cancer’ I am happy to see my teacher friend, Lorien show up in top results. She adds, “yoga provides a method for cancer patients to actively participate in the improvement of their well being without interfering with their treatment. This sense of empowerment comes at the right time, because a cancer diagnosis can often bring about a feeling of hopelessness. That is my focus when I work with cancer patients, families and even medical professionals.”

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Krista Peterson is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer. As a health and safety advocate, she shares a strong passion for the wellness of others in her community. Krista has been practicing yoga for 3 years and loves to encourage others to do so as well. Through her writings, she helps to spread awareness of such issues as cancer and chronic illness.  If you would like to connect with her, please send me an email and I will get you hooked up.

Lorien Neargarder has taught yoga since 2004 and works privately with clients with cancer, as well as teaching group classes for the Stanford Cancer Support Center and for Breathe’s Cancer Support Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and teaching certifications in Hatha Yoga and Therapeutic Yoga.  Connect with Lorien at http://www.yogabylorien.com