Yoga fit club 5th week

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 heleno 03 May 2020

A thread for those using the lockdown either to start yoga, or to take their yoga further. 

NOT intended to detract from the long-running UKC fit club, but to allow yoga-specific sharing of tips, video class recommendations, achievements etc.  I’m also a yoga teacher, so if you’re a beginner I may be able to answer any queries.

Any newcomers to the thread, please feel free to join in!

Last weeks thread:  https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rock_talk/yoga_fit_club_4th_week-718625

Girlymonkey: Great news last week that your foot is improving.  Hope you’ve been able to do some running as well as yoga?

Also good that your husband found a class that works for him.  Would you post a link to it as I have friends that might enjoy it too?

The Wild Scallion: That 21 day yoga shred looks good.   Are you carrying on with it?

Derek Furze: Home improvements and gardening certainly seem to be taking up our time and energy during lockdown!  Did you try any different on-line classes this week?

Flaming Sarah: Thanks for the tip about Navasana last week – I’ve been trying that each time I practice and it certainly gets deep into the core!  How is the Ashtanga going?    

Little Butch: Great that you’re enjoying the relaxation!  Have you tried any other videos?  Any you’d recommend?

HansStuttgart: Sorry to hear that you feel you’re losing fitness – hope it comes back quickly once we can start climbing again.  In the meantime, hope the yoga is helping!

Disclaimer: Even very strong and fit climbers can injure themselves if yoga poses are done incorrectly.  If you’re trying yoga for the first time via an online class, it’s best to choose one which takes time to show how to do the poses safely.

 clipstick 03 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

My 220cm yoga mat just arrived from the Ruth White company. First time I've had enough space on a mat! 

I've been following the down dog app yoga, I've made it to intermediate 1 now. My hamstrings have come on in leaps and bounds! I'm doing it mainly for flexibility and mindfulness at the moment since I prefer to train my core in a more focussed way. Warrior two has started to feel great! Back when I started I didn't have the endurance to keep my arms out wide for so long, now I don't even think about it. Need to work on my balance though! Warrior 3 takes a lot of focus

One thing I notice though, I think my legs are longer and body is shorter than the model's. If I go from cobra with hands under the shoulders, then push up into table top I'm all stretched out and need to walk my hands back under these shoulders. Then pushing up into down dog I need to walk my legs out further behind me (guessing my hamstrings aren't up to it yet.)

 leburnett88 03 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Hello! Been trying to do more yoga - some days I feel loads more flexible. Others; I can barely touch my toes. But I’m enjoying trying to get better at breath control.

However my cheap yoga mat is too thin and my knees hurt in a lot of positions. Does anyone have any recommendations for better ones?

 Derek Furze 03 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Yes, tried (and quite enjoy) the Melissa Krieger practices, so I am sticking to them to develop some sort of progression.  Enjoyable stuff - some things feel easy, whereas others take some focus, but the practices are beginning to flow better as the positions and breathing become a bit more intuitive.  Flexibility is developing, though it is gentle progress.

 girlymonkey 03 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Yes, running a lot now, with yoga both for warm up and cool down. I did 20km on Friday (slowly! Lol), so feeling good.

My husband is also doing it semi regularly too.

OP heleno 04 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

My yoga practice this week has been completely different!  Friends and family have asked me if I would teach Zoom classes, so I've been giving it a go, and my efforts this week have been focused on how best to go about it.

It really makes me appreciate the careful consideration that goes into making a good quality video class.  Camera position, audio, lighting, and even wearing clothing that shows up well on video, were all issues - and I've also learned that I need to use a larger screen so that I can see how several students are doing.  However, I really enjoyed developing and teaching the classes so I'm going to carry on doing that alongside my own practice.

Post edited at 12:42
 mbh 04 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Hello! 

Can I mention pilates on here? I've recently  had a recurrence of severe back pain that first flared up last summer. I did go to a physio then, but got little from it, and now, thinking that, among other things, strengthening my core is likely to help, I have tried both pilates and yoga, both from the Instructor Live workouts on the NHS site. My wife does the yoga one regularly, and so might I one day, but for now I have plumped for pilates, run by Sam Webster, since the emphasis on working the core appealed. I do just half an hour, but several times a week, as well as running every day.

It seems to be helping. If nothing else, I have discovered how inflexible I was. 

harley.marshall8 05 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

I do yoga everyday and mix between hatha yoga and vinyassa flow using a variety of online classes and my own stuff. One thing I wanted to share was that I have had repeated glute injuries and hip issues, one class especially and the teacher online offers a brilliant series of videos, well presented, good pace and excellently put together.  If you are a runner then his videos hit all the right muscle groups. 

youtube.com/watch?v=gDQNqZMv1V0&

 HansStuttgart 05 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

> HansStuttgart: Sorry to hear that you feel you’re losing fitness – hope it comes back quickly once we can start climbing again.  In the meantime, hope the yoga is helping!

I am still climbing, just no fitness routes. Germany is much more relaxed...

The yoga is certainly good. I switched to a new session which I'll try a bit more the next month. More hip flexibility, belly muscles and balance. Less pushups though...

 leland stamper 05 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Day 5 of Down Dog - my first venture into yoga and still discovering just how inflexible I am. Am taking it easy, but am very aware that I need to develop/maintain mobility. Baby camel just a dream at present!

harley.marshall8 05 May 2020
In reply to mbh:

Try some really basic back routines, sorry if sound presumptious, but go only to the point of stretch, use a strap or climbing sling to attain hard to reach postures and also a block for helping get lower in particular poses. Good luck regular yoga at your level will vastly improve your back and like you say build your core which will ease pressure on the back. 

OP heleno 06 May 2020
In reply to leburnett88:

> However my cheap yoga mat is too thin and my knees hurt in a lot of positions. Does anyone have any recommendations for better ones?

The Iyengar studio I go to has Yoga Mad Tree Mats https://www.mad-hq.com/product/yoga-mad/natural-rubber-yoga-mat-tree-mat, which are very thick and comfortable.  However, they are also several times more expensive than most mats!  A much cheaper approach is to make a fold in your mat where you want to place your knees - this will triple the padding your mat provides. 

Alternatively, I was given a pair of these knee pads https://www.decathlon.co.uk/yoga-knee-wrist-pad-id_8554941.html for Christmas - they are fantastic for long holds, for example a yin yoga lunge. 

OP heleno 06 May 2020
In reply to leland stamper:

I think the Down Dog beginner routines are actually quite challenging - their intermediate routines are not much harder!  

OP heleno 06 May 2020
In reply to harley.marshall8:

>  If you are a runner then his videos hit all the right muscle groups. 

Yes, I agree, I regularly go back to this one whenever my hips and hamstrings are feeling tight.

OP heleno 06 May 2020
In reply to clipstick:

> One thing I notice though, I think my legs are longer and body is shorter than the model's. If I go from cobra with hands under the shoulders, then push up into table top I'm all stretched out and need to walk my hands back under these shoulders. Then pushing up into down dog I need to walk my legs out further behind me (guessing my hamstrings aren't up to it yet.)

Yes, yoga positions can feel very different depending on your body proportions!  However, in my teacher training it was recommended that students should place their hands several inches further forward than table top before moving into down dog.  So you're probably not that unusual!  And like you say, as your hamstrings release, you will be able to maintain down dog with your feet closer to your hands.

Similarly, in cobra, the hands will eventually come further down your body than the shoulders (I read somewhere that your thumbs should ideally be in line with your nipples!), but again that's harder until you gain more flexibility.

harley.marshall8 06 May 2020
In reply to heleno:

Yes he is one of my favorite online teachers and very effective, have you tried his it band stretch routine.  For others he also does specific neck, back, hand and feet routines and some great intermediate routines. My partner really like adriannes videos as she does progressive long term daily routines. 

 mbh 06 May 2020
In reply to harley.marshall8:

Thanks. Good advice. Thanks too for the David Procyshyn recommendation. As a frequent and achey runner, he sounds worth a try.


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