Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Yoga - Great, Except at the Gym
From Globe and Mail Update:
By coincidence, I bought an intro to yoga book (just some exercises and a little on breathing and meditation) last week and it's sitting unopened on the shelf.
They actually have yoga classes at the gym I go to, but I hate these gym yoga classes, because they are always ultra advanced and the stupid instructor always says the same "Oh, it doesn't matter you're a beginner, it's easy!" And you can't even begin to put your toes in the contorted way your entire body should be in and you feel like you are going to die in another 3 seconds, since for your starting pose you need to make your head face the back of your ankle and then twist your elbow to touch the center of your back, subsequently balancing all your body weight on your two pinkies for at least 15 minutes. The golden touch comes when yogi-bear then beams,"Now meditate about how good it all feels!" Thirty minutes later, your bubbly yoga teacher walks over, and cheerfully inquires, "So, did you like the class?" And you can no longer untangle yourself into a normal standup position and need to be shipped home in a FedEx carton.
.
Researchers performed two independent studies on three groups of women; those who currently attended yoga classes, those who did aerobic exercise, and those who had not done any yoga or aerobic exercise in the previous two years. The women were asked to fill out questionnaires, which asked them questions about their self-image and eating habits.
Regardless of age, the yoga practitioners reported less self-objectification, a better self-image, and fewer eating disorders than those who did not practise yoga, according to the report.
In addition, the study also found the more hours a women practised yoga per day, the more likely they were to have a positive self-image and healthy eating habits.
By coincidence, I bought an intro to yoga book (just some exercises and a little on breathing and meditation) last week and it's sitting unopened on the shelf.
They actually have yoga classes at the gym I go to, but I hate these gym yoga classes, because they are always ultra advanced and the stupid instructor always says the same "Oh, it doesn't matter you're a beginner, it's easy!" And you can't even begin to put your toes in the contorted way your entire body should be in and you feel like you are going to die in another 3 seconds, since for your starting pose you need to make your head face the back of your ankle and then twist your elbow to touch the center of your back, subsequently balancing all your body weight on your two pinkies for at least 15 minutes. The golden touch comes when yogi-bear then beams,"Now meditate about how good it all feels!" Thirty minutes later, your bubbly yoga teacher walks over, and cheerfully inquires, "So, did you like the class?" And you can no longer untangle yourself into a normal standup position and need to be shipped home in a FedEx carton.
.
