Category Archives: fitness

Yoga.

No wait! I’m not going to get into your face about spiritual mumbo-jumbo. I’m actually into that stuff, but that came after a year or so of yoga practice. Before that I was doing it for fitness – this stuff made me sweat like hell and I was sore for days after. So read on – I’m just going to explain the beginning, and the breathing.

First things first: Whisper something. Do you feel that sibilant noise in your throat? Now make that same noise, without speaking, but with your mouth closed and breathing through your nose. With me so far? Good! It feels like an annoyed sigh, doesn’t it?  You’ve just mastered Ujjayi, or Ocean Breathing. Just breathing like that will heat up your body and start the calories burning. Remember this.

Now look at this chart: it’s the sun salutation, Part A. If you think it looks like a glorified burpee pushup, you’d be correct. This takes great strength.

Start by standing, shoulders back, with your knees unlocked. Breath in. Then bend over, but using only your hips to bend, and try to touch the floor as you breath out. Important note: only go as far as you can, and not further. Straighten up (the third picture), but only halfway, and then breath in. Use that whispering, annoyed breath through your nose. Think of the breath threading out through your nose.

Why is the bending so important? Because the tendons in your heels, hamstrings, hips, back, and neck are all connected. When you bend, you stretch the entire network, and contribute to the longevity of your body. Good posture is damn important.

Next, put your palms to the floor, breath out, and walk back (or jump, if you’re feeling active) into a plank position (the beginning of a pushup). Lower down until your almost touching the floor (hard, isn’t it?), and then push up again, leaving your hips and legs down, almost touching the floor. Your feet should curl over on the toes so they point behind you, as if you were swimming. Breath in. Keep your shoulders down, your chest out, and use the front of your legs to keep up your legs. This is the Upward Dog! Your back thanks you.

By now, you should be feeling warm, perhaps even a little sweaty.

Now, raise your butt up, and plunge your head and shoulders towards the floor, as if you were grovelling for a tyrant. Your feet are back on the floor, with the heels slightly off. The legs are straight, the back is curving inward, the hips are arching towards the ceiling, and you’re trying to press your head to the floor. Breath in and out, whispering the breathing in your nose, five times. This is the Downward Dog.

Then, walk (or jump)back up to that forward fold, bending your knees as you need to.  Bend as low as you can (breath out), then straighten up (as you breath in), and end standing. You can clasp your hands in a prayer position, should you wish to feel cute and groovy.

Do what I just described three times. Later on, when you’re used to it, five times in a row.

When you’re done that, we continue with the B section. This is easer, because you already know part of the sequence. Continue that breathing!

Start by standing. Then point your arms and head skyward, and bend your knees. Breath in. This is the chair pose. Then straighten, fold forward while breathing out, straighten up halfway while breathing in. Then down you go, doing the upward and downward dog, like before.

I should tell you that you should somehow breath with…. intent. It’s hard to describe. But don’t just breath in and out – think of your breath meaning something. This will actually increase the burn in your body.

Once you’re in the downward dog, step up with your right foot until it gets as close to between your feet as possible. Then rise up, breathing in, and reach for the sky . Reach up, arms straight, back bent backwards as if you’re reaching for something up and behind you. Big breath in. Face forward, keeping hips as square as possible. Keep your body attentive – stretch up with your upper body as your hips and knees are dropping down. The front knee should be at a ninety degree angle, and the back foot can be either down flat, or with the heel up. Then down you go (breath out) the same way as you went up, putting your foot back to match the back foot, and go back to a plank position. Then do the upward and downward dog again.

Once your in the downward do, do the same thing – that lunge position, but on the  other side. Then, when you come back and do the upward and downward dog again, wait in downward dog for five of those big ocean breaths. Remember to keep the body alive – don’t just hang there.

Then walk (or jump) back up to a bent-over stance. Try to touch the floor once more(breathing out), and then straighten up and go into another chair pose. Then straighten up, and you’re done.

This is to done at least three times, five when you’re better at it. It can be done one a mat, a wooden floor, or a strong carpet. The feet have to be bare, because you need traction.

A single set of salutations (A and B) gives you four push-ups, ab-work in the lower abdominals, a worker for the shoulder, a lunge position for both legs plus two more leg positions in the chair pose. It stretches the back, the legs, and the chest muscles. It works the butt wonderfully, as well as the hip flexors on the side of your butt. The breathing increases the caloric burn in the body, and promotes weight loss. And that is only the beginning!