I mentioned to a friend the other day that I am interested in trying yoga.

She was very glad to hear it and offered to give me a bunch of yoga DVD's of hers that she bought and decided she would never use. Turns out that every time she does yoga, she feels really ill the next day.

She works out A LOT, does resistance training and cardio and follows an Atkins-style diet, never saw anyone so paranoid about carbs. She seems to be super fit, but I know she has problems with her back (she has ankylosing spongyditus (sp?) which bothers her a lot, especially in the am) She's horrified at my diet - well, very supportive of me doing it, but she wouldn't dream of it. Personally, I suspect all that protein is aggravating her arthritis.

But my question is this - do you suppose that yoga makes her feel ill because it may be triggering a detox response - can yoga do that? That's my theory, but maybe I am wrong.

Sapphire

Considering what she eats, I doubt it, but it's possible? It could be mental.

you could show her these:


age 59 or 66 (per various websites)

age at death 72



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2008 05:16PM by fruitgirl.

Hahaha, fruitgirl, that was absolutely hilareous. If my friend is ever willing to consider it, this may be one of the first things I ever show her.

I try not to tell people what to do if they don't want to know, and at this point, she is very happy with what she is doing.

Utopian Life: You are right, but I have to say one thing in her defense. A typical meal for her is a chicken breast or two and the biggest salad ever. That woman is the only person I know who can put away as much salad in a meal as I can. And compared to most SAD people I know, her diet is Way healthier. Lots of fresh and steamed veggies. So, until she is ready to listen, I won't be preaching.

She stopped by for a visit a few months ago, and tried a couple of my flax crackers. Claims she gained 6 lb overnight from eating them. Even though I find that hard to believe, she believes it, so she is very suspicious of my diet. And since I don't work out as much as her, I am not nearly as muscular, so I don't think my physique impresses her all that much either. Maybe she will feel differently someday, but I won't push it.

Sapphire

fruitgirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you could show her these:
My first impulse said Doug Graham and
Robert Atkins. My new Hero, Dr. Stanley Bass doesn't
look so great either.....WY

[www.drbass.com]

Sapphire, I'm not an expert but I do Yoga on a fairly consistent basis to realign my back & neck. It is the only thing that works that strengthens and realigns. I've done max dosage Relafen for years prior to Raw, Physical Therapy, and years of Chiropractic. Relafen reduced the swelling but didn't realign. Physical Therapy helped to strengthen some of the muscles but didn't make me flexible and didn't realign me. Chiropractic realigned me temporary but didn't strenthen and make more flexible and, again, the realignment was only temporary. Upon discovering Yoga, my alignment is better and I no longer have as much backward sliding on my alignment as with the other methods. I do Yoga at home since I moved away from the Yoga instructor that helped me so much.

If she has back problems, Yoga may make it worse. One has to know what they are doing in Yoga or they may become worse. For example, if a female is cramping during her menstrual cycle, one can do the Downward Facing Dog and that helps. However, if one does the Plow position, the bleeding will become worse. There are certain positions that must be modified for certain ailments until one is in a completely healthy state to be able to do the positions/movements/asanas. I'm not sure if the DVD's indicate whether or not to do a certain position or how to modify a position for a certain condition/misalignment so that the injury does not worsen. I know that some books give the warning as I have at least one of them.

Good luck. Therese

Yes, yoga can trigger a detox response. The deep breathing moves energy in the body, and this energy can lead to a detox or healing response.

On a yoga related topic, I was just in the studio this morning at our local community radio station, listening to the yogi who started the yoga I am practicing. I was invited to the studio because I helped in doing the public service announcement for this radio broadcast. If you would like to know what yoga is about outside of the poses or the postures, listen to this yogi share his perspective on what is yoga. Spiritual Perspectives for Aug 31, 2008. The interview doesn't start until 6 minutes into the recording.

Here is a streaming version.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2008 06:50PM by Bryan.

Thank you so much for you replies everyone.

Bryan - I don't have time to listen to your yoga link right now, but I will as soon as I have time.

Meanwhile, as a novice to all this, I notice there are different types of yoga. I did try Bikram yoga a few years ago, and I didn't really like it all that much. It started out good, but after a few times, I really stopped liking all that heat. Can anyone tell me if I should look for a particular type of yoga to start out, or does it matter? Also, how often should a person do this, any tips?

Do you suppose I would be okay just following a DVD, or is this something I should find a real live teacher for? Any advice would be appreciated!

Sapphire

Yoga can definitely trigger a detox response. It is basically wringing your body out and massaging all of your poses. Also the intense experience of doing vinyasa, if done right, results in one facing all of their stuff and burning through layers of patterns, habitual thoughts, fears, etc. Yoga is way more powerful than one might think.

sapphire,

there really are so many different traditions and styles
i've practiced and gotten to love 4 or 5
and to me they are each completely different experiences
that benefit me each in different ways according to my
spiritual, physical and social needs at the time

another important variable is finding a teacher who resonates well for you
if you find someone you love sharing yoga with
that is a true gift

some people im sure these may not be an issue at all
and some people stick with one style/teacher for years or forever

Sapphire, Yoga has different teachers. I like the kind from Iyengar. Patricia Walden is one of the more famous ones that teach from his practices. My instructor taught based on Iyengar, too. She admired Patricia Walden alot.

You can find info on him here [www.bksiyengar.com]

I have the PM Yoga for beginners with Patricia Walden but I haven't followed it. I mostly practice from a book "Yoga Mind & Body" by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center and what I learned from the classes I took from my previous instructor.

Good luck. Therese