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Try Something New…Yes, Yoga! | May 9, 2013

Dr. Barry

This article will hopefully be short…short, sweet and to the point. How’s that for a change? I know how well you listen when I lecture about diet and exercise…so if you don’t follow my simple recommendations about the basics of your health, how likely are you to try something new? Well, hope springs eternal so I thought I would write about something that I know can benefit anyone. Yoga. That’s right…yoga.

You should do yoga. Not try yoga…do yoga. You should do it if you are injured or sick. You should do it if you are well. You really have no good excuse…oh you have plenty of excuses but each and every one can be overcome if you really want to. Instead, when I mention yoga you draw back like I was swinging a rattlesnake in your direction. I really can’t understand why you are reluctant. Yoga can be done very cheaply. No special uniform is necessary. You can practice it at all skill levels in the same setting. Young or old. Male or female. You don’t need a partner. You can do it alone to a tape or take a weekend retreat. You know my mantra…diet and exercise…exercise and diet. But if I were to amend my mantra it would be diet, exercise and yoga.

I often get a funny look when I recommend yoga. People are willing to risk getting hooked on pain pills or having ulcers with the nonsteroidal drugs rather than consider yoga. People seem willing to have surgery or have needles stuck in their backs, risk infections or go for rounds of and rounds of physical therapy but are not willing to try some prolonged gentle stretching program. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do physical therapy…I’m saying you should do both. It’s a good fit with both cardio programs and strength building programs. So what’s stopping you. There are yoga classes all over the place…the fitness center…the church recreational center…the firebarn…but you can look for a dedicated studio if you want to class it up a little. I take my classes at a dojo in Liverpool. If you are reluctant to do yoga with others or are somehow worried about embarrassing yourself in front of others you can get a DVD from the store, the Internet, the library, and try it at home. Taking a class with others works better for me for some reason but I do tend to keep my eyes closed most of the time or maybe it’s that I’m so focused on me I don’t notice much else. Please hold the cracks about me focusing on me all the time, anyways.

So yes, I recommend yoga. This isn’t about religion. This isn’t Jesus versus the Buddha…this is a set of exercises that stretch and realign your spine and body and seek at the same time to relax you and get you in touch with the basics…like breathing and physical self-awareness. By that I mean listening to what your body is trying to tell you. What hurts and why and how you can possibly make it better with stretching and better balance and posture. How is that not a good thing? What keeps you from trying? No, you may not break a sweat during yoga…you might but it’s not guaranteed. You put as much into it as you like and of course I think the results reflect how much you put into it. Yoga tests not specifically a cardiovascular exercise…it’s not aerobic and it is not weight training but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be in your exercise program. If you really have an exercise PROGRAM hopefully that doesn’t mean just doing the same exercise every day. Of course consistency is important but more in terms of frequency…there should be some variety in your exercise and yoga should be just one part of your pattern…

Of course there are multiple types of yoga but I’m referring to the slow set of repetitive stretches that challenge your range of motion and balance. Opens up your spine and lifts your spirit. Sure it’s uncomfortable at times but that’s what the slow stretch is all about…you get all up in that discomfort…you own that discomfort…you map that territory…you’re not paying taxes on that discomfort but it’s just a matter of time…that’s your personal discomfort…then…as you learn to let go of the tension…the position becomes comfortable and you decide if you want to challenge yourself further.

I have never left a yoga class not feeling relaxed and somehow more centered and peaceful. I know that sounds a little “soft” but you can’t understand the feeling if you haven’t done the class.

I’m not the only one recommending yoga. The PX90 program has a yoga component. All the high-end spas and workout places have yoga available. I have never left a yoga class not feeling relaxed and somehow more centered and peaceful. I know that sounds a little “soft” but you can’t understand the feeling if you haven’t done the class. How long that peaceful sense lasts depends mostly on me…sometimes it’s hours afterwards before my innate pessimism returns…sometimes it’s minutes…why oh why are you pulling out coupons in the seven items lane at my beloved Weggies. I overlook your having 20 items in the 7 items lane because I’m feeling good after yoga but when you pull out the coupons suddenly the old Joey is back. Still, my point is that yoga makes me feel better both physically and mentally and I know it will help you too if you would only give it a try. It’s May 2013 and it’s just the right time of year that you tried something new…or you could keep coming to my office for the drugs that give partial relief, see the chiropractor, go through physical therapy again, another round of MRIs, injections or surgeries. If that’s working for you, great. But I see many people who are not getting better or feeling well despite the above. Yoga is an essential tool you should have in your personal health tool box. The instructor where I take my class usually ends with an expression that goes something like “thank you for taking this opportunity to quiet our chattering monkey minds.” You know how that resonates with my prior writings about how the day to day grind dulls us and obscures what’s important…we focus on the minutiae and forget about the big picture. Yoga will help you stretch thoroughly and relax for at least a time. It’s up to you to and me to make that time last longer. It’s up to you to make the time to give yoga a try. Until then…get well…stay well.