Is Yoga dangerous?

Yoga studios are as commonplace today as McDonalds. It seems like in every strip mall, I see a yoga studio. Let's face it, it is THE fitness thing to be seen doing. Whereas trends like Tae-Bo and Nordic-Track have come and gone, yoga, since the early 90's, has become a mainstay in our society. And hell, why shouldn't it be? It feels good. Spend 90 minutes in a hot room doing poses and your muscles will feel loose and limber. Plus, if you're a female, you get to wear comfy pants that make your ass look good (please stop wearing them like dress pants!). So what could be the danger?

Turns out, a lot.

For those of you who know anything about me, you know I lean right in my politics, and in the election this year, I am a proud ABO voter (Anybody But Obama). But I love reading the Sunday New York Times. The magazine and book review, especially. I was reading it this last Sunday and came across a story about yoga. Since I like yoga, I kept reading, and what I found out startled me. With the rise in popularity of yoga in our society, it turns out that it is sometimes not the safest thing to do.

An experienced yogi, one who has practiced the art of yoga for years and actually has been to India, described how dime-a-dozen yoga studios have popped up everywhere. A lot of these yoga studios have inexperienced teachers whose main concerns are money and pounding in poses that their students have no business doing. He went on to describe some horrific injuries that he has heard about. Things like herniated discs in the back. He continued to say that majority of people have no place practicing yoga; it is not a means of fitness. Yoga, in its purest form, is a way of life. It's a means of achieving spiritual insight.

Last year, I actually went to a meditation class. I found it very relaxing and an interesting journey into the mind. While I can't say it's something I would want to do regularly, it was enjoyable and fascinating. Learning that yoga is a form of meditation and spiritual practice, I want to treat it as such. A journey into the mind and a journey of tough relaxation. Not as an exercise, or something trendy.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Check out the article here

Something New!!!! (and enjoyable)

A few years ago, I was that guy who laughed at people who did yoga. I thought it was just a thing for hippies, middle-aged soccer moms, or Eurotrash people that wanted to be different. After all, how much can you get out of just moving your body around in various poses? Shouldn't you either have to put a ton of pressure on your muscles to feel anything?

Yeah...I was dumb...forgive me...

Fast forward to late 2008/early 2009. I bought Wii Fit and was most excited about trying...YOGA! Yes, me. Let me make one thing clear on Wii Fit yoga. It's good but you aren't really going to get what you should out of it. The exercises are too short in duration and there is too much pausing in between. Yes, it's a good intro to yoga, but that's all it should be treated as. An intro.

I did some research and discovered there are many different types of yoga. The two that most interested me were Ashtanga yoga and Hot yoga. Ashtanga is a type of yoga that builds muscle mass in large quantities. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 swears by this. The other is Hot yoga, where you are in a very hot room for 90 minutes doing yoga. It allows toxins to be released...same principle as a sauna, I guess...

In any event, T told me about a yoga studio near her work that was giving away a free yoga session for today. One of them was...HOT YOGA! I was hesitant at first, thinking I would be very out of place, but I pondered it and decided to man up and give it a shot.

I got to the place and was greeted by a nice receptionist. He introduced me to the instructor and told me I was going to have a great time. He asked my fitness level and when I said I completed a triathlon he was impressed. I went into the yoga room and stepped into another world.

It was dimly lit, but felt calming. There was some soft music playing. The floor was carpeted. There were maybe 8-9 other people in there, all rolling out their yoga mats and stretching. I rolled mine out and did some light stretching. Then the instructor came in and turned up the music. He told us to relax and we began.

For 90 minutes, I stretched my body out in poses I have done many times before and some that I have never done. I was sweating about 40 minutes in and had no desire to wipe the sweat off. This was feeling amazing! Not only physically, but mentally as well. I am not religious, but I do have a spiritual side and can understand how this appeals to people.

At the end of it, I felt very calm and now as I blog, my muscles feel amazing! I hope this is something I can try again in the future.