Back when I had money, I took a yoga class at the Y. It was kinda beginner/intermediate/advanced mashup because some in the class were noobs (like me) and some had been going for a while already. I didn't do too many classes, usually only once or twice per week. I loved it though. Our instructor was a very normal lady with an elementary school teaching job and kids and all and I think she taught yoga because she just really liked it. I found it very relaxing and it really did help me to be more aware of my breathing. Also I always slept really well on the nights I'd been to class. There's a studio in my town and I'd love to take classes there, but I checked out their website and it is fucking essspensssive. So now I just do it at home once in a blue.
@arodriguez.romero: I have actually seen a boost in people joining our studio, but then again I am in New York so the market might be different elsewhere.
I love yoga! I work part-time at a yoga studio and get to take free classes. I don't know about improving my sex life in particular, but it makes me feel pretty rad in general. Also, it makes my arms all nice and toned, which is novel to me, non-sports-playing, non-gym-going person that I am.
@hetaira: I've been working on it. I need the wall still.
I don't think scorpion is about upper body strength, since I have string for arms. For me it's about 70% balance 30% fear, and the 30% is what's holding me back.
@arodriguez.romero: I tend to agree with you in the sense that learning a dead language while upside down is not always that productive. However, the Sanskrit names have 1) been used for a long time, and 2) denote something really specific, as opposed to some of the foofy-ass English names that get made up by modern American movements (YogaFit, I'm looking at you, with your Sunflowers and Moonflowers bullshit).
@la.donna.pietra: sun flower and moon flower = no thanks. Similarly folks who replace sun salutation with "son" salutation - so that it's acceptable for Christians = I'm not interested.
About the sanskrit names being used for a long time - did you see that article in yoga journal about how old some of this stuff is?
The thesis of the article is that the poses don't date back as far as may seem, although the breathing and the mindfulness techniques may be far older.
You make a good point about the specificness (or lack of) of peacock/scorpion/forearm balance. I think that we haven't got good names that are specific. I wish we did. It would help to talk about it all, instead of going round about what to call the stuff.
@arodriguez.romero: Yep, I read that article--I meant long in the sense of "seventy to fifty years," not "centuries upon centuries." For me, the Sanskrit names work well to define what it is that I'm supposed to be doing, but I can certainly see why it turns people off or confuses them.
don't they often say the same thing about exercise in general? i practice yoga, but sometimes I think all the things people claim it helps out with have more to do with the benefits of any kind of exercise.
@SmallbutMighty: I suspect that the sexual benefits come from the mindfulness. Just focusing on the sex and noticing it in detail is bound to make it better.
@SmallbutMighty: I actually think it has less to do with mindfulness as it does with strengthening your pelvic floor and lower body. It also helps loosen up your hips and builds stamina. You could get similar results through dance most likely. I doubt you could get those effects through jogging unless you do some major stretching afterwards.
@winchesterwolcott: I follow ya - I used to do a bit o' yoga back when I was framing houses and rock-climbing. My GF was a pro (climber) so I had to work to keep up (and as a bonus, keep things fun in bed).
Yoga leads to increased mental health, better sex, improved physical health & appearance, spiritual enlightenment, and may in fact be shown to cure strep vagina. And still I can only work up a "meh" - I can't get into it at all. I'll continuing destroying my knees jogging.
@Your Screenplay Sucks: Yoga is a great accompaniment to jogging/running. It really helps improve your running by improving your breathing and stretching the muscles that are most negatively affected by the impact of running. Just an FYI from a runner/yoga-er.
@justcallmespartacus: My kids are baseball players, who also pitch (big surprise) and I have had them doing the shoulder-stretching poses for years. Other kids used to make fun of them, but when my kids had 10+ miles more of velocity on their fastball, all the other kids that pitch wanted to learn them too. I can't say enough about the benefits of yoga for any athlete, it's much more focused and effective then regular stretching.
I totally believe this. Yoga helps you focus on how your body feels, and it also helped me to not be so critical of my body. When you accept that you have this cool, strong, body that can do so many things, you have more confidence. And my breathing improved.
@Kivrin: He was too vanilla for me in the end. I tried bringing Luke in for a threeway and he just muttered "Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." Jerk.
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so glad to finally have an appropriate venue for that particular anecdote!!
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50% of the effort in yoga is avoiding farting
25% of the effort is avoiding laughing when someone else farts.
did I mention that mentally I am a 12 yo boy?
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Too bad yoga is one of the first things to go for people in bad times - it's not a recession proof business
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If you catch your mind wandering during sex, do you think to yourself "what am I thinking about that's better?"
Also, that's a beautiful pose (scorpion) that is not really so far out of reach for many people with a daily yoga practice
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I don't think scorpion is about upper body strength, since I have string for arms. For me it's about 70% balance 30% fear, and the 30% is what's holding me back.
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It's one stage of Scorpion, but Scorpion is a lot harder: [www.santosha.com]
Yes, I am a yoga nerd.
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I don't use the sanskrit names ever.
I try to avoid sanskrit translations into English too.
I'm in the minority about the names. I don't think it's helpful to use fanciful names. I think it's better to use really direct names.
Somebody once told me that I should start a reform yoga movement.
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About the sanskrit names being used for a long time - did you see that article in yoga journal about how old some of this stuff is?
[www.yogajournal.com]
The thesis of the article is that the poses don't date back as far as may seem, although the breathing and the mindfulness techniques may be far older.
You make a good point about the specificness (or lack of) of peacock/scorpion/forearm balance. I think that we haven't got good names that are specific. I wish we did. It would help to talk about it all, instead of going round about what to call the stuff.
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Sold.
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I need to get laid some more so that I can test this, even though I was never unsatisfied, maybe it gets better still?
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