Monday morning I took my first ever Yoga class. had to stretch out after the man Maker and sweat out some impurities ( I have since reintroduced said impurities to my body, poo poo). I did not lift Monday or Yesterday, as I needed the recovery time, but today i am back on it.
The Yoga experience is what i am here to talk about. I am not used to practicing something physical and not excelling at it. Sounds cocky I know, but I pick things up quick when it comes to the body, and this was the exception. It was a Bikram Yoga class. Hot Yoga. 106 degrees in the room, but that didn't have much bearing on the situation (save for when I could not hold my feet and I was slipping all over myself. I looked like a one man porno film right in the front of the room, 'twas awful. Anyway, I did not excel at Yoga, therefore I am going back tonight. I have two more clients and my own workout to take care of today, and I am going to make sure that this Yoga thing makes me better at what I do, and that is teach. See, in one of Steve Cotter's posts after he resigned his RKC, he spoke of being a student always, even if you are a teacher. I knew that was an important part of being a good teacher, yet all I have been pursuing in the last 3 years in the discipline of the Russian Kettlebell. I have gotten better at kettlebell lifting gin the last 3 years, and knew that I needed an addition to my training. And despite the stretches I perform, nothing had prepared me for this. So today I bench and swing, and tonight, I hit that Tree Pose with a bit more confidence. We'll see how it goes. I beleive that practicing a new discipline will make me better, and in turn, make my clients better. If what they say is true, the Russian kettlebell and the Locust pose could be dangerous. . .
Hey, I started doing Bikram's a couple of weeks ago. Ironically the Locust pose is the only thing I have ever done that has taken away my tennis elbow. Best pose for people with tight forearms and elbow problems. It's actually a great corrective stretch for us KB Junkies with overly tight forearm flexors. The class will no doubt teach you something about your body, which like you said, will make you a better athlete and coach.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Big Man. I am impressed. I am not much of a fan of Bikram but I did practice it for some time. Personally I prefer more of the Vinyasa or Flow yoga which places on more fluid movement rather than 26 basic poses.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you decide to do with Yoga, it will make you such a better athlete and coach. I will say that the joint mobility workouts have helped my yoga and vice versa and that I have noticed a big carryover with the combo of KBs and Yoga.
I love the blog, you are insightful man.
Continued Success
excellent will. as you know I do my own version of yoga but after ahving seen what it has done for tracy I am all for bikram or any other form of yoga.
ReplyDeletegetting really stretched out has also helped me rehab more quickly than I believed.
flexiblity and mobility THEN strength endurance and power.
aack, dats me ,not her.
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