Not everyone is able to accept ancient practice yoga. Someone does not like its spiritual component, someone is frightened off by her "stupid" restrictions on food, but for someone they seem unbearable breathing exercises(What if hyperventilation of the lungs will negatively affect health?). Now we will talk about why other people, despite these fears, choose yoga.
Yoga philosophy
So, the main claim to yoga can be recognized as spiritual practice. Most often you can hear: "I am not up to high matters now, I would like to lose weight and improve my health." In other words, people want something simpler, and that there is no meditation or breathing exercises.
One can admit right away that those who reason in this way have a rather vague idea of the technique and purpose of yoga. They probably heard something out of the corner of their ears, or read a dubious article in the newspaper. Meanwhile, yoga assumes, by influencing the body, to influence the emotions and mind of the practitioner. Everyone understands that it is difficult to directly affect a person's mood and mind if he is out of sorts or cannot get rid of disturbing thoughts. But it is much easier to make an effort on oneself and perform several exercises, and it is through them that yogis come to calmness of mind and complete mastery of their spirit and body.
The human body is considered in yoga as an instrument of self-knowledge, and its physical and spiritual components are parts of an indivisible whole. By the way, the presence of such a connection between the body and emotions can be confirmed by any psychologist: getting into a stressful situation, a person is exposed to muscle spasms that affect his appearance and health. Techniques for working with them are used in body-oriented psychology. And if you want to take care of your physical health in the first place (as a rule, this is the way people of Western countries go), then hatha yoga is suitable for you, the emphasis in which is precisely on wellness exercises... The advantage of this practice is that by focusing your development on the physical side, you still strengthen your emotional state, and gradually get rid of anxiety and tension.
Yoga and weight loss
The thesis of the opponents of yoga that it is impossible to lose weight with its help is incorrect. Although the question needs to be changed a little here - if you have excess weight that harms your constitution, then yoga will help you get rid of it. But it will not turn a slender person into a skeleton, because it is aimed at improving the body, and not at torturing it.
In fairness, it is worth noting that the figure will improve in any case: even if the weight does not change, its contour will change - it will become more toned due to the development of muscles.
Yoga and health
Another important argument in the debate about improving the body is the fact that yoga is the only system that has such a complex effect on the body. Breathing practices help to increase blood flow to all organs and tissues, and this is what is lacking for those who lead a hypodynamic lifestyle. Complex twisted poses help to work out joints and strengthen blood vessels, which in parallel is the prevention of arthritis, diseases of the spine, varicose veins and an armful of other diseases that can be found even among young people today. Isn't the absence of blue stars on the legs, a healthy complexion and flexible joints a great contribution to health and beauty at the same time? And middle-aged and elderly people will be glad that all these health-improving "bonuses" of yoga have a positive effect on the quality and longevity of life.
Yogi nutrition
Now let's talk about nutrition. It is not at all necessary for a beginner to practice to immediately join the ranks of vegetarians. Yogis prefer to adhere to gradual changes, so no one will immediately force you to give up meat, familiar food and alcohol. But if you have such a desire, the instructor will gladly tell you where to start. Many beginners admit that after six months or a year they themselves switched to more proper nutrition- a healthy body itself requires healthy food.
Does yoga affect the psyche?
Another common concern is that yoga can damage your psyche. After all, it is not known what all these meditations and breathing exercises will lead to. Calm down - hyperventilation of the lungs, the effect of which is similar to taking psychedelics, is practiced by those who are engaged in holotropic breathing. This has nothing to do with yoga. No one will teach beginners meditation that is dangerous for their consciousness or difficult. breathing practices... To begin with, they need to improve their health and balance their emotional sphere. Only then can you begin to learn how to work with “subtle” energy.
According to yogis, if a person is overcome by anxiety, and his energy channels are polluted, then interaction with subtle energy for him is not only meaningless, but also dangerous.
And watch out correct breathing they teach not only in yoga, they teach this in any sport, even those who are engaged in strength fitness in the "rocking chair". If you are worried about yourself, it is better to practice breathing techniques only under the guidance of an experienced instructor, and not try to learn it yourself from articles or books. This is especially important for those who are prone to asthma, migraines or nervous system disorders.
Another useful for the psyche component of yoga - "artistic". Performing asanas, the yoga body takes the most different provisions that resemble plants, animals or people in shape (sage, archer, servant). Thanks to this, he feels oneness with countless life forms in the Universe and can be someone else.
According to pessimists, having brought yoga technique to the Western world, it was simplified to the level of fashionable gymnastics. But optimists believe that on the contrary, it was in the West that this system got its second wind. It was not without reason that many Indian teachers sent their followers to the West with parting words that they were expected there.
Nowadays, many schools already have a developed system of classes for both beginners and long-term practitioners. They often invite Indian teachers over to guide their process and correct mistakes. We can only hope that over time, our perception of the yoga technique will only deepen, and it will be able to bring joy and health to many more people.
Lana Paley
Better than yoga. Gymnastics for every day
Lana Paley
End of introductory snippet.
Text provided by Liters LLC.
Read this book in its entirety by purchasing the full legal version for liters.
The cost of the full version of the book is 5.99 rubles. (as of 28.03.2014).
You can safely pay for the book with a Visa, MasterCard, Maestro bank card, from a mobile phone account, from a payment terminal, in an MTS or Svyaznoy salon, through PayPal, WebMoney, Yandex.Money, QIWI Wallet, bonus cards or in another way convenient for you.
“Better than yoga. Gymnastics for every day ": Onyx, Peace and Education; 2011
ISBN 978-5-488-01909-6
annotation
The set of exercises proposed in the book was developed by Lana Paley together with the famous rheumatologist P.V. Evdokimenko. This is a full-fledged gymnastics aimed at improving the whole body. The exercises are thought out so that they will be performed by people without any physical fitness... All that is required of you is the desire to be always healthy!
Health is given to everyone from birth, its supply is finite, but while it is possible, a person behaves as if he is immortal.
Victor Boyko
We all want to stay young as long as possible. But how many of us are doing anything to achieve this? See what happens to our body if we do not expose it to any physical activity... Until the age of thirty, we mercilessly use what nature has given us, completely without thinking about what will happen next. As a result, at forty we get a body that is ready to retire. And then the question arises: are we ready, in the prime of life, to fold our hands and wait for old age?
Movement is life. Nobody can argue with that. It is important to understand in which direction to move. What is gymnastics? This is the easiest way to stay young and healthy. Physically strong, fit and healthy man attracts the attention of others. He is positive and pleased with himself. He is not distracted by pain or imperfection in his body. It is quite natural that for communication you would rather prefer such a person than someone who will always complain about his well-being.
Personally, I never had the question of how I want to look, say, at fifty. For myself, I decided at all costs to preserve youth and health as long as possible. But I understood that the path to perfection cannot be easy. Everyone knows that it is impossible to achieve something without labor. Only the right ones physical exercise able to restore youth to the body. And gymnastics is a no-cost investment in your future that will pay dividends sooner than you expect. And it will continue to bring even many, many years, but on condition that you work - only 40 minutes a day, 3 times a week. And this time will be an investment in your health and future. It’s up to you whether you want to see your body look older and older, muscles start to sag, skin stretches and wrinkles, or you prefer your body to remain youthful, taut and elastic.
The set of exercises proposed in the book was developed by me together with my husband, rheumatologist Pavel Valerievich Evdokimenko, more than 12 years ago. Initially, we created a complex for the treatment of people with a sore back and aching joints. Then exercises to correct posture were added to it, a little later - exercises for healing internal organs... And today we have full-fledged gymnastics aimed at improving and rejuvenating the whole body. This is exactly the kind of gymnastics I want to teach you.
All exercises presented in the book are selected based on my many years of experience in gymnastics and observation of changes physical condition those people who were the first to try our gymnastics. People who began to study with me more than 10 years ago, and to this day delight themselves and me with their physical form and excellent health.
Throughout this book, you will find exercises, many of which you will find familiar. Remember: the similarity is only superficial. This gymnastics is fundamentally different from anything you've ever seen.
Everyone is looking for a teacher in the huge world of all kinds of gymnastics. I will try to become for you not just an instructor who will introduce you to the exercises, but I will teach everything that I know myself. On the personal example I will explain why this particular gymnastics has become for me and many of my students, as they say, "gymnastics for life." After reading this book, you will be able to correctly evaluate any gymnastics, aerobics, yoga, etc.
You can buy the book by Lana Paley in the bookstores Molodaya Gvardiya na Polyanka, House of Books on Arbat, and Biblioglobus stores.
Or order it from online stores. Also ask for the book “ Better than yoga»In bookstores in your city.
The book "Better than Yoga" represented Russia at the world's largest the annual Frankfurt Book Fair held in October 2011 (Frankfurter Buchmesse 2011).
Chapters from Better Than Yoga:
In search of perfect gymnastics... We all want to stay young as long as possible. But how many of us are doing at least something for this?
About physical education at school... I'll start over. The biggest "collection of stupidity" you can write about physical education lessons. What useful things have we learned from these lessons? Has anyone had good posture at school? As far as I remember, many had "stoop wings" behind their backs. Me too. Did physical education help us in this matter?
About aerobics... Despite all my efforts, having achieved nothing from physical education at school, I still lived to be twenty years old with an incomprehensible set of exercises, protruding shoulder blades and with a great desire to change all this. And it was then that the search for the gymnastics of my dreams began. First I came across an aerobics cassette from Cindy Crawford, lasting a full three hours.
About yoga... Now let's talk about yoga in its usual sense; let's talk about why I compare my gymnastics with it. By the time I began to develop my own gymnastics system (later we called it intelligent yoga), I was doing classical yoga more than 6 years. For six years of scrupulous and deep study of yoga, I have mastered not only hatha yoga (as it is commonly called - classical), but also tantra yoga, and ashtanga vinyasa yoga.
Gymnastics of my dreams... I have been practicing classical yoga for several years, and during this time I have gained wonderful experience. And experience, as you know, is the criterion of truth. I learned and understood a lot about physical health, and yoga helped me in this. And this is true, since until recently nothing was better classical yoga did not have. After all, only recently an alternative to yoga has appeared: Pilates, body flex, callanetics and our gymnastics, which we called Reasonable yoga.
About the benefits of our gymnastics classes... A person who does not play sports becomes lethargic and clumsy. And lethargy accompanies him through life. But this does not apply to you, since you have already made your choice in favor of healthy way life.
How to do the exercises correctly... Almost every strength exercise according to the method of Lana Paley, it is performed in 2 versions: static and dynamic.
Contraindications to our gymnastics classes... Lana Paley's gymnastics exercises have certain contraindications.
Some of the best exercises... To date, Lana Paley's gymnastics complex has 24 main exercises (they are suitable for everyone, including beginners) and 8 additional ones - mainly for those who have been practicing according to Lana Paley's method for more than 2 months. In addition, in the classroom, we give special breathing exercises and relaxation exercises.
New on the site:
New!»A set of exercises for scoliosis, stoop, kyphosis, osteochondrosis. Updated January 7, 2017.
Anyone who begins to lose weight in healthy ways, without using express diets and Thai pills of dubious origin, sooner or later comes to understand that physical activity is an integral part of any weight loss program. And here you have to choose which way to load your own body is more useful and pleasant. Fortunately, now in every club there are at least several areas of fitness, as well as dancing, yoga and group cardio workouts. So which is better for losing weight - active fitness or calm yoga?
If we only talk about the desire to quickly part with extra pounds, then fitness is definitely in the lead. To speed up metabolic processes and burn fat reserves, the heart rate during training should be within a certain range. This is easy enough to achieve by moving to fast music, and almost impossible by meditating and practicing static asanas.
But the fact is that those types of fitness that actively burn fat are not suitable for everyone. They create a fairly large load on cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system, which in people with a weight of 20 percent or more exceeding the upper limit of the norm are already far from being in the best condition. Therefore, beginners who do not have minimal physical training should seriously think about the benefits of yoga:
Yoga has only one minus - it will not give quick results for weight loss. But much faster than fitness will give the body a beautiful shape and improve the condition of the skin. There are practically no contraindications to it. People with a sick and injured spine and impaired functions of the vestibular apparatus cannot go to classes.
Maybe fitness is better?
So maybe it's fitness after all? For the young and not too overwhelmed overweight organism, perhaps, yes. Only if the focus is not on an overall improvement in health, but on fast weight loss... That being said, keep in mind that certain types of fitness can overload the joints and spine, raise blood pressure, and overstimulate the heart. Therefore, to engage in different areas of fitness medical contraindications much more and it is better to ask the coach about them before buying a subscription or attending trial workouts.
On the other hand, it is fitness:
- promotes active fat burning;
- accelerates metabolic processes;
- stimulates the growth of muscle fibers;
- accelerates the elimination of toxins and toxins;
- eliminates edema, stimulates lymph flow;
- strengthens blood vessels, lowers cholesterol;
- successfully fights cellulite.
The list of advantages is rather big. But if the body is not yet capable of such loads, it is better to properly prepare it for them than to create health problems for itself. Or maybe you can somehow combine everything?
Strange mix
Fitness yoga is one of the synthetic areas of fitness that combines seemingly two incompatible things - quiet exercises with music and serious physical activity. This is not to say that this synthesis is perfect. New copyright programs are constantly being developed, but so far they have not reached the level that gives a quick and tangible result for those who want to lose weight. Reviews about her are different. For those for whom traditional yoga- too calm occupation, but who still cannot afford fast pace classic fitness, like the new direction.
Classes are held at a moderate pace and with an emphasis on those asanas (postures) that allow you to maximize the load and work out problem areas... At the same time, all the usual attributes of yoga are present: beautiful light, scented sticks, stylized music.
An example of such a workout can be viewed by downloading a video on the Internet. But do not forget that all trainers are different and each of them has their own idea of what fitness yoga is.
So where is the truth?
In fact, the question of which is better - fitness or yoga, is from the same series as about the chicken and the egg. There is no definite answer to it. It all depends first of all on the state of health, and then on your priorities and individual preferences. If desired, you can combine both. For example, do fitness twice a week and yoga two times. The main thing is that the body feels good at the same time and does not feel strong overloads.
Fitness yoga is a good option for those who love everything unusual and are ready to accept the synthesis of two diverse directions. As a tool for fast weight loss, it is not very good - the pace of exercise to speed up the metabolism is clearly not enough. But as a transitional stage from classical yoga to more active areas of fitness, this is practically perfect view workouts. It will allow you to gently prepare your body for the serious physical activity that fitness offers.