Exploring Yoga- Part I

I am going to be extremely honest when it comes to the subject of yoga.   As for me I don’t know one real person that does Yoga.  As for the television everyone does Yogi.  My favorite television personality Oprah is always talking about Yoga and Meditation to no end.  I really admire her and I read books that she recommends, watch movies she recommends and wish for some of the products she recommends.  With that being said...why don’t I take heed to this Yoga and Meditation propaganda is beyond me.

First off from my basic understanding, Yoga is stretching and breathing for an extended period of time.  I know that it is much more than that but those are the things that come to my narrow mind (only when it comes to fitness) when I think of Yoga.  So I started on my Yoga exploration.

First I love the WII Fit Active 2 because it allows you to design your workout, and it tracks your heart rate and calories burned.  It also has a section of Yoga Poses, as does the  Wii Fit Active Plus.    I was amazed when I was able to do the basic warrior pose.   The poses are very challenging and I have yet to explore deeper what these posses mean.  That will be my next Yoga  topic.

For now I will share with you a refreshing experience that I discovered as I explored the world of Yogi.   As I mentioned in a previous post I have extreme lower back and knee pain  even when inactive.  This is the number one reason that  the thought of doing Yogi  scares the life outta me.  As I was on one of my favorite Fitness Websites SparkPeople I found a great article with instructions on 8 Yoga Poses You Can do from a Chair.  The reason that this is so thrilling to me is that it will enable me to stretch without fear of injury.  My doctor instructed me that my  Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction is what cause the pain so I must stretch…. he didn’t tell me how the  bleep I should do that without crying tears.  Anyhow back to the chair.

The reason that I loved using this method is that it is a great way for me to get my day started and a great end to my day.  I can listen to music and take  it all in or sit quietly and   meditate.    I  haven’t mastered mediating yet because well I haven’t  learned how to be still and release  all the things churning in my mind at any given moment.  I hope that implementing this chair Yoga will help me get through my day and recover at night.  I have been working out two times a day for 25-40 minutes at a time and the soreness is more than I have ever experienced.  So I know that I have to stretch so that my muscles (yes I said muscles...they're in there somewhere) can  recover.

 

Source

 The Seated Yoga Sequence is as follows:

1. Seated Neck Roll
2. Seated Mountain Pose
3. Seated Eagle Arms
4. Seated Forward Fold
5. Seated Cat
6. Seated Cow
7. Standing Forward Fold with Chair
8. Seated Forward Bend with Chair

Anyone can do these exercise even those with mobility issues. with modification of course.  The main thing is focus on your breathing which is very important when you working out.  Simple Yoga exercise can increase your awareness and control of  your breathing.

So for now I got my chair and an open mind…..  to be continued.