Many of us go outside when winter’s romantic fireplaces are gone and it’s hot and sunny. We can bike, swim, or play baseball, as well as do other activities that we hadn’t done for at least eight to nine months. It’s no surprise that physical therapists work so hard in summer.
There is a yoga class that can be incorporated into our daily lives, and it’s a great way to keep fit during the increased activities. Our bodies are flexible and stronger, which makes it easier to have fun and less likely that we will injure ourself while taking the annual Mount Rainier hike, playing golf, or hanging out with the children at the cabin. Yoga is meant to bring harmony into our bodies so that they function well and we don’t get injured. Most injuries result from requiring your joints and muscles to perform tasks they’re not ready for. Yoga is more practiced, which means you are more ready.
John Davie (our instructor) was asked last summer whether he’d like to climb Mount Rainier. It was planned to hike to Camp Muir at 10,000ft elevation and return in one day. John agreed to go hiking, even though he had never done so before. John, his friend and their friends ran the entire way up. John finished his 30 minute yoga session in Paradise’s parking lot before driving home. He didn’t feel any pain the next day, even his calf muscles. The only exception was the sore muscle in his back from a fall while running down the mountain.
Tensed, tight muscles can reduce blood flow and prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching cells. This is why yoga has been adopted by millions. Many of us suffer from tightened hamstrings due to years of sitting. However, if we stretch our lower backs in a conventional way before we run or hike, it can cause strain or injury. The best thing about yoga is the wonderful position (Supta PandangustasanaYou can release your hamstrings without risking your lower back. This pose actually relieves lower back pain. For hikers, bikers, and anyone who tightens or hardens the hamstrings, this pose is especially useful. Yoga also offers safe exercises and strengtheners that can be used to strengthen all of the muscles in your body.
Yoga, unlike other exercise, not only tones the muscles-skeletal system but also strengthens the inner organs and nervous system. The nervous system is what allows us to experience and connect with our deeper selves. Our happiness is dependent on our nervous system’s health, as it connects our mind and bodies. Yoga provides a total workout that doesn’t ratchet our nerves but instead calms them and nourishes them. This is the difference between health and fitness. What we perceive as fitness is our outside appearance. It’s how we view ourselves and the way that they look at us. The majority of fitness is superficial, and it’s rarely a sign of inner peace. It is the inner functioning and happiness of the body that determines health. A happier, more peaceful person will feel more alert and clear-headed. It is rare to feel angry or upset and there is a balance between happiness and effort. Yoga is not just about fitness, but overall well-being.
© Aadil Palkhivala 2008