Aesthetic Objective

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I workout four days a week (Crossfit) and play tennis three-to-four hours per week. In addition to achieving an overall healthier body, I admmittedly am looking to improve my body aesthetically. Specifically, I would like to lose fat and gain lean muscle mass and look “ripped.” Shallow I know, but honest.

Would doing yoga instead of Crossfit accomplish this? The latter is absolutely destroying my body, and I walk out of every class physically beaten up and injured and am looking at possible alternatives.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

#2

Are you ever curious what motivates your desires? In answer to your question yes I?ve seen transformation of body?health, energy, mind and spirit through the practice of yoga.

#3

Honesty appreciated.

To clarify, Yoga (with a capital “Y”) is not a fitness regimen or workout nor is it even physical. However asana, the physical practice that is but a sliver of the larger tree, is a physical practice. It is a physical practice used to prepare the body to hold the force of one’s soul. This sort of thing doesn’t mandate lean muscle mass. However it does mandate well being from the inside out. That means “functional”. Functional includes the organic body (liver, spleen, kidneys, gall bladder et al) as well as the five major systems; immune, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, and respiratory.

It would be like shopping a Ferrari based on the paint only to discover a grimy Yugo engine inside with 300k miles on it and nary a maintenance record. You want new, shiny paint. Fine. Understood. But it is not a path to a healthier body. It is just a veneer.

Yes you can certainly find some forms or expressions of asana practice that will address or “tend to” only your physicality. Sadly such things are now everywhere, cheap, and mistaken for Yoga by a large segment of the population. However the approach and that sort of practice will bolster the ego and likely not ameliorate one’s suffering.

In the final analysis, sure it will be slightly less damaging than crossfit.

#4

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;76995]Honesty appreciated.

To clarify, Yoga (with a capital “Y”) is not a fitness regimen or workout nor is it even physical. However asana, the physical practice that is but a sliver of the larger tree, is a physical practice. It is a physical practice used to prepare the body to hold the force of one’s soul. This sort of thing doesn’t mandate lean muscle mass. However it does mandate well being from the inside out. That means “functional”. Functional includes the organic body (liver, spleen, kidneys, gall bladder et al) as well as the five major systems; immune, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, and respiratory.

It would be like shopping a Ferrari based on the paint only to discover a grimy Yugo engine inside with 300k miles on it and nary a maintenance record. You want new, shiny paint. Fine. Understood. But it is not a path to a healthier body. It is just a veneer.

Yes you can certainly find some forms or expressions of asana practice that will address or “tend to” only your physicality. Sadly such things are now everywhere, cheap, and mistaken for Yoga by a large segment of the population. However the approach and that sort of practice will bolster the ego and likely not ameliorate one’s suffering.

In the final analysis, sure it will be slightly less damaging than crossfit.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much for this explanation. It’s truly enlightening and makes me think that I may have been offensive in asking my question.

I didn’t mean to limit Yoga to simply a physical activity. If I did, I apologize.

#5

@ truetifoso

Not offensive to me at all, though I do not speak for all.
It is a fine question with an honest and sincere approach. The fact that it is not my particular approach is neither here nor there

No need to quote the post in reply though. You can, if you like, simply do a “@ gordon” so I know you’re addressing me. My replies tend to be a bit lengthy and that will chew up a good bit of David’s server space

#6

if you take yoga as whole (i mean a lifestyle)…it can take you anywhere :wink: from sculpting your body to changing your personality… you can reach any goal with yoga…
1.chose your goal
2.chose the yoga style
3.practice the style for few months, see if it works
4.keep on doing or choose another style