Brand new to yoga and wanting to "reset" my body

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello. I came to this forum because I figured the most knowledgeable people to get answers from (based on the nature of the questions I’m about to ask) would be from those who live a health/spiritual oriented lifestyle.

First here’s a little background about myself. I been physically active since I was a kid (I’m 30 now) but physically inactive for the past several years. From the time I was 7 up until about 18 I used to box 4-5 days a week. At that time my dad wouldn’t allow me to touch weights fearing that it would stunt my growth. By age 19 I was able to break those restrictions and I started lifting. Instantly I got hooked. The stronger and bigger I got the less time I spent boxing and eventually stopped my boxing training altogether. I was engaging through an on and off bodybuilding/powerlifting routine which continued for about 6 years until I stopped working out altogether.

Lately I have been inactive for a very long time and want to get back into the martial arts. Specifically boxing and judo. The issue here is that all those years of powerlifting/bodybuilding changed around my entire body. While I’m extremely grateful for being gifted in the physical department in terms of strength (I’m a mesomorph) and being able to keep a very good deal of that and muscle mass even after years of inactivity I currently yearn to “reset” my body. Why? The answer to that is simple. Compared to my boxing days where I was swift and could move my body around at will with such great ease, lightning fast reflexes, control and flexibility I’m now stiff, sluggish, uncoordinated and slow. I feel like I turned my body into a prison. How can I undo this? How do I gain back the speed, finesse and flexibility I used to have before touching weights?

What kind of stretches work for this?

Can someone please show me which specific stretches (there are just too many different kinds of stretches in yoga and its overwhelming ) will help me to gain back my range of motion, reflexes and flexibility?

For boxing (or any striking art like karate or muay thai) I need to be loose and FAST with phenomenal mobility and striking accuracy. Being 5’5 and looking like an immobile, stiff, uncoordinated ex juice head isn’t gonna cut it here.

Lastly, how do I go about losing the unnecessary muscle mass in my body and also how do I accustome myself to eat smaller portion meals?

Thanks for reading and I would greatly appreciate all the help I can get.

#2

Anyone? This is a very important issue for me.

#3

A full reply to your inquiry would be a text book. I’ll hit a few points but I’m going to be as pithy as possible.

  1. The body can change, can regenerate, can cleanse, etc, but it cannot undo. We make choices and each one of them comes with consequence. Reversing implies going backward and there’s only going forward.

  2. The physical practice (asana) that is a small part of Yoga is not designed for martial arts training. It is not designed to foster “speed”, “finesse” or “agility”. It is possible that the latter two can be by-products of asana, but the system is not designed for that. There are now hybridized forms of “yoga” that incorporate martial arts but my mother taught me that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all.

  3. Asana is not stretching. Yes it includes stretching (mobility) BUT it is just as much about stability as it is about mobility. It is a method of using the human body in ways to support its overall health (for meditation actually, though that’s a lead-in to a much larger topic).

  4. What one may gain from a yoga practice (and there are many potential benefits) is maximized by learning properly from someone who teaches as a vocation. Contact hours are requisite as a sound yoga teacher needs to assess the student, read their needs, and see how their body takes to the practice … then modify it accordingly. Asana is not prescribed like advil. If you strongly desire a yoga practice to support your forward progress, please find a sound teacher and commit to going regularly.

  5. Losing muscle mass typically requires changes in diet and the frequency/duration/type of exercise. That having been said, the body is the body and they come in all shapes and sizes for a reason. Some people simply can’t accept the idea that there is an optimum weight for their functionality, instead opting to use societal norms as a projection for their body image issues. I’m not suggesting this is you, I’m simply pointing out that one’s mental concept of the body may not be the body’s concept of the body.

One possible method for aclimating to smaller portions could be a cleanse or fast. Of course this should be cleared with your health care provider. This can divorce you of your current relationship with food and provide the latitude for re-engaging in a healthier way.

Frankly it seems your goals are very lofty considering the sedentary situation you’ve described. I wonder (aloud) whether soe smaller, short-term goals might be less overwhelming?? How about moving a bit and see what consistency you can develop?