I want change

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Second post, yes. Desperate for help, yes. Long backstory? Oh my, yes. (I do apologize for posting in the wrong thread. I had multiple tabs open…)

I am a 22 year old living in Wichita with my boyfriend and cat. Since the start of 2009, my life has taken a turn for the… better. My life is falling into order, just as it should, and I’m feeling my own sense of inner peace… or at least I did until last night.

I am extremely obese. Obese, meaning I weigh a good 330-350 lbs. I’ve always been concerned about my body and health, but I never had the courage to DO something about it. Every time I had motivation, there was something that stopped me. My diet is fairly healthy. I eat plenty of greens, and balance it out with fruit and meat. I also hardly ever drink soda. I mostly stick to juice, tea or as of late, water.

Well, back to what happened last night… I had bought two packages of Oreo cookies a week ago, and I hadn’t dove into them until last night when I was having a craving for something sweet. Long story short, I ended up an entire package all by myself. After realizing what I had done, I started thinking long and hard about the consequences it would have on my body.

This past June, I had to have my gall bladder removed. I also just recently recovered from food poisoning and I also smoke. I also discovered recently that I had high blood pressure. I thought about these things while holding the empty package and decided that it was time for change. For the first time in my life, I was scared of what could happen to me. I threw away the package and gave the other package to my neighbor. I’ve been flushing my system with water, and I’ve done an overhaul in my kitchen, getting rid of anything that could be considered a hazard to my body in regards to gaining any more weight.

I also went to my local video store and started looking at the free fitness videos they had available. One caught my eye. Yoga Class: Flexibility, Fitness, Relaxation by Gary Bromley. I decided to try it.

I know that Yoga isn’t exactly the best choice when it comes to extreme weight loss, but I figured that for me to actually dive into this, I should probably be at peace in mind and body. I came home, and popped in the dvd and began my first few steps to a new lifestyle.

To my best abilities, I did what I could that the dvd instructed, but unfortunately for my gut and hips, they weren’t very cooperative. My back now aches and I feel a bit distraught about the whole idea, even wondering if its too late to get in shape. (But its almost never too late for that)

My question, which I do apologize for the LONG backstory as to why I’m asking, is what are some great positions that would be easy for me to practice for flexibility and fitness? I would love to know what some of you could recommend. To be completely honest, I’m extremely embarrassed to be asking on a forum to random strangers, but I’m at a complete loss.

#2

First of all, WELCOME! (And I got rid of your other post so you’re all good. ;))

Second of all, WOW! Good for you to make that decision for yourself. I know how much courage it takes to do something like that and you deserve recognition for it.

Yoga is not all about the positions and asanas. Its about being who you are and who you are meant to be. Since you are beginning a journey here may I suggest you begin slowly? You didn’t put on all that weight in one day and neither will it come off that way. Be kind to your body and move slowly.

You are already addressing the diet issue. Please do consult a doctor or nutritionist for some specific guidelines about healthy eating. We can help here too, but its important to be careful not to do anything too drastic all at once. Way to go! (Danged oreos can be so freaking addictive can’t they?)

As for the postures and movements I would recommend that you begin taking walks everyday and as you walk concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of the breath coming into your body and leaving your body. Try to visualize the oxygen working in your body and all the toxins etc leaving on an exhale. For actual asanas etc I believe you need to be careful not to stress your body too much at first. I will leave the specifics to the other teachers on the boards.

Namaste my friend.

#3

I think this is a very safe place to ask the question you ask. We are a fairly pleasant group of bipeds here and you’re almost completely anonymous on the internet - both a blessing and a curse.

Since I am the chap to not mince words, since I am the chap who’s quite direct I’d like to respond to your entire post rather than just the question about poses and flexibility. You share so much of yourself here that I’d be remiss in not meeting you at least half way.

I support you fully in your path to be healthy, to care for yourself, to outwardly radiate that which is inside of you in the world. If you have made a deep internal decision then you will have outward changes moving you toward an optimal body weight. Remember that this is a process about releasing the you that is inside and allowing the buffers between your source, essence, or soul and the outer world to be “shed”.

If you were my student here is what I would advise:
Find ways to be more active. For now that can be walking. But the commitment has to be cultivated. It typically takes 21 straight days to build a habit.

Gentle backbends (sarpasana, bhujangasana, setu bandha, Vira-I @ the wall) will keep you smiling, open up the front of your spine, free the rib cage and energize the breath. A block and a strap might be helpful.

To deepen your practice begin to study the real yoga - the yamas and niyamas. It will take you a year to fully bring them into your life but you will then look back and not recognize the person you were 12 months earlier.

From a dietary standpoint we must shift our view of food from that of “what CAN I eat” to “what is good for me to eat”. Therefore no fat -free foods, processed foods, or junk. In Purna Yoga there are “foods to avoid” and “foods to eat”. Start that process by avoiding C.A.T.S - caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and sugar. Additionally shift your diet from acidic to alkaline. That may mean a reduction in meat but NOT a reduction in protein. I can give you much more direction on diet if you PM me.

I hope this is a solid beginning for you and that I’ve responded to your inquiry in a compassionate yet direct and productive manner.

gordon

#4

A whole thing of cookies, I can relate. For me I used to eat a whole bag of sweet 16 donuts, or a whole thing of cinnamon rolls. When reading your post, walking came to mind. Walking incorperates every muscle of the body, gets the heart rate up a bit, stimulates digestion, etc… For many of us we sit too much, our bodies were made to be upright. You can walk and focus on breath, walk and say a mantra, walk and let the mind be still, etc… You could even walk and say “I love My Self” very gently. Being aware of Good posture would help as well. Also, when making the changes for some of us it may be best to not beat ourselves up, instead be gentle with ourselves. Sometimes we make unhealthy choices, ok so we move forward from here. You are not a bad person for doing things you have done.
my best to you sister
with love
Brother Neil
PS. Funny, I did not read the others responses till after I typed the above, IA, we agree on something :slight_smile: 3 responses for walking, looks like trinity wins this one, ah ha ah ahahahha hahah

#5

wasabizombie – welcome to the forum!
Yep, checking in with a dr is a good next step – it can be so tempting to change so much at once that you do yourself a mischief, and that’s discouraging. Walking and breathing is the most usual first step I see: first trying to increase the length of time you spend on your walk, then when you get to 20 minutes or so trying to pick up the pace or finding a little hill within that distance. . . walking and talking is even better.
Wow, congratulations on tackling your kitchen! I hope you’ve enlisted your boyfriend, cat, and anyone else in your life to support you in changes you’re trying out. A colleague of mine also made changes in her life to change her weight, and her hubby had to get used to the idea that these new behaviors and values were coming from the same woman he knew and loved last week. She’s doing great, and he works out with her – but the situation had surprised her, so I thought I’d pass it on.
I can’t predict how many teachers will want to offer specific asanas over the web, but I’m (I don’t know, flattered?) that you’re looking at yoga for a change. I encourage you to try lessons with a well-trained teacher. Even a single private lesson as a sign to yourself that you’re doing something different could be just the thing.

#6

Congratulations on Everything! I’m so excited for you! Your story was great and it hit a memory spot for me… Four years ago I weighed 30 -50 lbs more than I did now and lived with my boyfriend and my new cat. :). I picked up yoga book randomly in the bookstore (knowing nothing about it). It gave series of really basic warm-ups and posture practices that you practiced every day for a week (or until you felt really comfortable with those exercises). Along with some weight lifting and (rarely) some cardio, it was not hard to lose weight. I had more energy, my focus changed and I did not overeat as much, and my stress levels plummeted! So I have a few tips that may or may not help you! They’re long, I’m sorry, I type fast. Think of it like a whole book!

  1. Dedicate all the good work you do in your yoga practice to something. When I first started practicing, my kitten would always watch. I would tell him that all the good energy I raised was for his health and happiness, because I would be a happier and more loving mother, and I would still be healthy and energetic to take care of him when he was old and grey. This type of focus will help to motivate you. I also dedicated my work to friends that need it, people who do not know how to help themselves through problems and (probably the most powerful): people that I am angry with, or that have done me wrong. Wishing well to the people that have hurt you is an incredible experience. If you can’t think of it, dedicate all the energies of your practice to Mother earth.

  2. Four years into yoga practice I still get angry at myself for sleeping through my alarm and missing my morning meditation and asana practice, and then often completely ignore the fact that the whole day before I stayed aware and grateful for my life, treated everyone I met with love and respect, breathed my way through stressful situations, and dealt with the problems of life with logic AND optomism.

As for the Oreos - its a choice that you made. Don’t fret too much about it. Every step forward is a step forward, you can’t take it back. If you eat healthy often and then occasionally don’t, it just means that there was a period of time you weren’t doing something excellent for yourself. You still spent all of that other time eating healthy! Acknowledge your mistakes for what they are and then focus on creating better moments instead! Try congratulating yourself every time you have a healthy meal or snack [B](every aspect of life is a good reason to celebrate, food is a great reason to celebrate, and HEALTHY food is an INCREDIBLY AWESOME reason to celebrate!![/B]). If you eat a box of oreos - laugh at it and say ‘[I]OMG, I totally wasn’t paying attention last night and ate a WHOLE box of oreos! Silly me![/I]’. It might sound stupid, but I do it… and I in fact finished off a whole package of pre-made cookie dough MYSELF in the last two and a half days. I felt terrible, for about 5 seconds per trip to the cookie dough package… but I felt at least 60 seconds of joy for the pineapple I ate, and I was excited about my avocado and milk shake for about two minutes before getting it, and about 10 minutes after getting it. I even told everyone at work how excited I was about my avocado shake (plain, no sugar). None of my friends are stranger to me running up to show them something that has excited me beyond belief such as a cucumber, corn on the cob, or any similar vegetable with endless possibilities for cooking, eating, or playing with.

  1. Play with your food. Playing with your food take times, it causes you to pay attention to what you are eating, and its fun. Build a person out of vegetables, eat pasta with your hands, carve ice cream statues. Decorate them with oreo crumbs!

Cooking everything from scratch is also fun. Pick something really hard to make, just one thing - take hours to make it. Make your own bread. Make your own juice. Put a whole seedless watermelon in the blender and drink it. Yum yum yum.

  1. Yoga - do it slowly. Find a teacher if you can, or get a simple book of basic easy exercises. Start with what is comfortable for you and practice regularly and consistantly, every day - even if its just 20 minutes a day. Whatever practice you might have, try moving in slow motion in between postures, or during postures. Pay close attention to where your body moves in space, how the muscles in your arms feel as you turn your head, your breathing, your pulse. This is how I started and its what I revert back to every time I lose touch. I learned to like myself from this first, and after that my enthusiasm was great motivation to move on towards yoga practices that were more intense.

  2. Don’t give up. To quote someone WAY wiser than me: “[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Are great things ever done smoothly? Time, patience, and indomitable will must show” -Vivekananda.

  3. Be aware of your your feelings. Changing your body comes with a change in identiy, a change in energy, a change in perspective. Recognize and try to be ready for it. Change is scary, but don’t be afraid. [B]
    You’re on the right track - you’re searching for a peaceful mind and body, you’re searching for health - the more you walk toward your goal, the more it will come to meet you. Embrace what is bestowed upon you with open arms, because only good can truly come of such an honorable practice. :)[/B]

Good luck.
Sorry I wrote so much.
You and your kitty are in my prayers,
I’ll dedicate my practice tomorrow to you. :slight_smile:
[/SIZE][/FONT]