I am a guy and in a pretty good shape as it is, but i achived it by pushups/running/squads/pullups and abs exercises. I plan to switch to strictly yoga/tai chi workout since i became Buddhist and i realized only these types of exercise make me feel good and clear my mind but is it going to be enough to keep me looking good? I mean i noticed that it doest target much upper body at all.
Should i do both? It will be hard to combine everything i thinck. Too many hours a week. Any guys out there keep in shape with yoga?
THX! : )
As you have mentioned that you have become a buddhist you may find yoga interfering with your faith. One should never forget the fact that yoga originated from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by Hinduism, but originated from it .Yoga cannot be separated from Hinduism because it runs counter to the fundamental principles upon which yoga itself is premised, the yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances). These ethical tenets and religious practices are the first two limbs of the eight-limbed ashtanga yoga system which also includes asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation/Self Realization). Efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.
Buddhist yoga like Christian yoga or any other form of yoga developed by westerners is not yoga in its true form since they are not practised with its true philosophy.
Now if you plan to switch to yoga just for its physical benefits, than you should look for other options like Tai Chi, pilates etc. but as a buddhist you have no right to practise yoga.
I belive that there is one true religion, every religion has its philosophies taht we all can benefit from. I happen to agree with Buddhism but i like a lot of aspects of other religions. In the end there is only one god or energy. Isnt Buddhism tolerant to other religions. I belive religions are just different interpretations of what god is but there is only one god and without realizing it we are all praying to that one god. We jus gave god different names and interpritations.
Arjun I believe you are incorrect. Any spiritual aspirant wether Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, or whatever can benefit from the practices of yoga. The practice of yoga was created as a means to purify the body so that the aspirant could go deeper into meditation and percieve the truth beyond maya(illusion). Don’t forget that Buddha spent many years in India before attaining illumination beneath the Boddhi tree. From what I have read I understand that Buddha simply took yama and niyama and integrated them into buddhism while leaving out the more esoteric yoga practices as he felt they often misled the practitioner into believing that they were the end all, versus being a means to an end in samadhi.
As far as the original question goes, you definately can get a full “work out” from yogasanas. There are several asanas that specifically target upper body muscle groups, I suggest that you take a look through Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, as it is a fairly comprehensive book which includes many ways that you may vary your yogasana practice from day to day to achieve your goals.
Many blessings,
Justin
I am not a guy but I find a full workout in yoga. I would suggest to find a teacher that resonates with you and knows and has EXPERIENCED Yoga to guide you.
I would question where it says that you have to be a Hindu to practice yoga.
in peace,
dianne
Awesome to hear that yoga and tai chi have helped you to both feel good and clear your mind. I made a similar switch a few years ago and here are my results ? I?ve lost a bit of my bulk yet I?ve stayed quite toned ? leaner muscle, stronger in some ways ? I feel like I?m in better shape than ever. A couple key points to consider? if you still want a toned, physically fit body you?ll probably have to select more physically demanding versions of yoga and tai chi ? such as Ashtanga/Vinyasa Flow or Anusara for Yoga and Chen style for tai chi. An additional point about pull-ups? neither yoga nor tai chi will effectively target this area so you might want to keep the pull-ups on the schedule. Oh, and in case you haven?t noticed yet? the clarity of mind? the centeredness/balance and presence found by practising yoga and tai chi tends to be much more attractive to others than the size of one?s muscles. Smiles.
Best wishes in your training.
Trevor
Zhenka,
In reply to your original post (as I don’t have the energy or interest in debating Yoga and religion in this forum)…
- if it is your external body you are hoping to “maintain” then “no” yoga and tai chi will not keep you “looking good” from the outside. Well let me qualify that, if you are doing a very active practice then it is possible, and I stress possible rather than probable, that you might maintain an external physique. It would be challenging to achieve identical results to a weight raining program with just Tai Chi and Yoga. Though it does depend on what you measure as fit. Since you ask abotu your looks that is how I framed the reply.
However if you are interested in health from the inside out, from the marrow of the bone through the organs and systems of the body, then yoga may assist you in bringing that nature to your physical body.
- as a pious person I would think you’d be scaling any recent vanity issue that might come up. It’s very difficult to follow a spiritual path and also follow one of vanity as the latter roots deeply into ego while the former demands you weild the ego more wisely.
[quote=InnerAthlete;3581]Zhenka,
In reply to your original post (as I don’t have the energy or interest in debating Yoga and religion in this forum)…
- if it is your external body you are hoping to “maintain” then “no” yoga and tai chi will not keep you “looking good” from the outside. Well let me qualify that, if you are doing a very active practice then it is possible, and I stress possible rather than probable, that you might maintain an external physique. It would be challenging to achieve identical results to a weight raining program with just Tai Chi and Yoga. Though it does depend on what you measure as fit. Since you ask abotu your looks that is how I framed the reply.
However if you are interested in health from the inside out, from the marrow of the bone through the organs and systems of the body, then yoga may assist you in bringing that nature to your physical body.
- as a pious person I would think you’d be scaling any recent vanity issue that might come up. It’s very difficult to follow a spiritual path and also follow one of vanity as the latter roots deeply into ego while the former demands you weild the ego more wisely.[/quote]
I almost wrote a response very similiar to this, and I decided to read more prior to posting my own thoughts and/or response. I will submit my additional thoughts for consideration.
We can chose to practice yoga because of the effects we “visually see” and those improvements. Physically, yoga appears to have the capabilities to tone, firm and work every muscle group when each asana is practiced for perfection of the pose. As you well know, a down - dog looks very simple, until you do it and begin to focus on the small nuances of the pose.
Yoga also, through the turns, twists and motions can stimulate and regulate the internal organs also. There is no visual reward for that, but the effects are long lasting and beneficial.
Yoga is the doorway to spiritual dimensions that are not fully understood, as of yet by many. In my humble opionion, the true spirit of yoga allows incorporation of various aspects of each practice for the greater good! There is so much information it can almost become overload, so we must all look inward to see what really feels right. We must learn to trust our own instincts with our practice and with all areas of taking care of this living incredible machine.
Although, yogi’s do, typically have beautiful bodies because of the extreem physical agility they have – I do not think thier concern is on “how does my body look?” I believe at some point in our spiritual growth we begin to see that the body (the shell) is just that. Some are blessed with natural beauty and that cannot be denied. Others have physcial defects, or like a friend of mine just recently was in the middle of a work related accident at a local plant. This young woman was beautiful! Physically she had incredibly features, long auburn hair, pretty green eyes, a sincere smile and a large capacity for love. Her hair was caught in the equipment and it was just a matter of seconds before she had been scalped from the eyelids to the neck. Part of an ear removed…blood clots, bleeding on the brain… When she wakes up, she will never look the same. We already know that – but to anyone who knows her, she is beautiful! She fought hard to survive and is still in ICU. My point is, if that is how I measured her beauty, well you can imagine how shallow and incapable of depth you would find me.
Take care of your body because it is a gift from the creator and should be appreciated and maintained so that you may enjoy your years in the body.
Namaste’
Thx for help. Metta to all of you.
The day i posted this i was a little stressed over the desire to be more fit. But that was a few weeks ago and through meditations and realizations i realized how shallow i was and i choose health over decorating my body. I will focus on true meaning of yoga.
Maybe swiming ill do later, but i see no sense in trying to do all the exercise that i realy hate doing all along just for the sake of decorating my body.
My goal is to see the inner beauty in people and not focus on the outside, how can i do that if i am myself focused on my outer look not inner. I realized this and it changed my perspective on things.
I just wanted to add that yoga can help you get fit, with the right practice.
It should not be your goal, but it should be side affect of your practice.
The body is our car, it should be a ferrary…
Try driving a Ferrari in stop-and-go Jerusalem traffic and see what happens to the clutch.
Try driving a Ferrari through Jerusalem traffic every day. See what happens to the clutch.
Try driving that Ferrari through Jerusalem traffic every day and see what happens to the clutch.