Yoga for bartenders

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi All,

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for many years, but have re-invigorated my practice for the past four months. I’m writing because I recently started bartending and I am looking for new ways to balance the physical demands of my job with my current yoga practice. My muscles are sore in completely different ways than I am used to: between the shoulder blades, the triceps/biceps (from reaching for bottles and shaking martinis), and the hamstrings and quads (from running up and down stairs and squatting).

On days when I have to work, I hesitate to engage with a yoga practice that’s going to be very strenuous on these areas because I don’t want to overexert these muscle groups, but I also want to stretch them and keep them strong and aligned.

Any thoughts/advice?

#2

When muscles are sore that soreness is most likely the repair of micro-tears in the muscle fiber. That is commonly called building muscle. And I won’t dispute that (here). When muscles are sore and in repair it’s not a good idea to repetitively tax them. Unfortunately some asana practices are static and do not have the latitude to change and fit their students from one day to the next, one chapter of life to the next. So in this case your spidey-sense is correct - additional demand on those muscles is not particularly yogic.

The good news is that there are asana practices that do meld to their students AND there are some teachers that can direct you specifically (read:modify) while also teaching to the group and steer you around that soreness (a bit) at the same time. Such practices are easy to find. Such teachers, not so much.

Find a practice that is malleable not fixed. Find one that teaches the student to feel and therefore doesn’t rush the practice along to meet some mythical expectation that “yoga” is only available when 45 postures are done in 90 minutes.

Repairing muscles require good thoughts, good nutrition, and true rest. Please also bear in mind that alignment preceded strengthening otherwise you are reinforcing malalignment in the physical body and etching that on the consciousness (samskara).

#3

You might want to consider what’s controlling the muscles. The nervous system.

How do you get at the the nervous system so you can release tight muscles and other things? Through a complete practice.All the limbs of ashtanga yoga- the eight-limbed path.

Stretching and strengthening muscles may be a part of a yoga practice but not as effective as using the full panoply of techniques on offer.Takes time to learn but it’s worth it.

Don’t forget you are more than just muscles and muscles are depndent for the correct function on other parts of your anatomy, both gross and more subtle.Light hatha yoga sounds good.Never force anything in yoga. You are right in not wanting to over-exert.This is correct practice.Find your blockages and then use effective tools.