My body is looking pretty good except my front fat. my limbs and back are great but I still need to work my front. Anything you can referance? Like a specific set of positions or a solid dvd?
I feel great and fit since beginning but my front looks horrible.
Hello Sean,
Obviously there will be other views on this but here is the one I ascribe to in my practice and teaching.
First and foremost, if the student is feeling great I tend not to tinker. While it is not the purpose of Yoga to “feel good” it is far more important to feel good than it is to fit some distorted societal image of the external body shape. I see many externally “fit” students who have internal issues (digestion, respiration, circulation et al) simply because their view of Self is myopic.
Additionally, Yoga itself is not the blue or red pill. It really cannot be prescribed as such (with effectiveness) and it is ever so slightly irresponsible of teachers to do so or allow such an idea to fester in the consciousness of students - when preventable.
More pragmatically, the human body cannot spot-reduce fat. If your belly happens to be YOUR last bastion of storage or “favorite place” then you would have to be lean all over to get at that store. Targeting is very challenging if not impossible.
Finally, certain methods of tightening the belly are externally attractive but do not serve digestive function. Again, there will be differing views here but a belly that can be softened is critically important.
I hope this helps.
Gordon
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64908] I see many externally “fit” students who have internal issues (digestion, respiration, circulation et al) simply because their view of Self is myopic.
[/QUOTE]
Can you elaborate on that please? Are you saying that their system is stressed because they cannot truly view themselves? Thanks!
In much the same way a passer-by only sees yoga students “standing on one leg” in Vrksasana, so too do we, as students, often only see our own external image - the suit we wear.
I am not saying systems are stressed due to the viewpoint. I’m saying the viewpoint leads one to focus on lean muscle mass, a white smile, and buns of steel at the expense of a “bigger picture” view of well being.
Lean and trim is wonderful (when it is an appropriate weight for that particular person) but not so wonderful when it is at the expense (or oversight) of the five systems and their respective balance and efficacy.
Is that more clear a.mi?
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64911]In much the same way a passer-by only sees yoga students “standing on one leg” in Vrksasana, so too do we, as students, often only see our own external image - the suit we wear.
I am not saying systems are stressed due to the viewpoint. I’m saying the viewpoint leads one to focus on lean muscle mass, a white smile, and buns of steel at the expense of a “bigger picture” view of well being.
Lean and trim is wonderful (when it is an appropriate weight for that particular person) but not so wonderful when it is at the expense (or oversight) of the five systems and their respective balance and efficacy.
Is that more clear a.mi?[/QUOTE]
Thanks for clarifying. I have learned over the years that the external picture doesn’t always indicate what is going on inside. I guess someone can obtain the “perfect” body but at what expense?
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64908]… a belly that can be softened is critically important.[/QUOTE]
Can you kindly elaborate what are the actions to soften the belly? Which are the muscles to relax?
In asana class there is frequently an instruction to “firm the abdomen by gently pulling in the navel towards the spine”, to protect the lower back.
I “soften my belly” during savasana and twisting, but not during standing or backbending.
Are these two actions “soften the belly” and “firm the abdomen” contradictory ? When do we apply which action ?
Namaste
Ideally these are questions best posed to the person teaching you the practice. The instructions and intention in the practice I teach would be quite different from say an Ashtanga practice or a Kundalini practice.
Further, in the teaching of asana, an absence of contradiction leaves the student mentally limp. Contradictory but complementary actions stretch the sutures of the cranial bones
What I am referencing is the ability to use the abdomen in both methods you outline. What I am referencing is not ripping the stomach muscles so that they are constraining by their very nature. A firm belly is needed. A soft belly is needed. The actions depend on the pose and the intention and that is best covered with one’s teacher, as I mentioned.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64930]…A firm belly is needed. A soft belly is needed. The actions depend on the pose and the intention and that is best covered with one’s teacher…[/QUOTE]
Thank you for wonderful advice.
Namaste
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64908]… a belly that can be softened is critically important.[/QUOTE]
To a certain extent nauli is teaching me this, the very good feeling of having a soft and relaxed belly.