Yoga and benefits for cycling?

[Red Rock]

I know there have been a few posts/threads about yoga scattered about here on TE. I had my first exposure to yoga today and I did not realize how tight I was! Yikes! From an ex-gymnast who used to be so flexable.

I know there is a yoga for cyclists DVD put out by Voler. Has anyone used it?

How does yoga benefit the person?
How does yoga benefit a cyclist?

Have any of you noticed a difference in anything since doing yoga?

Thankyou for your input. I was just wondering these things.

Red Rock

[Veronica]

I got really serious about yoga when I started running last April. In between every run I do a yoga session. I needed to go from running zero miles to 13 in three months. I swear yoga helped keep me from getting any injuries.

Has it helped me on the bike? I don't know. I usually do it in the morning before work and it does seem to help my stress level there.

Veronica

[Blueberry]

I'm trying pilates - working with a friend who is an expert - will report back on how much it helps (but I can tell that the muscles we worked are some of the same ones I use to keep upright on the bike)

CA

[indysteel]

If done correctly, I think yoga is a great complement to any fitness routine. Like Veronica, I credit it for allowing me to go from being a couch potato to cycling 5k miles a year without much pain or injury. For me, it's been especially helpful in loosening up my hamstrings and hips. It's also great for my core, balance and overall body awareness.

Beyond that, it's been a wonderful stress reducer. When I first got serious about it, I was going through a difficult time emotionally and it did wonders for my soul thanks to a very spiritual instructor. I don't think you have to embrace the spiritual aspects of yoga to benefit from it, but I found it to be very enlightening. I've also met some wonderful people at my yoga studio.

I say all this with the caveat that it is important to find a good instructor. I know there are some good products on the market for developing a home practice but I think it's better to start at a studio with an experienced teacher. It is easy to hurt yourself and many of the poses are deceptively complicated.

[chutch]

I'm also trying to incorporate Yoga into my routine along with Pilates, strength training (which I will reduce to just push-ups once spring gets here and I'm spending more time on the bike), running (which I'd like to keep one run a week throughout the year, more in the winter), and cycling of course.

Can yoga be done daily? For example, could I do a short relaxing yoga workout daily and maybe 2-3x a week do a more intensive session that would focus on strength and/or flexibility?

[Crankin]

On the Yoga for Cyclists DVD I got through Terry, there are 3 kinds of yoga work outs: warm ups, for before a ride, 3 that are meant for more intensive full sessions, most likely as part of a winter training program, although you could do the shorter one maybe a couple of times a week during the season, and cool downs. I use the cool down sessions if I don't want to overdo it because I have been weight training, etc. You definitely could use these everyday after a ride.

[Biciclista]

Yoga becomes a part of your life because there are so many ways that it helps. riding a bike forces you into one position for a long time. Yoga helps you stretch and warm and flex all of those parts back into balance.

[Red Rock]

Thankyou for all of your collective responses. It was good to hear about the Yoga for cyclist DVD. I'll to check out a copy.

Biciclista-as you said it streches the body and realigns you. Perhaps that is why I felt like limp spagetti when I finished my first yoga routine. It was a good feeling even though I felt totally limp.

Red Rock

[lunacycles]

I say all this with the caveat that it is important to find a good instructor. I know there are some good products on the market for developing a home practice but I think it's better to start at a studio with an experienced teacher. It is easy to hurt yourself and many of the poses are deceptively complicated.

+1

It took me years to appreciate and benefit from yoga, and part of the problem was a DIY approach. When I finally committed to series of classes, twice a week for 6 weeks for true beginners at a very reputable studio in town, I finally started to understand better what was "correct" and what was "incorrect" as far as moving in and out of asanas/poses. Once you really feel this in your body under the guidance of a good teacher, your chances for injury go way down, imo. And the benefits also increase. I credit yoga with saving my back, which for a 3 year period, went "out" drastically, repeatedly. I haven't had any significant back issues since committing to yoga, and I can again ride for long periods without serious pain. I have both scoliosis and arthritis in my back/neck, so this is a big deal for me.

[badger]

do you guys attend yoga classes, or are we talking about doing it at home with a dvd?

I find yoga classes to be such rip offs. $15 drop in at a community centre, and the killer is if you do Bikram it's like $25 for a 90 minute torture session. Some people swear by Bikram but it never feels all that healthy to me, being so hot and fighting to stay conscious during some of the poses.

[Irulan]

+1

It took me years to appreciate and benefit from yoga, and part of the problem was a DIY approach. When I finally committed to series of classes, twice a week for 6 weeks for true beginners at a very reputable studio in town, I finally started to understand better what was "correct" and what was "incorrect" as far as moving in and out of asanas/poses. Once you really feel this in your body under the guidance of a good teacher, your chances for injury go way down, imo. And the benefits also increase. I credit yoga with saving my back, which for a 3 year period, went "out" drastically, repeatedly. I haven't had any significant back issues since committing to yoga, and I can again ride for long periods without serious pain. I have both scoliosis and arthritis in my back/neck, so this is a big deal for me.

+2 on the first comment, +1 on this one.
This is what keeps me from taking yoga at the gym I am a member of. Most of the teaching certifications come out of 4 hour courses and not real training.
It doesn't help that my sister is a Bhuddist Nun, and takes her yoga practice (teaching and daily work) very very seriously. I have learned a lot about different practices, the good and the bad, from her.

[OakLeaf]

+1 on learning yoga in small classes with an instructor who knows enough to see what direction your muscles and bones are going, and can help you make corrections. That can be someone with a 500 hour certification or someone who studied extensively in India.

I've done a class here and there, but just last week I started going to a studio and trying to develop a regular practice, and the difference between this instructor and what I've had in the past is night and day. Yes it's expensive, but that's because real instructor training is so expensive.

[BlueVet11]

I love it, I don't do it enough though. I tried the DIY, but I have to say going to a great yoga instructor is priceless. I've found a very small, local donation based yoga studio ($3-$5 suggested donation and you can stay for another class). The instructor I like to go to is just amazing, very encouraging, doesn't want you to hurt yourself or push to hard just to get the pose. He's just awesome. I have to say the oujai pranayama (breathing style) is really helpful in being mindful of your breathing, helps control breathing (on the bike too) deepening your breath, etc.

I'd encourage anyone to try and find a yoga studio and not take a yoga class at a big gym. I'm sure there are decent yoga instructors in gyms, but my experience with the small yoga studio, I would never be able to attend a gym yoga class!

Do it!

[Aggie_Ama]

I took yoga in college and found I appreciated the exercise but not the class. Now we have a DVD and I quite enjoy yoga again. Of course I did know the basics, I just prefer the calm of my house to the calm of a studio. To each her own I guess.

[Veronica]

I've only done yoga on my own with a video. I have Yoga for Triathletes -1 & 3. These have lots of very basic stretches. I also have a few Rodney Yee videos. They are also very basic I think.

Veronica