I’d never fancied Yoga. For years I thought of it as ‘not something for me’ with not enough emphasis on exercise and sweat.
That was until about two weeks ago.
Over the last six months I’ve been working out pretty seriously and lifting heavier and heavier weights. I’d begun to suffer in my left shoulder with a constant ache and then a pain when I lifted my arm above horizontal. Something wasn’t right. I just thought I’d strained it and booked myself in to the local Physio.
After one attempt to lift my arms above my head the Physio told me that my posture was poor, my back was arched and my trapezius weren’t engaged as they should be.
Shoulders down and back, away from the ears I was told and given some exercises to begin to force the traps to work as they should. Minor exercises, with no weight, just using the arms as levers, or controlling which muscle was being worked.
I saw immediately how my posture changed and resolved to keep the exercises up.
Then I hurt my back. A simple squash shot caused me immense pain in my lower back and I knew I’d have to go back to the Physio.
Core strength was the root cause, using the wrong muscles for the wrong job. Various muscles were having to over compensate for my poor core strength.
As my lower back healed I knew I needed to work harder on my core strength and change the way I was training. I spoke to a couple of instructors and they suggested I give Yoga a go.
The first session was a ‘yogalates’ – a mix of Yoga and Pilates. Then I tried Haitha Yoga.
Fantastic. I could really feel how the various postures challenged muscles that hadn’t been challenged enough in recent years. In addition to the strength work another area of need has always been flexibility. I may not be the most flexible person ever (and like lots of other men, my hips are shocking!) but I can already see some improvements – after just two weeks.
I can definitely see Yoga becoming part of my workout routine. Not only does it offer variety to just lifting weights and the treadmill, but it focuses on those areas that are more difficult to work – balance, posture and flexibility.
Oh yes, and I really enjoy the final 5-10 minutes of relaxation. I definitely don’t get to do this often enough in my busy schedule. And it is most appreciated!