To Vegan or not to Vegan

I have not eaten a piece of meat or fish in almost three years.   It has been two plus years since I bought and cooked an egg.   I am sure that somewhere I ate eggs in baking products not of my making but for the most part,   I have been keeping a vegetarian diet.    There have been challenges with it,  (Asia was not easy and surprisingly more difficult than my many trips to Kansas City last year) but generally making the transition has been very easy.

Now I am considering going vegan.   It is not an easy decision as going veggie.  

The first question is why vegan.    The main answer is that it eliminates all of the the items in my diet that are directly tied to the exploitation of animals.      I spent a week in a Swiss dairy farm.   The cows are somewhat  happy except when they are tied up in the barn or their 1 day old is taken away so we can use the milk,  the one bull is tied up by his nose ring and while the baby girls join the herd,  the baby boys are not so lucky and end up as veal or steer.   So,  dairy is not guilt free from the exploitation side.   Secondly,  there is a lot of fat in cheese and cream products and removing these would be a good thing.   I would need to replace the protein from them,  however. 

A while back, I switched to soy milk from regular milk and I never noticed the difference so a large part of my dairy intake was reduced.    I have been hesitant to remove cheese and yogurt  (Greek) from my diet because I like cheese and yogurt but also because it provides protein in my diet.

Also, with my travel schedule due to work,  sometimes the only thing to eat has cheese in it.  It is very hard to be a vegan and eat lots of meal outside of the home.  You have to look for places that know what Vegans are and this could be a challenge to say the least.    For example,    I ate Pizza two times  during the six days I was in  Japan  and  brought a cheese sandwich to work one day because the cafeteria was a little too veggie unfriendly for my liking.

Giving up dairy would mean no ice cream  (which I have rarely but I do have),  no cheese,  no Greek yogurt, skipping out on some cakes  (not that I eat many).  Not missing too much there I guess with the exception of the cheese, Greek Yogurt,  ice cream and some cakes.   

I think that I will eventually get there but it will be a gradual step by step process.     I know I should,  but I also know it is not very easy.   

Got to remember my limits and forget my ego..

Last Monday I took a hot class.   It was probably 95 degrees in there but that generally is a challenge but not a great one.    The big issue was that somehow I got a bit of food poisoning and it started to hit me right before class.   After about a half an hour I could feel myself flagging and getting pretty tired.  Instead of just getting up an leaving,  I tried to stick it out until the end.   That was not the best idea as I really could not do what I expected of myself.   Finally, with about 5 minutes to go,  I scooped up my mat and towel and water bottle and left.  I did not even stop to roll them up.   I was pretty close to losing it.

I should have not have started, as I knew something was wrong right before class.    I guess ego comes into play at these times.  Thinking I could stick it out.   To be fair,  I had some stomach issues for a few days and so I just thought it was a continuation of that problem.    

I took me a few days to get back to normal.   No more cheese with rind for me anymore. 

Core exercises, a key to a successful practice

When I first started my practice,  my main focuses were on establishing flexibility,  learning Asanas and integrating Yoga into my life.     My lower back and hamstrings were so tight that many poses were a real struggle and just learning them and doing them better was the initial challenge. 

Over time,  as I learned more and more about Yoga,   I came to realize that establishing core strength was important both to better my practice and to decrease the chance of back injury from day to day activities.     When I talk about my core, I mean abdomen and lower back muscles. 

To quote a medical professional

"A weak set of stomach muscles can contribute to back problems. Weak abdominal muscles can cause lower back pain by encouraging a forward-leaning posture and less stability when doing spinal motions. Since abdominals work in conjunction with back muscles when bending, straightening or lifting, you could be more prone to back pain with a weak core.

However, you can protect back muscles by strengthening your abdominals through regular exercise. An abdominal routine could be part of prescribed physical therapy for chronic back pain.

There are many exercise routines that improve overall health and also help you strengthen your abdominal muscles, such as swimming, bike riding, jogging and yoga."


 It took me more than one year to  reach the point in my practice where I realized that working on my core was necessary in order for me to achieve more in my practice.     Many poses require a good solid core in order to successfully perform them  (i.e Head Stands)  and more importantly,  core strength is part of good general health,  and having a strong core (and feeling it) is really key to feeling good and healthy.

Sometime in January  (2013) ,  I really stepped up my practice both in intensity and in length of time for each session.     I can really feel the difference pre and post January.  While I practiced often,  I was on a plateau in terms of what I could do.   I did practice often and did have two types of practice sessions  (Yin and Flow) but I could do more.   I also did not do any real core work.    In January,  I decided to model my practice on the Ashtanga Primary Series.   This change really stepped up my practice and I can feel it both in strength and endurance.    I then added a series of  Asanas and exercises that focused exclusively on my core.     I now spend about 20 to 30  minutes prior to any session (unless I am in class and their is only a few minutes between classes) both at home and in my studio doing my lower back warm ups and core exercises.  

I won't bore the non-reader  with what I do but it is a mix of Yoga Asanas  (Boat for example) and general abdominal exercises  (crunches).      Over time,  I have increased the number of repetitions I can do (from 10 to 30 bicycle crunches for example) and how long I can hold them  (Locus and Boat).    Because I keep on adding new Asanas and increasing the number and length of existing ones,   the time commitment has gone up.      It is not easy nor comfortable and I can feel it both in my lower back and abdominal muscles.     

Overall,  I can really feel the effects.   While my back still has issues  (50 years of ignoring it will do that) and is tight especially around the Psoas,  I no longer fear sneezing and bending to pick things up.   The real impact has been on my abdominal muscles.  I can feel the strength in them and combined with my diet,  I can see definition for the first time in 15 years.   I will never have 6 pack abs, but I can now see them and feel them.     That alone is a great accomplishment.      I can now do Asanas that require core strength much easier  (though never perfect)


So  core is a key part of your practice.    It needs to be  (in my opinion) a unique part of your practice and it needs to be practiced with every practice session  (even Yin).       The effects both for your practice,  your health and your physical appearance is worth the effort. 

Who moved my cheese... The substitute Yoga teacher..

I always look forward to my Monday evening class.    It is probably my favorite class at my studio.  It is an extended on 1 hour and 15 minutes and with the 20 minutes or so of warmup that I do,  I get a good 1.5 hour practice session in.  

The teacher generally follows the same pattern  (though the flow and class is not 100% the same from week to week) that involves a large number of Sun Salutations,  a great strenuous standing sequence,  a balance,   a challenge pose  (warrior 3 or half moon), a hip stretch, and then a sitting sequence with challenges like table top and plow.    The class is somewhat warm  80 - 85 degrees but not hot.  (90+) 

When I first took the class,  it was very hard but over time as I got stronger and more flexible and knew what to expect,  I really enjoyed going and felt that it was a great part of my practice.

The instructor,however,  had the unmitigated gall to take June and July off so starting yesterday we had a substitute instructor.      I had taken a few classes from her before and while I thought she was OK,  I was not sure how things would be.    Prior to the start of the class,  a few of us were wondering what to expect.   Most of us really liked the current teacher and her class.

I won't go into the details of what new instructor went through except to say that she was more than adequate and in some ways the class was more intense.    I will be looking forward to my old instructor returning but for now,  I guess I can deal with the moved cheese.