Hike that Mountain, Take those Stairs, Go for a Walk

For two years I lived just outside of Zurich, Switzerland in a small town nestled in the "Zürcher Oberland" .   The scenery was amazing, the air was clean,   the trains ran on time and I never saw an obese person. The  whole country is crisscrossed by marked hiking trails called Wanderwegs and the nearest one to me was just at my corner.    If I wanted,  I could have taken marked trails all over the country.    Many times on the train in the morning, groups of elderly people with back packs and hiking poles would get on the train to ride someplace for a day of hiking.    The concept of walking for exercise is ingrained in  society.

On one summer day in 2006,  I took a hike up the Schnebelhorn mountain, which at 4,239 feet (1,292 meters) is the highest point in Canton Zürich.    I probably started at 3000 feet or so the rise was not too great, however, the path was had a very quick ascent  and it was a somewhat strenuous walk.   I fell into talking to a gentleman on the trip for pretty much the whole way.   He was keeping up with my 45 year old self with no problems despite the fact that he was 73 years old.   I remember his age because my father was that same age at the time.    At that age,  my father was barely able to walk 100 feet while here I was sweating my way up a mountain side with someone my his own age.   I have always thought about that day and how, when I am 73,  I want to be able to do what what this gentleman was doing.

For the last 10 weeks I have been working on the 8th floor and for the most part I have been taking the stairs both up and down when I come in the morning and go in and out for lunch and leave .     This is one of the little things that I try to do to keep up my personal fitness.    You would think that 8 floors is pretty easy but when I started just taking the stairs,   I had to stop on the 5th floor the first day to take a breath before I continued.    I blame this on my computer and accessory filled back pack  (and I'm sticking to it) but in reality,  I did not generally take 200 stairs at one time.    I now sometimes go up to the top (10th) and come down just to make it a bit harder.  It has gotten easier but it is still good for me.

It is so easy to just get on the elevator and take it up to your floor instead of walking even a few flights.   In the US,  so many people get out of  their  warm beds,  maybe go downstairs to eat a pre-made breakfast item filled with sugar and fat,  get in their cars,  drive to the office,  bitch about how far they are parked from the building , eat a big lunch,  go back to their cars,  eat dinner,  then sit down for a few hours of television just to start it all again.  Their might even be time for an afternoon cookie or some cake in the break room.

When I compare our general health lifestyle versus the one I encountered in Switzerland,   I cannot believe the difference.  One one hand, we have people who as a rule walk when they can,  and on the other hand,  we have a society that is getting unhealthier and more obese every year.  Our exercise habits are generally non-existent, our diets are unhealthy and our lifestyles themselves lead to diseases of plenty.    

Studies have shown that 30 minutes of brisk walking each day will decrease the chance of illnesses such as heart disease, will reduce weight (as long as diet is adjusted) and increases general well being.  We can all find the time to take these 30 minutes as long as we make it a priority.  I myself, try to walk at least five miles each day and if I have the time,  I will sometimes walk  or hike 10 to 15 miles on the weekend.    Yoga really helps post-walk for those longer walks as your legs and hips tighten up after such a long distance.

Somewhere,  there is  a hiking trail, park or a nice neighborhood just waiting for you to walk through it. 

Namaste

Third Anniversary Post

Three years and 115 blog posts later.   

The era of big advances in my Yoga practice is gone.    What I have settled down to is a consistent  practice where my body limitations, my age, and my activity are balancing each other out.   Even though I try,  I know that I will most likely never do a split or a peacock or firefly pose.  My body is just not built that way.  

I have read that after a few years of practice,  your skeleton defines your limitations.  Individual bodies are not built to do all the possible movements that humans on the whole can do.  This means that not every body can do every pose in yoga.   I know that there are many poses that I cannot do because of my age or physical limitations,  but I understand these limitations and work around it.   I do not dwell on my limits.

Yoga (and my diet guidelines) has brought to me an enormous amount of benefits both physical and psychological.    Physically I am stronger,  more flexible, have better balance and more endurance.   I no longer fear sneezing or bending down to pick something up.   Any superfluous body fat is pretty much gone. I feel as though my whole body is in line with itself as I have the core strength and flexibility that I did not have before I started my practice.    The hours spent on the mat concentrating on breathing or holding long poses has given me a level of tranquility and patience  that I did not have before I began my practice.     I can now sit quietly for 20 minutes  where before I could barely sit still for one.     My practice has changed me immensely.

Yoga is integrated in my life.   I cannot conceive of going for more than one day without practicing.  Some days it may only be for 30 minutes but I still practice.   There are times where I go for weeks practicing every day.   I have practiced in hotel rooms,  parks, basements,  my mother's living room,  anywhere I can find a spot to put my mat. I have done thousands of Sun Salutations and will continue to do them until I cannot do them anymore.   When that day comes,  I will find another pose to replace it.

I started this blog so that maybe one person who reads it will decide to follow a similar path.   It is not an easy one.   It takes effort and patience.  It takes determination.     There really is no quick way to good health.   No pill or new invention can replace diet and exercise.    The rewards for this effort  is great, however,  and thus worth every second you exercise and every piece of bad food you decide not to eat.


Namaste.

Was ist los hier! My First Class in German..

I am working in Germany for about 12 weeks and while I love my home practice and there is plenty of of room in my apartment here to practice,   I also need the community of fellow Yogis from time to time.     Therefore,  I took the plunge and went to a class at a studio about 10 minutes from where I am staying.   I was a bit nervous as I did not know what the class would consist of and how I would do following instructions with my less than optimal knowledge of German.  

Because I travel a good amount for work,  I have had the opportunity to go to a number of studios in the US but this was the first class that I took outside of the country.   One thing you learn from going to different studios is that each place has a set of customs that can be unique to that studio.   In this studio,  this was no exception.    There were two side by side dressing areas with curtains where many people changed in and  most people work socks even on the practice floor (the instructor never took his off).   The studio provided mats, small pillows and thin blankets that many people used both before class and during Savasana.    I was one of the few people who brought his/her mat.   No one brought in a water bottle. Conversation was very limited.    There was a small altar in front of the class with candles, incense and photos of a few gurus.     My overall impression is that this studio was really into the spiritual side of Yoga and is in fact,  the most spiritual one I had ever gone to.

As for the class  (which lasted about 1.5 hours) ,  we said a few Oms and then some songs were sung  (this happened before and after class) that were in Sanskrit and related to Vishnu  and everyone but myself knew the words.  It was actually quite nice.    We then did the longest session of Pranayama (breath exercises) that I had ever done as we did two types for a number of rounds.     The actual Asana part of the class was somewhat strenuous  (it was listed as intermediate/advanced) and was generally in line with what I would have expected from a good Yoga class.    We even got to do a nice long headstand.    As for the language challenge,   I was pretty much able to follow along (though I did not get much of what he was saying) and I did pick up a few new words and phrases  (and looked up a few after class that he used often and that I did not know).   I did not encounter any new Asanas.

When I was walking to the class, I kept reminding myself that it was Yoga and that I should not be nervous about going.    After I left,  I was able to believe it.  I have decided to spend  €80 (about $88) for 10 classes which is less than the compatible in most US Yoga studios.  What was nice was that the first class  (Probestunde) was free. 

Namaste

It is a Personal Practice

My home studio offers a free two hour beginner Yoga workshop once a month.    It is a nice gesture on their part and I am sure there is a hope that some of the attendees will sign up for a regular membership.      I myself have been telling people to come to this one class to see if they like Yoga.  I think that this would be a good start for them.

Starting a Yoga practice can be  easy or quite difficult  depending on one's approach.   I have been told by many people that they are too "inflexible" to practice Yoga or they do not have the time to start a practice.  My response to that is that it is your body and it will be more inflexible tomorrow if you not do anything today.  Other people have told me that they do not want to look "bad" in a class of bendy people.   This disinclination to "|look bad" on their part may be the biggest impediment to beginning a practice.   If you learn to work within your limits and understand that any practice is personal and for the practitioner alone,  much of the fear  of looking "bad' can be eliminated.   In Yoga,  it really is all about you.

From the day we have entered Kindergarten,  most of us have been judged and evaluated.   We get graded in school and then when we begin our life's work, we get annual reviews and get graded there.   As a result of this lifetime of being evaluated, we establish a mindset of constantly being under the judgement of others.     With my Yoga practice,  I found it difficult to pull one away from that judgmental mindset.   When I first started practicing,  I would think about how the instructor was evaluating my posture in an pose.   I looked at is a grade and wondered how I was doing compared to everyone else.  In reality,  it should have been about me and  my practice and nothing else.   My  practice is what I  make of  it, and it should not be subject to perceptions of judgement.

When we take the judgement of others into our Yoga practice,  we can either do one of two things. We either push ourselves beyond our boundaries and risk getting injured or we hold back in fear of failing.    The correct thing to do is to live your practice within the confines of your mat and to put blinders on to both what others are doing and what you think others are thinking of  you.   You are on the mat for your own needs.

I think back to how I was basically crushed during my first class.   It was hot,  I was not prepared and I was out of shape.    Five years later I still  have classes and home practices where I struggle.   It is a continual practice of learning about myself and living within my physical limitations. One has to remember that it is your practice and it becomes what you make of it.

Namaste.

Five Years a Vegetarian

The choice to become a vegetarian is a difficult one in some aspects,  but quite easy in others.   As a choice of renunciation,  the decision to stop eating animals is not an easy one.   You face questions from friends and family,  difficulties in social situations,  and the removal of the core of where you build your meal around.   On the other hand,  you feel cleaner and healthier.   If done properly,  a vegetarian diet is a key part of good health and , hopefully, longevity.    It has been a surprisingly easy path of me and I cannot believe I will ever revert to being an omnivore again.

Namaste..

Annual Winster Solstice 108 Sun Salutations

About two  years ago,  I wrote about my upcoming first attempt at 108 Sun Salutations with a group of people to celebrate the Winter Solstice.     Last year I wrote a second post about  doing 108 Sun Salutations.

First Post

 Last Year's Post


Today was my third time doing this.  

For each Sun Salutation I did  a Chaturanga and an Upward  Dog (or Cobra) without using my knees.   This basically meant 108 slow  push ups  in addition to the 108 down dogs,  216 forward , folds, 108 half lifts,  216 lunges  (I did 108 low and 108 high ) and 108 prayer positions.       I,  along with everyone else,  finished in about 1.5 hours.     As usual hard part was more mental,  as doing something that many times  and knowing how many were left was more of a challenge than actually doing the flows.    


It was great to see 30 plus people from 16 to 60 caring enough about themselves to take on this endeavor.    The energy is so positive and so great. That  is the best thing about doing these Salutations.

I am sure that my hamstrings will be pretty sore and I may skip my Sunday morning class to do a long Yin sequence at home to stretch my hamstrings,  hips and back.    I may do both depending on how I feel.

Thanks to Take Yoga Studios for doing this every year..   Take Yoga


 Namaste..

 

Back to the Travel Mat

I am on the road this week in a nondescript middle American city.    This is the first trip in over a year where I could not bring my regular mat with me so its back to the skinny easy to pack travel mat again.   Practicing in a cramped hotel is not optimal but the option not to practice is not there.   Even though the mat may be thin and lacking real grip,  I know that I still must practice and this is my best option.    A commitment to a regular practice means that practicing at home and on the road is just as if not  more important than going to the studio.      After 4+ years of regular practice,  it is a part of me. Continuing my practice will be the only way I will have  a chance to do headstand when I am  100 years old.



Namaste.