Tag Archives: cardio

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Rhythm and Cold

I am thinking a lot these days about the fact that it is getting colder here in the northern hemisphere. My cold-natured body seems to want to retreat into sleep, socks do little to help when the feet project cold rather than warmth. But I know my vata body type (Ayurvedic body type) is really just having a vata reaction to the cold. This is the time to establish a rhythm to my practice. Other things in my life also need this attention to rhythm. Eating schedules, working out (yes, you still need to do cardio, even with a lot of yoga), and time for socializing with friends and family.

by John Tupper

Here are some key ideas for establishing a rhythm successfully:

1. Only schedule what you need to – food, socializing, exercise, and spiritual practice. Otherwise, try to reduce demands on yourself during October and early November. This is a good time to get rest and rhythm before the holidays set in.

2. Put yourself there and start. If there is some new habit you are trying to establish in order to keep balance, just get to the place where it happens. Don’t let your mind trick you into thinking you should feel like starting. Start whatever it is, then see how you feel when you are done. It takes a little backbone, but I find that after 2 or 3 days of success I can keep going. My French teacher, whom I loved dearly, always said “Don’t think, just say it.” This could be applied to the schedule or rhythm. Don’t think, just follow the list. You can worry about how you feel about it later, if you need to (you won’t).

3. Don’t think of rewards. We really don’t need to be rewarded for everything. Sometimes, it just makes sense to make good decisions. The reward is feeling good. See how you feel. Enjoy it when you feel better. When you don’t feel so great, think of how you would care for a child, and make those decisions for yourself. (i.e. – No, we aren’t having cake and ice cream for breakfast today. However, you can have a banana or some yogurt if you want something sweet.  or – Nope, it isn’t quite time to rest yet, we still need to do a little cardio. Then we can rest.)

4. Begin to schedule some time for rest and relaxation, even if it is only for 5-10 minutes.

5. Get plenty of Vitamin D. 

6. Know your Body Type and its tendencies. If you have a vata or kapha type body, this is a good time to take extra care. You can take a quiz here.

With all of these ideas in mind, just try one or two to start. Then let the rest go, or add them in if it seems helpful. There is no reason to add to your to do list unnecessarily  There is also not much time to goof off if you are hoping to meet goals or get into a good mindset before the end of the year. Decide the one or two things you really need to do to get balanced in time for the holidays or to finish the year well, then let the rest go. You can work on those next year. :)

It is a sort of self care to set these rhythms for ourselves. It creates a little sense of accomplishment no matter what else is coming. You know you will do yoga and eat three meals. You know you will take 5 minutes to sit and allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling at the moment, and non-judgmentally. You can have something for your own well-being even amidst the chaos of the season. Wake up. School is in, everyone is at work. Time to pump out some good reliable effort, and to balance that with the necessary comfort (sthira and sukkha) to get yourself through the next several months.

Yoga Pose of the Day: Side Plank Pose – Vasisthasana

Yogic Concept of the Day: How can I make the plan (for balance in my day, diet, life, etc…) easier to stick to?

 

Don’t forget: If you are in the Coldwater, MI area, this afternoon (Thursday, October 11) at 12:15 p.m. Diane Godfrey will be offering a short program on the Dark Night of the Soul at Coldwater Haven. This is part of our series of talks for National Depression Awareness Month. She will offer information on contemplative practices that can support a person at any time. (30 min. and free)

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Yoga and Cardio

There are many benefits to doing yoga. Flexibility and strength building are among the most readily noticeable. Of course, there are many other benefits, too numerous for this short post. However, one basic need to every person’s health regimen is consistent cardiovascular exercise. Yoga does not generally fill this need. So take a little time to decide on one or two forms of cardio you would be willing to add into your weekly exercise.

Getting 30 minutes or more (low to moderate levels), most days of the week, is the recommended amount of cardio.

Some options you might choose include:

swimming

biking

running

rowing

jumping rope

circuit training

elliptical

dancing (belly, Bollywood, Zumba, Nia, etc.)

skating

 

Switching up the forms of cardio you use may not really be necessary, but sometimes can add a little fun into the mix.

But there are ways you can use yoga to get your cardiovascular exercise. You can do sun salutations. I recommend starting with 10, then gradually working up to about 30 min. a day if you are planning to do sun salutations for cardio. I also recommend having some days that you take off the intensive sun salutations and do a different cardio so the muscles can rest a little.

But you may want to try some dancing. I mean, why not? :)

Here – you can try a little dancing to some Bangra music:

Or some Nia:

Best to you, and see you back here next Wednesday!

 

Yoga Pose of the Week: Dancer – Natarajasana

Yogic Concept of the week: Which form of cardio will I do today?

 

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The Gratitude Walk

As we continue with our practice of gratitude this week, there is another practice besides keeping a gratitude journal that can help you to meet some basic health goals and increase your sense of gratitude. If you do yoga, you also need other forms of exercise to supplement, especially cardio, because most people’s yoga practice is insufficient to meet the basic weekly requirements for cardio exercise.

One way to get your cardio needs met is to take walks. You can make this into a yogic/gratitude practice by using that time to think of what you are grateful for in your life. You can do this in several ways. You can look around you and use what you see in your environment to trigger ideas, or choose a particular area of your life (i.e. work, school, church, or social circles) to be more pensive about during your walk. You would be amazed to know how much you can be grateful for in a 20-30 minute walk (which is what is recommended daily or every other day).

In some ways, walking can be considered a way of putting prayer into action. As our body moves, we can use that time and mental space that is created by the activity to get focused on any aspect of our lives which needs attention. While this should not replace our normal meditation sessions on the mat in which we do not generally apply thinking to the process, it can be an excellent supplement to any traditional meditation practice. This practice allows the body to integrate the benefits of the traditional meditation practice by allowing for more time with mind and body integration, and this practice affords us a process by which some of the qualities of calm and peace we feel in meditation to move into the waking thinking process. As you begin to think about your life and what brings you gratitude, you will notice other thoughts arising. You can let these go as in meditation practice, simplifying the process by refraining from dwelling on stories that are not about gratitude, and bringing the attention to the topics and ideas that you intend. Setting your intention before you walk helps you to continue the process of gaining more skill with directing the mind as you wish, which will benefit your traditional meditation practice as well.

After your walk, you can then write down all you remember when you return to your home or office. Or you can just offer the whole walk as a simple prayer and let it go. The choice is yours. :)