5 Reasons Why Dudes Should Practice Yoga

An article by Jason Wachob. As Curator and one of the founders of MindBodyGreen, his goal is to promote the idea that wellness is for everyone -- and that it can be fun and fulfilling. After years of successfully trading equities on Wall Street, Jason decided to make a lifestyle change -- focusing on wellness and building companies that promote it. His companies have been featured everywhere from The Wall Street Journal to Daily Candy. He has a BA in History from Columbia University, where he played Varsity Basketball for four years. Jason lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife.

I'm not your typical yoga person. In fact, I don't even come close to fitting the profile of a yoga person. First of all, I'm a dude. I'm tall (6'7" to be exact). Yes, is the answer to your next question: I played basketball. I played for four years in college at Columbia, in New York City. I also was president of my fraternity.

After college, I worked on Wall Street as an equities trader for five years. Did I even mention the injuries I have? Dislocated shoulders, separated shoulders, stress fractures, bone spurs and disc problems. I'll stop there because I'm totally fine -- have absolutely no pain -- partly due to yoga. I practiced yoga weekly for two years, was just starting to get the hang of it, before work travel took over. The discs in my lower back derailed (literally) and I was off my yoga train. I'm only about three months back into my practice, but I'm back on board the yoga train, full-speed ahead.

So how does a tall-ex-wall-street-trading-fraternity-boy-jock end up practicing yoga? Well, it just sorta happened.

"Mind Your Body" Fitness Workshop

Join us on October 24, Sunday, at Gold's Gym Timog (6/F Victoria Towers, Timog cor. Panay Ave.Quezon City, Philippines) for a whole day (choice of half day) fitness seminar. I will be talking about a begginer triathlete's training program with focus on swimming.

Details are as follows:





8:00 am - 12:15: Group Exercise

Latin Dance (Bam Mogato)
Principles of Stott Pilates (Vivian Zapanta)
Weight Loss Pilates (Vivian Zapanta)

1:00 - 5:30pm: Personal Training

Strength Conditioning for Basketball (Mon Macatangay)
Beginner Triathlete Training: Focus on Swimming (Lalah De Dios)
Lifestyle Management (Armand Mendoza)

*Organizers may change topics and presenters without prior notice.

It's All in the Hips

An article by Alisa Bauman. She is a freelance writer based in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
 

Stan Urban, 48, a competitive cyclist, turned to yoga three years ago when he began to experience lower back pain, a very common ailment among cyclists, who spend the majority of their time hunched forward over the bike. Though Urban thought his problem centered in his lower back, his coach and yoga instructor, Dario Fredrick, had a different theory. Shortened hamstring muscles along the backs of Urban's legs coupled with tight hip flexors along the front of his thighs, as well as tight groin muscles and hip rotators, were preventing him from riding his bike in the proper form. 

Yoga for Swimmers

 An article by Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola. Baron Baptiste is a yoga teacher and athletic trainer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for his work with the Philadelphia Eagles and as the host of ESPN's "Cyberfit." Kathleen Finn Mendola is a health and wellness writer based in Portland, Oregon.

Gentle on the joints, forgiving of injuries and other physical limitations, and deeply relaxing, swimming and yoga, when practiced together, unite their strengths, making for a more balanced athlete. 

The minimal gravity effect of swimming is appealing to those who suffer from injury that precludes them from high-impact movement, as well as pregnant women, people with chronic joint pain, and the elderly. Logging laps in the pool undoubtedly provides physical and psychological benefits. But too much time spent in the water without counteracting or opposing activities can be detrimental, resulting in body misalignment and lack of bone strength.

Ayurveda and Asana

An article by Marc Halpern. He is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda in Grass Valley, California.

Have you ever wondered why some yoga poses seem to leave you calm, centered, and balanced, while others make you agitated, sore, and off center? Or why your best friend flourishes in a rousing "Power Yoga" workout, while you do best on a regimen of slow, gentle, stretching?

The ancient Indian healing system known as Ayurveda can help you answer such questions. According to Ayurveda, different people require very different yoga practices. As a yoga teacher and doctor practicing Ayurvedic medicine, I've experienced firsthand how Ayurveda, in addition to the dietary and lifestyle advice that it is best known for, can shed light on the practice of yoga.

Yoga for Runners

An article by Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola. Baron Baptiste is a yoga teacher and athletic trainer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for his work with the Philadelphia Eagles and as the host of ESPN's "Cyberfit." Kathleen Finn Mendola is a health and wellness writer based in Portland, Oregon.

During the course of an average mile run, your foot will strike the ground 1,000 times. The force of impact on each foot is about three to four times your weight. It's not surprising, then, to hear runners complain of bad backs and knees, tight hamstrings, and sore feet. 

The pain most runners feel is not from the running in and of itself, but from imbalances that running causes and exacerbates. If you bring your body into balance through the practice of yoga, you can run long and hard for years to come. Although yoga and running lie on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, the two need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, running and yoga make a good marriage of strength and flexibility. 

Moola Mantra

An extended presentation of the beautiful Moola Mantra, which was received by Deva and Miten during a meditation retreat at the Oneness University in Chennai, India.

It honours the divine light in every living being and celebrates the dance of female/male energies as they merge into union.

om - the primordial sound of the Universe
sat - truth
chit - pure consiousness
ananda - bliss
parabramha - the supreme creator
puroshothama - the energy which incarnates as an avatar to guide us

paramatma - the divinity present in every being
shri bhagavati - the female aspect of creation
sametha - in communion with
shri bhagavate - the male aspect of creation
namaha - salutation

hari om tat sat - OM, the divine absolute truth

Global Mala Project

"Be the change you want to see in the world..." ~Ghandi

GLOBAL MALA PROJECT 2010, now on its 4th year, will be held on SEPTEMBER 18, 2010 at The Rockwell Tent from 10am – 10pm. It will be a full day of yoga, music, dance, poi and zipping, chanting, drumming, lectures on wellness & the environment, silent auctions, and many more.