#38 Flexibility is not a pre-requisite.

Another item to add to my list of reasons people give for not trying yoga:

Reason no 4: I'm not flexible

The above statement is as insane as saying "I'm overweight so I can't exercise".

Why would you ever restrict yourself to only doing things you already knew how to do perfectly? If we all had this attitude, no one would ever learn anything or challenge themselves. The human race would still be swinging from trees.

Taking on a challenge is a must if we're going to live with passion and zeal. So go ahead, stretch your limits. You never know what might happen.

Cirque du Soleil contortionist from 'Varekai'.

Kristian Dowling / Getty Images

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#35 Yoga can help drop the pounds (Part 2)

*Read part 1 here.

Prepare for anatomy nerd-dom:

Yoga is a form of resistance training. In a hatha or Iyengar-style class most of the muscle work in the asanas or postures is in the form of isometric contraction with some concentric and eccentric contractions added in for good measure.

Holding poses longer is a form of isometric contraction that will activate your long twitch muscle fibers to help burn calories similar to long distance running, walking, swimming.

To be fair, activating these long twitch fibers doesn't burn as many calories as short twitch muscles fibers in explosive movements such as in hockey, sprinting, etc.

The lesson: If you move and work your muscles in yoga or otherwise, you'll feel stronger, lighter, and healthier. If you do nothing, you won't loose a pound.

Not that we care about a dress size or an exact weight. A healthy weight should matter most as it equals better overall health.

End of nerd-dom.

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#34 Yoga can help drop the pounds (Part 1)

Many of us want a quick fix. One yoga class hasn't tipped the scale in your favour? Stick with it. To a degree yoga can be as an effective calorie burner as weight training.

To add to my list of reasons people give for not trying yoga:

Reason no 3: I can't loose weight with yoga so why bother?

Weight loss involves a simple mathematical equation:

If calories consumed are less than calories burned = weight loss

Weight resistance training is one of the best methods for calorie burning. Your muscles are like calorie-eating machines. Use them, they burn up calories.

Not only that, but your body continues to burn calories for up to an hour and a half after a weight training workout to repair your muscles. And if that wasn't good enough, with consistant weight training your body will begin to burn more calories even at rest because it takes more energy to maintain that muscle. Burn fat while you watch TV!

Where does yoga come in? Stay tuned..

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#33 You're not your waist size

So continues my list of reasons people give for not trying yoga (see my previous post for reason no. 1)

Reason no.2: I'm overweight

In the words of Baz Lurhmann from Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen):

"Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the the greatest instrument you’ll ever own."

If you don't feel comfortable attending a class because it looks more like an exhibitionist convention than a yoga class, try another. I can say from experience the more you practice yoga, the more you come to appreciate what your body can do for you. There are days when my practice makes me feel more comfortable in my skin. Even when I can't get my body to do what I want it to, I still appreciate the effort.

Plus, the mind-body connection is a powerful thing. Feeling bad about yourself? S tressed out? A few yoga moves and you'll feel as cool as a cat. What's the alternative? Sitting on the couch brooding by yourself?

Lesson Learned: Your body is your temple. Shying away from using it never did anyone any good.

Added June 15h, 2010: Think you can't "do" yoga if you're not a size 4? Here is a photo of my teacher, Geeta Iyengar. She is THE teacher now that her father, Sri B.K.S. Iyengar has retired.

Photo credit:

Yoga: A Gem for Women, Geeta S. Iyengar (Timeless Books; Revised edition (March 1, 2002), ISBN-10: 0931454980)

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#32 Being a guy isn't an excuse

So begins a mini-chapter in this blog. I've entitled it "People's favorite excuses for not trying yoga."

Reason no.1: I'm a dude.

Even if you're The Dude, there's no reason you can't try yoga. If you stop thinking about it as a spandex-filled, estrogen-driven, incense-burning, chanting-the-time-way activity and starting thinking about yoga as it really is, it wouldn't seem so bad.

Yoga is a practice to improve your physical and mental health. Think of it like a combination between physiotherapy, weight resistance, meditation, sleep therapy, and a beach vacation. You can rehabilitate, strenghthen, clear your head, and rest all in the same class, sometimes at the same time.

Besides, all of the big name senior teachers who brought yoga to the West were men. Think B.K.S. Iyengar and Sri. Pattabhi Jois. Many high profile teachers are.

So men, what are you waiting for? Who knows, your mat might be the one that really ties the room together.

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