The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Frequency of Practice › Do I Need To Supplement My Yoga To Get Back In Shape?
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Frequency of Practice › Do I Need To Supplement My Yoga To Get Back In Shape?
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Hi Everyone!
I’m a hot yoga newbie (2 months) and I positively LOVE it. I decided to try yoga primarily for relaxation – I tend to be high-strung and it really helps me find and maintain a more relaxed state. However, a recent event made me realize just how “out of shape” I am and I’m wondering if yoga is the answer to that issue as well….
Some brief history: I am 30yrs old and was a classical ballerina until about 10 years ago. Also spent about 3 years dabbling in ballroom dancing. That was the sum total of anything “aerobic” in my life. I tried kickboxing classes once, but the high intensity workout + blood-pumping music made me feel even more stressed out and irritable than I was to begin with 🙂
I stopped ballroom dancing after I married a non-dancer; and I really haven’t done anything athletic for about 2 years now. As a result, I’m carrying about 15 extra pounds – but since I build muscle easily, I’m confident that a few more months of yoga will get rid of them. I eat healthy, I take supplements, I try to avoid preservatives/chemicals in my food and hygeine products, I take no medications at all, and I rarely drink.
This past Friday evening at a wedding reception I danced ONE (ahem, *fast*) dance with a former ballroom partner and I’ve been regretting it ALL WEEKEND. Couldn’t catch my breath for hours (had to leave early), and I still have pain/minor wheezing when I take a deep breath – not to mention some major muscle pains. I should also add that I wasn’t drinking at this event.
So my question is, Do I need to do some sort of cardio on top of yoga to regain my endurance; or will yoga/breathing exercises eventually fix this issue? Are there certain workouts that are either helpful or hurtful to a yoga practice? Does anyone here purposefully combine yoga with something else?
Thanks for your help! 😉
Hi Nynn
It’s a kind of ‘each to his own’ recipe. Many people use the yoga to cross train – for example training for triathlons and balancing it out with hot yoga. And many others start with the yoga to supplement their exercise and then give everything else up.
There are those that you will find on this forum that run, do kettle bells, swim or any other number of supplementary exercises including the morning walk.
Here are possibly a couple of relevant questions for you:
>> How many times per week are you practicing?
>> How well would you consider your breathing technique to be in class (and out of class)?I would really encourage you to firstly consider your experience as a one-off! It may help you let it go and move on and stop you anticipating its return if you have any exertion.
I would explore your breath. You may simply need to focus more attention on your breath. It took me months to do this. Check out the video: Effective Breathing In Hot Yoga for some pointers.
There is also the possibility that you could look into certain pose techniques. It is possible to find ways to tweak your technique so that you find the appropriate challenge in your poses. This will also affect the way you breathe. Are there any poses that you don’t quite ‘get’ or that feel good but you know there is something that you are missing?
That’s good for starters methinks… Welcome to the forum
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Nynn
Your mention under exertion followed by over exertion while consuming alcohol. This may seem obvious but is important to recognize. Type of training is subject to effect on body or type of body performance desired. A ballroom dancer would not trainer by stretching, nor would a mountain biker train by gymnastics.
I would say clearly yes, you do require cross training in activities you enjoy.
I combine Skateboarding with Bikram Yoga. I also do some pushups and use an abroller followed by classic sun salutations in the morning.
I think its a matter of just doing what you love!!! I LOVE to cross train and it does have its own benfefits…. play around see what works for you. I would think it useful to add some cardio to increase your endurance in this capacity. like the poster before said… I you want to run well you have to run LOL
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