Heavy sore arms

I’m not sure that this will help, maybe some of the more knowledgeable people can comment. For me Yoga, besides the flexibility and all the other aspects is also about building strength. The way I conceive of this is by using dynamic and isometric methods. There are numerous opportunities for flexing all your muscles either through a range of motion or in a static hold. You can target a certain muscle or a certain group, while relaxing what isn’t being worked. All this in conjunction with breathing of course. There are numerous opportunities for isometric holds, which is just exerting muscular effort against an immovable object like the floor. Or in my case the knee. In rabbit for example there is a good opportunity for back and arm strengthening. Of course if you’re very flexible that won’t work.

But the point is in answer to your post, as you get stronger you build muscle and lose fat, so keep doing it.

I understand relaxing and breathing and all that, but there is a place for building strength in yoga. Reading the Bikram book he is always talking about tighten your arms or pull as hard as you can. I don’t think this aspect is ever really explained or even talked about in my limited experience. But then I don’t hang out with yoga folks.

In Locust for example most of your muscles are flexed. I think this is one of the reasons why Bikram or yoga in general lowers blood pressure. There is a fairly well known protocol to lower blood pressure outside of Yoga but done standing and tightening (flexing) all your muscles for a few seconds for a set or two. Other postures are almost completely holding muscular tension to stay in the posture.

I guess it just irritates me that people seem to think yoga is entirely and only about flexibility and centering and all the other esoteric stuff. I have seen some hyper flexible people, mostly women, doing yoga, I sometimes wonder at the natural level of flexibility they have just how much benefit they’re getting. Although the standing poses do take a certain amount of strength.

I don’t know if this post makes any sense if not just delete it.

I am speaking of it in two ways, the yoga way and the strength building opportunity. You are exactly right that the effort is in the hands gripping the heels. My arms are straight when I actually do the pose, and the arms aren’t working, the grip is, my head is on the ground and the stretch is in the lower back. When the arms aren’t straight is when you work the triceps and biceps if you want. I flex and relax various muscles for up to ten seconds or so as there is opportunity in the poses and depending on how or what I feel like doing. Not in all poses, not every time but in most of them I like to flex and feel the muscles. I will sometimes do that at odd angles, for example getting off the floor I will do a finger tip pushup with a hold as in plank or just take up to a minute moving to the up or down position, or just use one arm or what ever strikes me.

I do separate strength training in this way and like it. They are mostly chinese martial arts strength sets that I’ve been doing for years, off and on. Tiger moves invented by John McSweeney is a simplified example.

There is a lot of criticism of this type of strength training but usually from people who can’t do it or have never tried it, or never given it a fair shake.

There is one set that takes 8 months to get to the correct amount of reps and then you do that for the rest of your life. It can take a while before you are capable of even beginning the program and takes some precursor programs that most people won’t do because they are too hard.

I would also say that you are the expert, I certainly am not and thanks for taking the time and effort to post. I truly appreciate it. I am sure that a teacher could certainly help. But the last 7 years, I’ve had a home practice, May not be that good, but it is mine. smiley face