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BCU - Spirit |
Yoga for Exercise |
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Book Review:March 6, 2001 - About 10 years ago I stumbled onto a book entitled "Richard Hittleman's Yoga - 28 day exercise plan". I was living alone at the time and thought it may be a neat way to break the stress from the long hours I was putting in at school. Well I tried it out, did all 28 days, and was totally thrilled at the results.I have always had problems with my back (tobogganing accident) and kness (hamstrings), so the idea of touching my forehead to my knees was pretty much outrageous. After four weeks, I could do it, as well as head stands, and other stretches which looked pretty painful. Well, in the manner of all the exercise regimens I've tried, once I started feeling good I stopped exercising, and quickly forgot about the book laying in some box somewhere. Until recently. I re-discovered the book a short time ago and decided that I should try this out again. As many of you may already know I am planning a great deal of digging and dirt moving this spring, and I thought this yoga may be just what I need to keep from hospitalizing myself while digging holes. I started doing each days exercises after the family had gone to bed and the house was quiet. It only took a few days for me to realize that I was in a lot worse shape than I had been in college (no surprise there, but it still hurts to have it thrown in your face). However, I kept at it, no real pain or discomfort, no agony, it actually felt really good, and now I am at Day 28. The last day, the final review, the end of the plan. After tonight I will move onto a schedule of maintenance routines (until I feel really good again and drop it). The thing that amazes me though is that I can do all those stretches and headstands again. I'm going to try and stay at it, the benefits are obvious to me, and my circumstances allow me to set aside the space and time to do it. So this little article is to plug the book (go find it, results come fast and easy) and to congratulate myself for finishing the 28-day plan for the second time in a decade. [Disclaimer: No, I don't receive any kickbacks, the book was written back in 1969 so it may not even be in circulation, let alone in print. Also, as with all exercise books, you may want to consult your doctor/chiropractor before beginning the plan. There are some twists which hyperextend the joints. I've done it twice now with no noticable problems, that may not be the case for you.] Update - April 20: Well that didn't last long :-) I have moved away from doing the yoga each night and simply doing a meditation every other night, or so. I found that the repetition of the maintenance routine, without the advancements which were noticable during the program, left nothing to strive for nor any measure of performance/ability advancement. I grew very bored with the routines very quickly. Now I have my eye on a couple of other similar yoga systems (again in book form) that I may adopt for a time. They offer new positions and routines so I'll have something to look forward to. Until then... Enjoy, Brett |