Cross Training with YOGA

[The Willow Sword]

So do any of you here Take Yoga in addition to your martial training? If so have you seen an improvement in your overall flexability and health?

I have been doing the Bikram Yoga for a little while now and am starting to feel much stronger and more flexable. Oh and Bikram Yoga is a 26 posture system that is done in a heated room a few degrees above body temperature(105).

Peace,TWS

[bustr]

Yes. I've seen more improvement in strength from yoga training in my late 30s than I did with weightlifting in my 20s.

[Sifu Darkfist]

Oh and Bikram Yoga is a 26 posture system that is done in a heated room a few degrees above body temperature(105).

Peace,TWS

Is that what they tell you to prevent paying the Texas Air conditioning bill?

Just kidding I do practice Yoga in the heat as well and i find it incredible it is truly a difficult art as well as exercise:D

[humbleman]

that real kung fu is actually a yoga. Once I heard a man who studied the Vedic sciences refer to a style of kung-fu as a "famous yoga". N.B.

[The Willow Sword]

that real kung fu is actually a yoga. Once I heard a man who studied the Vedic sciences refer to a style of kung-fu as a "famous yoga". N.B.

Well it is interesting that you state that. i was under that impression myself,however, i have seen very few schools that have a really intensive stretching yoga'esque program. i mean you have a class warm up of about 5/10 minutes. but is that really enough to get things all loosened up? after doing the bikram classes i have to say "NO".

The muscle tendon changing excersises are yoga in nature but i rarely see those excerisises being done anywhere or correctly for that matter.

you would think that more TCMA schools would have a regimen of yoga like excersises. i mean i dont discount what stretching regimens go on at the kwoons, but i would think it is a necessity to have something intensive so that you could really do the "kung fu" well and above all correctly.
TWS.

i dont reveal too much about what i am doing now after sd. but i think its time i try to share some things that reveal what progress i have made since my exodus from where i was before.

[bodhitree]

I use yoga poses to streatch out after lifting and on off days to recover. It helps me stay loose and relaxed (a little, I think) I believe when I am considerably older Yoga will be something I carry into my old age (while fighting and heavy lifting may not be).

[ricardocameron]

Remember your Shao-lin history? Bodhidharma was an Indian Buddhist scholar(monk, teacher,whatever). He apparently taught the Chan sect of Buddhism, and some form of "Yoga", etc. (18 Lohan Hands)to the monks at Shao-lin. I do practice some, occasionally. I like Yoga Journal's videos by Rodney Yee(from the library), and Yoga Journal mag. But,I get hot and cold about things, it's not a daily practice...

From: www.shaolin-wahnam-center.org/qigong/lohan.htm

SHAOLIN 18 LOHAN HANDS

Many readers have asked me about the famous Shaolin Eighteen Lohan Hands. They were taught by the great Bodhidharma in 527 BCE to monks at the Shaolin Monastery in China when this First Patriarch of the Shaolin arts found the monks weak and often sleepy during meditaion, which is the essental path towards enlightenment.

The Shaolin Eighteen Lohan Hands are fundamental chi kung exercises that can bring tremendous benefits if they are practised as chi kung.....

...At the Shaolin Monastery, these Eighteen Lohan Hands evolved into a kungfu set called Eighteen Lohan Fist, which forms the prototype of Shaolin Kungfu today. Nevertheless, the Eighteen Lohan Hands continued to be practised as chi kung exercise.

Because of its long history, there are many versions of the Eighteen Lohan Hands being taught today. Shown below are the Eighteen Lohan Hands taught in my Shaolin Wahnam School. The illustrations are reproduced from a manual used more than 10 years ago by my chi kung students.

Shaolin-do also teaches something similar.

[Mr Punch]

I love yoga and I go to classes/seminars whenever I have time but I haven't learned enough to be confident enough in integrating it into my everyday workout routine yet. I've no doubt of it's benefit to any martial artsist and anybody interested in staying healthy. It makes me feel strong, flexible and very connected.:) And it makes my butt ache!:(

Although I'm aware of the legendary origins of chi kung and the 18 lo-han exercises, I'm not much convinced by the similarity between modern yoga and chi kung.

The chi kung I've learned have focussed on five energy centres in a straight line down the centre of the body as opposed to seven chakra including off-centre ones like the heart chakra. The meditational rotations of energy through the spine and their breathing patterns are quite different.

[Faruq]

Yeah, and the Shaolin monks supposedly did a couple of hours of that yoga Ta Mo taught them religiously as part of their daily gong fu routine, which like someone said a few posts up, I've never witnessed any modern day gong fu schools or practitioners do.

[yenhoi]

Pieces of my daily morning practice are yoga, but mostly tai chi and chi kung related exercises (movement drills, stretching, breathing.) I have basically used the first version of the sun prayer that I learned as my basic begginning warmup for the rest of my stretching/chi kung each morning.

I 'specially enjoy standing Yoga Mudra at any time of the day, and in the morning when I finish the bridge posture. My initial yoga exp was a two semester hatha yoga class at the University some 6 years ago, and some private lessons and swaps of info with other instructors since then. There is some Brikam guy in town getting bigger every year 'round here, but I havent made the time to check him out yet.

:eek:

[rubthebuddha]

i've always done it occasionally, but it's becoming more frequent lately as i'm spending more time with heavier dls and squats. depending on how my back feels, i'll do it either before or after weights. before if i'm tight, after if i'm feeling fine. either way, it helps, and i'm slowly replacing the less important lifts with yoga.

but i'll never give up the basic powerlifts. ever. i'll be 90 and still deadlifting. it'll only be the bar, but i'll still be doing it. :D

[Vash]

but i'll never give up the basic powerlifts. ever. i'll be 90 and still deadlifting. it'll only be the bar, but i'll still be doing it. :D

If I were the type, this is the point where I would insert a "woot woot."

;)

[ricardocameron]

Pieces of my daily morning practice are yoga, but mostly tai chi and chi kung related exercises (movement drills, stretching, breathing.) I have basically used the first version of the sun prayer that I learned as my basic begginning warmup for the rest of my stretching/chi kung each morning.



me too, the sun salutation for a warm up.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i am jealous.

i want to learn teh y0g4

[Faruq]

Is chi gong not just the Mandarin word for yoga? I've always heard it explained as Taoist yoga or Buddhist yoga. I'd like to say also that in five years of Cheng Man Ch'ing Yang style Tai Chi Ch'uan classes, I never felt the sensations I felt in 6 months of hei/qi/chi gong practice. I therefore regard Tai Chi Ch'uan form practice without 2 to 3 hours of chi gong practice a day, as nothing different from any other gong fu form practice. I therefore see no similarity between Tai Chi Ch'uan, and hei gong, other than the speed at which they are commonly practiced. The benefits or results of practicing the two daily are very different in my personal experience.


I love yoga and I go to classes/seminars whenever I have time but I haven't learned enough to be confident enough in integrating it into my everyday workout routine yet. I've no doubt of it's benefit to any martial artsist and anybody interested in staying healthy. It makes me feel strong, flexible and very connected.:) And it makes my butt ache!:(

Although I'm aware of the legendary origins of chi kung and the 18 lo-han exercises, I'm not much convinced by the similarity between modern yoga and chi kung.

The chi kung I've learned have focussed on five energy centres in a straight line down the centre of the body as opposed to seven chakra including off-centre ones like the heart chakra. The meditational rotations of energy through the spine and their breathing patterns are quite different.

[The Willow Sword]

They can be one in the same in my opinion. Certain styles of yoga focus on the internal chakra aspect of the body just as most qigong meditations and movements are designed to deal with the taoist view of the "meridian centers" of the body.

There is also the martial qigong(which i have done) that focuses on the physical and internal organ aspect of the body, Much like what i am doing now with Bikram Yoga.

although BOTH systems of what we would call qiqong and yoga deal with both aspects of the internal and the external. Just some focus on internal and vice versa.

The Bikram Yoga i do is more of an Atheletes Yoga and it is a very physical style of yoga focusing primarlity on the physical and external aspect of the body(internal organs as well). very little has been mentioned in the classes i take about chakras or meridians or anything of that nature. You spend more time dealing with being in a room heated to 105 degrees and doing the 26 postures(and believe me its enough to contend with)

when i was doing the martial qiqong excersises i was focusing more on the meridians of the body(dont know if what i was doing was correct or not but it still served to further my knowledge of the internal/energy aspects of the body.)


GDA you should check out whatever is in your area and make sure you are not walking into a pretentious Studio(as alot of yoga studios seem to be these days) i have been fortunate to be in a studio that is totally devoid of that pretentious attitude and high society mentality.
Peace,TWS

[humbleman]

Well it is interesting that you state that. i was under that impression myself,however, i have seen very few schools that have a really intensive stretching yoga'esque program. i mean you have a class warm up of about 5/10 minutes. but is that really enough to get things all loosened up? after doing the bikram classes i have to say "NO".

The muscle tendon changing excersises are yoga in nature but i rarely see those excerisises being done anywhere or correctly for that matter.

you would think that more TCMA schools would have a regimen of yoga like excersises. i mean i dont discount what stretching regimens go on at the kwoons, but i would think it is a necessity to have something intensive so that you could really do the "kung fu" well and above all correctly.
TWS.

i dont reveal too much about what i am doing now after sd. but i think its time i try to share some things that reveal what progress i have made since my exodus from where i was before.made us stretch for a good 10-15 minutes before each class. He (Brian Phillips) was always open to and looking for new methods of stretching that worked. A lot of them were from hatha yoga.

[humbleman]

a sifu who has combined yoga with kung fu is Master Kumar Francsis (sp?) from Energy Arts. He studied tantric yoga in india for several years, karate in japan for several years, and the internal arts in china for something like eight. He teaches the taoist water method, as opposed to the tantric fire approach. The water method is safer, and wears through internal blockages like water through various obstacles, whereas fire attempts to blast through. This is my understanding anyway. Anyone who thinks there is no power in yoga is, in my humble opinion, a fool. I've seen differently.

[Faruq]

The Tendon Changing/Bone Marrow Washing Methods are very different in approach, as well as goals, from static stretching. But either way, who do you know that puts 2-3 hours a day into chi gong or yoga? They would be the ones to compare results with.


made us stretch for a good 10-15 minutes before each class. He (Brian Phillips) was always open to and looking for new methods of stretching that worked. A lot of them were from hatha yoga.

[The Willow Sword]

I put in 270 minutes a week on Bikram Yoga training alone. That breaks down to 90 minute sessions, three days a week. My god if i did any more topped onto my running and other things id be over working and wasting away.

i do know of the water method of qigong. at least i think we are talking about the same method. The water path cools the body down and yes it opens up some blockages in the energy centers of the body. haha i do enough fire type training.

Peace,TWS

[GeneChing]

Didn't really know where to post this. I don't post in the KFT&H forum enough, so here.


When Yoga Meets CrossFit, It’s More Burn, Less Om (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-09/-mashup-yoga-classes-mix-crossfit-boxing-and-cardio-with-oms)
A new wave of aggressive yoga classes incorporates cardio, CrossFit, and even boxing to get fitness results.
by James Gaddy
January 9, 2017, 9:47 AM PST

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/ib8vhs4sdXs4/v0/840x-1.jpg
Source: Total Boxer

As a model working in South Africa in the early 2000s, Tracie Wright Vlaun started doing yoga along with her fitness regimen to help her deal with the mental toll that the fashion industry can sometimes inflict. “To let go of all the BS,” is how she put it. But she eventually wanted something “less Om-chanty,” and set about to create a workout that would blend poses into a more intense session.

By 2009, she and her trainer husband Chris Vlaun had devised a regimen that included entry-level yoga poses and bodyweight exercises grounded in the “fundamentals of ancient movement art disciplines.” Aeroga, the name of the duo’s high-energy workout offered at Florida’s St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort, is a seamless mix of power-based calisthenics set to a choreographed playlist that ranges among Adele, U2, Stevie Wonder, and Bach. It has taken off by word of mouth, attracting Miami tourists and a few athletes as well as the owners of the teams the athletes play for. “It’s going to kick your ass,” Chris Vlaun said.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/igeVYh28Hzl4/v0/740x-1.jpg
The Aeroga class in Miami incorporates dance, body weight exercises, and yoga.Source: Aeroga Movement

Hybrid takes on vinyasa flow are the latest attempt to convince high net worth, Type-A guys that spending 60 sweaty minutes stretching next to beautiful, scantily clad women is a good idea. These riffs on the Indian art are more likely to resemble boot camp-style workouts, and classes come with such names as Hardcore Yoga, Core Power Yoga, and Cross Flow X, integrating elements of weightlifting, martial arts, Spin, and boxing.

At Set and Flow Yoga, a fusion studio in the shadow of the Hollywood Heights in Los Angeles, fitness director Eddie Guerra teaches a 60-minute heated class called Cannonball Yoga Sculpt that combines yoga poses such as Warrior 1 with kettle bell drills. “We gave it a catchy name that lets people know it’s inviting to people who work out, maybe they do CrossFit, but wouldn’t normally think of doing yoga postures to a hip-hop beat," he said. “It’s a mashup.” Guerra said that kettle bell drills coexist easily with yoga because the workout styles, based on breath and movement, are similar.

Yoga + Punching

BoxingYoga, which started in London in 2012 and has since expanded to Amsterdam, Berlin, San Francisco, and Johannesburg, uses a modified Ashtanga practice that integrates boxing technique—think, low lunges with wider stances to improve balance and mobility—with other Rocky-lite moves such as doing plank pose on your knuckles. “It’s a very physical practice,” said co-founder Kajza Ekberg, who has done private training with the Chelsea Football Club and Saracens rugby team in England as well as Krav Maga, the self-defense system developed for the Israel Defense Forces.

There are actual punching bags at Box + Flow, which opened last November in downtown New York. The 50-minute barefoot classes begin with shadowboxing warmups, then shift to sessions on the bags with a high-energy Top 40 soundtrack, then a final session of yoga postures that ends with breathing exercises and a savasana. “It’s yin and yang, fire and water,” said founder Olivia Young, who trained for 10 years at Church Street Boxing Gym and practiced yoga for 15 before starting her own studio. “Yoga allowed me to open up and slow down. But I tend to be very high-energy, and I needed something with more adrenaline.” She cautions, however: “If you're looking to become the best boxer or the best yogi, this is not the right class.”

Is It Necessary?

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Source: Exhale

Skeptics abound, of course. Adam Vitolo, who teaches Iyengar classes for Pure Yoga on New York’s Upper East Side, said a yoga session, properly done, should deliver a well-rounded workout by itself. “My perspective is that a lot of people hurt themselves in those classes, then they come to my class and learn about their bodies, then go back and are able to do them safely,” he said. Genny Wilkinson Priest, who teaches at Triyoga in London, agreed but also acknowledged the appeal of more physical workouts, especially for guys. “Yoga does have a reputation of taking itself a little bit seriously,” she said. “And these hybrids tend to be more focused on the physical. If you’re a runner, it's great for hamstrings, and hopefully they remind people that there’s a spiritual aspect,” she said.

“We got a lot of 'haterade' at first,” said Chris Vlaun. “But for guys who are making that billion-dollar deal, you can’t start off with the spiritual stuff. We just try to get them to focus on their breath.” Guerra put it another way. “This isn’t the only yoga you’re ever going to do. If you are able to bring more awareness to your breath, body, and have compassion for yourself, then why isn’t that yoga? It’s more contemporary, but that’s what’s been going on since it came to America. It’s not about whether we’re burning sage or playing esoteric music when you walk into the class.”

Five Classes to Try

Aeroga, Miami
You can choose between “Flow,” a 75-minute class, or the more intense, 60-minute, off-the-mat “Method” class from $35, or even private training customized to your own goals from $250. Available through V the Art of Wellness at St. Regis Bal Harbour, Esperanza Resort Los Cabos, and the Confidante Hotel Miami Beach.

Set and Flow Yoga, Los Angeles
“Cannonball Yoga Sculpt” is a 60-minute class heated to 95 degrees, from $25 per class or with a one-month unlimited membership from $80. Private training runs from $100 up. About 150 other classes are available on site, including “Barefoot Bootcamp” and a variety of heated and nonheated, more traditional yoga and Pilates classes.

BoxingYoga, London
The 60-minute classes are a “flow,” or continuously moving workout, that can be heated, depending on the coach or the venue. Available from $30 for a single class at multiple locations in the U.K., including 30 locations in London, as well as in San Francisco, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Berlin, and Singapore. Private training on request.

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Gloves at Box + Flow.Source: Box + Flow

Box + Flow, New York
A warmup of shadowboxing on the mat leads to high-energy, off-the-mat sessions on a punching bag, set to a soundtrack of songs such as Fat Joe’s All the Way Up. Ends with a series of vinyasa flow poses that build off Chaturanga, or the low plank pose similar to a starting pushup position, and a variety of lunges and stretches before cooling down with pigeon and child's poses. One location (55 Bond Street) in New York, from $31 for a single class, private training from $125 per hour.

Exhale Spa, Bermuda
“Core Fusion Extreme” is more aerobics than yoga—shoes are required, for instance—but classes end with a savasana and the transitions between exercises include poses based on Mountain Climber. Available in 28 locations, including three in Miami, one in the Gansevoort in Turks & Caicos, as well as the recently renovated Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda.

(Corrects name of Set and Flow Yoga and fitness director title in 4th paragraph.)

[daisy91]

Yoga, I can say, without equivocation is for everyone. Not that it’s everyone's preference, but it offers something for everyone.

Yoga does so because it brings front and center the principle of balance. The manifestation of what occurs in the physical movement of our bodies, as I have learned in the martial arts and boxing over the years, occurs through balance. Balance means the fusion between our energies - male and female, internal and external, our inner body and breath and how we move our external form. Yoga, like the martial arts, teaches you both internally and externally.

Another appeal that yoga has is that it challenges us in a different way than intense activities like running, powerlifting, and boxing. Yoga forces me to find acceptance in the discomfort of stillness.