compulsive exercise and yoga practic

[Guest guest]

Dear alanmushnick,<br><br>The answer is to do

yoga. At least do surya A & B. Just practice. You are

in charge. This all day thinking about yoga,

planning and putting it off is making you very tired.

Also, the more you try to control compulsive behavior,

the more out of control you will get.<br><br>Take the

drama out of your day and simplify - lighten up on

yourself. Just practice and forget about it. No big deal.

Really! And go for a bike ride if you want.<br><br>All

this works for me.<br><br>BLT<br><br>Good Luck!

[Guest guest]

You talk abut "compulsive" biking as if you think

it isn't healthy for you. Why? If you enjoy it it

can't be doing you much harm - it isn't as if you're

complusively boozing or smoking. As for when to fit your yoga

practice in, that's a matter of finding where it best fits

your life. Personally I find morning practice

difficult and unpleasant to start, although I'm always

pleased when I get going. Early evening as soon as I get

in from the office works well for me, although it

takes discipline to get get my mat out immediately

instead of sitting down with a cup of tea and a sandwich.

Late evening doesn't work for me - if I eat anything

at all in the evening, I'm too full to practice

before bed. <br><br>It doesn't matter how much you do.

You can start with five or ten minutes - maybe a few

sun salutations, a forward bend, and sit and breathe

for a couple of minutes. Maybe before your bike ride.

Or after when you're already warmed up. If you get

into doing a daily practice, I think you'll probably

find you'll gradually want to do more yoga and less

cycling and weights, but that will happen in its own

time.<br><br>There are those who argue against mixing ashtanga yoga

with sports. Personally, living in a city with

beautiful woodlands on the outskirts and mountains an

hour's drive away, I find that summer mountain biking

and winter snowboarding give me things that yoga

doesn't - doing interesting and absorbing physical

activities AND being out of the city in beautiful

surroundings. (I think I'm hardly ever as completely focused in

the present moment as when I'm trying not to fall off

a draglift on a snowboard. Let a thought cross your

mind for a moment and BANG!). And yes, cycling and

boarding tighten my quads and hamstrings which makes asana

practice harder, but so what? The object of yoga isn't to

be flexible anyway.

[Guest guest]

I guess I don't have any real good advice for you

- just a note to let you know you aren't alone. I

started ashtanga via BBB's book (forgive me senor) in

order to complement the strength and cardio training I

do in order to enjoy a multitude of outdoor

activities (biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, etc). I try to

do my practice in the morning but it is difficult

since I am anything but a morning person. Just

persevere and do the best you can. And watch out for the

overtraining - yoga can help counter some of the effects of a

single activity by providing balance but is not a cure

all. Agree with Alan Little - there is too much out

there to enjoy not to get out and do it. HW