running & cycling

[Guest guest]

>>Have anybody experience about doing

astanga and >>running and biking. What happens?

There are >>completely incompatibles?<br><br>I

have had a lot of problems in ashtanga practice with

knee injuries (see loads of previous posts here). I

find running is extremely bad for my knees, and

cycling is very good for them.<br><br>I enjoy mountain

biking a lot because it gets me out of the city, which

yoga doesn't. It also has a contemplative aspect to

it. This can come from just looking at the pretty

trees and flowers, or from doing steep downhills on

rough ground, because then if you're not fully in the

present moment you're highly unlikely to stay on the

bike!<br><br>However, if you do a lot of running or cycling they will

tend to tighten the body, particularly the thighs,

which makes asana practice much harder.

[Guest guest]

Alan-<br><br>The First Series is the PERFECT

complement to running and biking! Regular practice will

lengthen the tight buttock, thigh, and calf muscles and

strengthen the antagonist muscles (as well as the agonists)

along their fully extended length which will protect

you from injury and help overcome previous injuries.

It will unlock the low back and relieve shoulder

pains that come with distance training. Further, I have

found that (distance road riding) biking has improved

my standing poses. It can be a slow process however

but well worth the effort. Oh, and Ashtanga and

biking will complement each other in breathing endurance

and mental stillness, focus, and clarity. Good luck!

[Guest guest]

Laproxdoc,<br><br>You misunderstood the context

of my message. The question I was responding to

wasn't whether ashtanga practice complements other

activities, but whether other activities complement ashtanga

practice. There is an important difference in perspective

there, and for me the yoga definitely takes priority. In

which case my view is that running is harmful, cycling

in moderation is great.