I AIN'T POSTING NO MO' !!

[Guest guest]

I was not talking anywhere in my posts about

powerlifting, bodybuilding for me, or lifting weights in excess

of 20lbs. Obesity, when you have been diagnosed as

such, means first of all that you have metabolism

problem and that as a result of the physical definition,

you have a whole subset of problems that you have to

address BEFORE you can SAFELY proceed with a physical

activity. I do not need to change my diet. I am already

standing the medical college hospital community on its

collective ear with what I am doing. Since April 2001, I

have on my own and against what my doctors were

telling brought my own blood sugar down from 217/ A1c=11%

to an 82/ A1c=4.4% (if you know any diabetics ask

them what these numbers mean.). Because you are not

metabolizing your nutrient properly, you most likely will have

a high serum lipid count (read high cholesteral).

My cholesteral is 100 (80 of which is HDL). I have

had to fight a battle royal to be a vegetarian, but

that isn't the issue. It is what certain kinds of

foods do to you. High glycemic v. low glycemic foods.

Kafenyc and ddmcguire, you two probably know what I am

talking about here. Let's just say the traditional

medical establishment and nor does the American Diabetes

Association endorse the concept of the glycemic index. My

diet has been made by researchers I have talked with

by email in Australia to get it right. I have lost

~85% of the 55lbs since last July with a boost

following Christmas that brings my per week loss to 5lbs.

Obese yogis and bodybuilders have something in common,

their range of muscle motion, distribution, elasticity

are limited, sometimes severely. Astanga is difficult

for BOTH simply by definition of their condition. I

am proscribed by my bulk and girth from fully

performing certain asanas. I use props. And I am approaching

the use of weights in my yoga as way of getting

there;as another prop. The most recent issue of the Yoga

Journal deals with moving from one asana to another

fluently and details a step-by-step approach to that,

while yet another article gives a step-by-step approach

to adjusting misalignment. The human body is a

magnificent and truly intelligent thing and it can make some

amazing, miraculous and devastating adjustments. I am

simply trying to make those step-by-step adjustments

that I need to make, not create a new a style.

[Guest guest]

Zekes, I am WELL aware of what those lab values you listed mean, and you are

doing an outstanding job! Good Luck and Keep Doing what you're doing, Dude!

[Guest guest]

Zeke –<br><br>Don’t let a bit of teasing keep you

from posting.<br><br>Your medical stats are quite

interesting. My wife is an M.D. and she and I would be very

interested in hearing about the progress you’ve made in your

battle against diabetes and obesity. We would like to

collect case histories relating to medical benefits of

Yoga. The only person who has done this so far is Dr.

Ornish – you should get his book if you don’t have it.

I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for self

appointed yoga goombahs (like the Yoga Alliance) from doing

something productive for yoga like sponsoring studies on

medical benefits of yoga.<br><br>I don’t think that

anyone with a serious weight problem should jump blindly

into Astanga. I like the Viniyoga philosophy that

Desikachar promotes – that is, that a practice should be

tailored to individuals, particularly if the person is in

bad health. Unfortunately, teachers qualified to

apply therapeutic yoga are rare indeed. And while

Desikachar talks a good game I’ve looked in vain for results

– at a recent yoga symposium in NYC Desikachar gave

a lecture and the hand-picked students he brought

in to demonstrate could barely do a sun salute.

Jois, on the other hand, barely talks at all but lets

the results speak for themselves.<br><br>On the other

hand, I’m always amused to hear SPW and other hard

liners (The Astanga Jihad, I’ve termed them) say that

the only way to teach yoga is the way Jois teaches it

in Mysore. That method is effective for the

westerners who make the trip to Jois’ shalla, but it must be

pointed out that the vast majority of those people have

years of experience in yoga, are often yoga teachers

themselves, are under 40, and in great shape to begin with.

If you get a chance to see Jois teach local Mysore

people you would see a different demographic and a

modified method. I saw him teach an obese businessman and

a heavy, sari-clad Indian woman and her nine-year

old son. Very, very different approach to teach each

of them. The American Surgeon General recently

pointed out that the majority of Americans are now obese.

These people need to make a comprehensive lifestyle

change that should include yoga, but these folks would

most likely be unable to do a single sun salute. How

do you teach them Astanga? You have to make

modifications. (I am now donning my flame-resistant

headgear).<br><br>Amrit Desai points out that yoga – both meditation and

hatha yoga techniques – are for people who are ALREADY

reasonably healthy both mentally and physically, not for

people in a “pathological” condition (his term). If you

don’t have a foundation of mental and physical health

you should work on that first. I think that holds

true for people beginning Astanga. Change your diet,

get your weight down to a manageable level (and

gentle yoga can be very helpful here) before taking on

the primary series. Otherwise you will become

discouraged and cynical about the practice early on.<br><br>I

appreciate something Danny Paradise once told me which is a

simple, yet fundamental maxim for yoga teachers: Rule 1:

Don’t turn anyone off to Yoga. SPW should give that

some thought.<br><br>Keep up the good work, and Zeke,

my wife wants to know your whole medical history and

just what it is that you are doing to improve your

condition. E-mail me off-list if you feel so

inclined.<br><br>Cheers,<br>DMCG

[Guest guest]

"I?m always amused to hear SPW and other hard

liners (The Astanga Jihad, I?ve termed them) say that

the only way to teach yoga is the way Jois teaches it

in Mysore."<br><br>i believe the hardliner way is

actually to preach that the Jois way is the only way to

teach ashtanga, not yoga in general. if you go back

through the posts i'm sure you'll find one where el senor

actually says, "all yoga is good."<br><br>secondly, i have

had some brief experience with viniyoga and found it

really boring and not helpful for my particular

problems. i guess some of us just need the intensity of

ashtanga no matter what our physical condition.