NBA great Kareem Abdul Jabbar on yoga

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Fit after 50: Staying flexible with yoga

 

Kareemabduljabbar_yoga

(Photo left: then; Kareem 1981. Photo right: now; Kareem 2008)

 

Yoga scares some people. They imagine a white-robed cult of New Age

zombies sipping herbal green tea and smiling vacantly. For some, the

problem is the word itself: yoga. Funny-looking, foreign and too

exotic. Okay, for you we'll call it " power-stretching " or " ultimate

breathing " or " hot-bod sculpting. " Is that better? Because the truth

is that yoga is an excellent means of creating a more flexible and

healthy body that will be less prone to injuries. And the most

important part of staying fit after 50 is avoiding workout injuries

that can disrupt your exercise program for weeks or even months.

 

I've been an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga since high school. Yoga

is one of the reasons that I was able to play professional basketball

as long as I did with as few injuries as I had. One of the first

improvements I noticed was in my posture. Before yoga I'd been having

lower back pains; after I started practicing the positions, my overall

health improved significantly. (FYI: the practice of yoga began 3,000

years ago in India. The word " yoga " is Sanskrit and means to " union, "

meaning to join together the mind, body, and spirit.)

 

There are many different styles of yoga. I practice Bikram yoga as

well as several other styles. Beginners tend to do what I call the

" yoga tour " -- that is, trying out the different styles until they

find the right ones for them. That's a perfectly reasonable approach

and is more likely to produce the results they're looking for.

 

When Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino came to me to

ask me how to extend his longevity and deal with all the

collision-type injuries you get from playing football, I steered him

to yoga; the next time I saw him he said it was absolutely helpful in

his training regimen.

 

Those of you who studied pilates know that a large part of its

foundation is based on yoga. My father started doing yoga in his late

70s and it helped him to stop his decline of flexibility. So whether

you're in top athletic shape like my friend Dan Marino or just have

old achy bones like my Dad, I thought I'd give those of you who are

ready to get started a few tips:

 

1. Be consistent. Any new endeavor requires a period of commitment. At

first, you may feel awkward or self-conscious, but promise yourself

that you'll stick with it for two months. At the same time, to receive

the most benefits, you'll need to practice yoga at least three times a

week.

 

2. It's not a competition. As a beginner, your body needs a period of

adjustment as it adapts to new demands. Don't push yourself beyond

your limits just because you see others able to do what you can't. We

don't throw the teen that just got his driver's license into the Indy

500. Take your time.

 

3. Practice with a friend. It's easier to keep motivated if you have

someone you work out with. So, if you intend to take a yoga class at

your fitness club, or practice at home with a DVD, see if you can get

a friend to practice with you.

 

I started teaching myself yoga when I was 14, from a book. At the

time, there weren't many other opportunities to learn yoga. Today

there are many classes available from fitness clubs, community

colleges, yoga centers and senior centers. There are hundreds of books

and DVDs that can be ordered off the Internet. Today about 18 million

to 20 million Americans practice yoga regularly, including everyone

from children to senior citizens, from weekend warriors to

professional athletes, from soccer moms to marathon-running moms.

 

There's a reason yoga has grown so dramatically in popularity: it

works! It's worked for me for over 45 years and it can work for you

starting today.

 

(Photo credit: left: Aaron Rappaport; right: John Russo)

 

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March 11, 2008 in physical fitness | Permalink

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Comments

 

Kareem:

After years of playing contact sports and accumulating many nagging

injuries I hurt my back (1995) and was introduced to Yoga. It took a

while to make the transition to a non-competitive work out but I found

a Rodney Yee CD in 2002 and do it now twice a day for at least 15

minutes and recommend it for anyone that wants to learn how their body

really works. It's beyond athletics and working out. It will tune you

into your mind, body and can really give you a spiritual experience.

Thanks for the blog and all of the UCLABucks & Lakers fun. And keep up

the jazz talk... Miles & Monk & Bird lives!

 

Posted by: Mitch Avery | March 11, 2008 at 02:12 PM

 

Kareem,

 

I'm also a yoga practitioner. I do a style of Northern Taoist Ch'i

Gung called Peckwar that's a lot like Ashtanga yoga.

 

I've heard a lot about Bikram. Why do you like it more than other styles?

 

Personally, I wish yoga was taught in school and were it not for the

" New Age Cult " stereotype associated with it, it probably would be.

 

Yoga cuts down on athletic injuries and tones the entire body while

fostering a greater sense of personal relaxation. It's fantastic stuff

and anything to promote its popularization is alright by me.

 

Posted by: Jon K. | March 11, 2008 at 02:35 PM

 

What a pleasant surprise! For years I have encouraged my sons to learn

yoga in order to improve their basketball skills and strengthen their

ability to reach high at the boards and concentrate at the free throw

line. They instead practiced martial arts. Yoga is also self-healing.

Recalling an attempt to reach my orthopedic physician for a follow-up

appointment from a broken foot that just wasn't right, which I knew

from practicing yoga since college. The appointment was not available

for 30 days. I decided a yoga treatment was worth a try and

miraculously I felt all of the bones that were not aligned fall

immediately into place, ending my need for the appointment.

 

Posted by: Abogada Adelante | March 12, 2008 at 09:42 AM

 

Congratulations for being named the number one College Basketball

Player of all time, talk about being On the Shoulders of Giants!

 

Thanks again for addressing some of the fears and misconceptions I

hear from people when I beat the drum (or gong) for the benefits of

yoga as a fitness and therapeutic aid for those of us over 50. Yoga

not only leads to improved posture, internal organ function, balance,

flexibility, and mental focus, it's a terrific antidote for stress.

Lose the fear, try yoga!

 

Posted by: Jaime | March 14, 2008 at 10:11 AM

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