Daily Smoothie Habit: 2 handfuls of spinach, 2 large celery sticks, 4 carrots, 3 blood oranges, 1 banana, 1 bag fresh cranberries from Trader Joe’s, 2 scoops sunwarrior protein, water (I split this one with my husband)
Note: When Trader Joe’s starts selling bags of fresh cranberries around Thanksgiving I buy a ton of them and keep them in my freezer so I can use raw cranberries in my smoothies all year long!
Have you read the article by the New York Times about How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body? It is a very good article that brings up some very good points. I am a huge advocate of exercise and have been practicing different forms of yoga on and off for at least five years. Until recently, I was only interested in taking a yoga class if I thought it was going to be fast paced and challenging with lots of poses where my body was bent and twisted in all sorts of unnatural ways. Apparently, I was not alone in this thought.
Yoga has become so main stream and it easy to find a class where a teacher will “challenge” you to get into a pose or an inversion that is far too advanced for a beginner by your second class. Pushing yourself too hard too fast and contorting your body and spine in an unnatural way that it is not used to is a dangerous and a sure-fire way to end up with a horrible injury that can leave you debilitated for the rest of your life.
Do I think Yoga can wreck your body? Absolutely! Do I think it is dangerous? It can be but it definitely does not have to be. Yoga can be a very healing and spiritual practice but you have to listen to your body. If you are too busy trying to do inversions or bend your body into a balance pose that your body just does not want to go into and ignoring the pain signals your body is sending you, then you will miss out on all the benefits of yoga.
This article as well as my yoga teacher, Audrey of Camarillo Yoga have made me realize what yoga is really about and how to really get the best out of my yoga practice:
Listen to your body. Yoga is not about ultimate fitness, it is about relaxation, healing, and spirituality. Do not expect to come out of a yoga class with superhuman abilities of strength and flexibility. Only do what feels good and do not try to push yourself further than that. Flexibility and strength take time and patience. And finally, do not forget that yoga is a mind practice too. Relaxing, stretching, and healing your mind through breathing and meditation is just as important to your yoga practice as the body poses are.
What are your thoughts on yoga and the New York Times article?
