The Keys to Life
Thanks to Leo at Zen Habits for pointing me to this video. I love this message.
Check out Leo’s post here for more inspirational videos.
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Do You Do Yoga?
I’m a big proponent of yoga. It’s my second favorite form of exercise (next to running, of course), and in my opinion, no other form of exercise complements running better. Not only is yoga great for stretching out those tight muscles that we runners tend to get - it’s also wonderful for increasing your strength, particularly your core strength, which can only benefit your running.
I started getting into yoga a couple of years ago, after I had a bout of horrible back pain that rendered me virtually immobile for a couple of weeks. Although I have always been fairly flexible, I realized then that I was losing my flexibility rapidly as I got older and I really needed to do something about it before the back pain became a regular part of my life. Now, I try to make it to a yoga class at least once a week, although as the tightness I currently have in my hamstring reminds me, I really should make an effort to go even more often or at least do some poses at home.
If you’ve never done yoga before, you might not realize that there are several different styles of yoga. Personally, I prefer ‘power yoga’ because the long sequences of poses keeps me challenged and engaged in class. On the other hand, I really don’t like Bikram yoga (hot yoga) at all even though it’s quite challenging because the sequence of poses, from what I know about it anyway, is always the same. If you’re wondering what style of yoga might be right for you, read this article from Runner’s World on choosing the right yoga class for your personality and fitness goals.
If you’ve been thinking of trying out yoga, I would suggest starting with a class instead of with a video like so many people do, if only because it’s really difficult to make sure you’re doing the poses right without an instructor to watch you and guide you into the correct position if you’re not. However, once you’re familiar with the basic poses, a video is a good way to make yoga part of your routine even when you can’t find the time to make it to a class. If you’re looking for a great place to buy yoga videos, props, or clothing, you should try Gaiam.com - they have a great selection to choose from.
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