Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Yoga makes a difference

I joined a yoga class in August and have continued attending 3 full 12 week series, 2 times a week. Classes continue in January. It was a leap of faith to join. My concerns were mostly about how much conditioning it would provide. I was surprised to learn that it was challenging on more than one level.

Debi Reynolds is very good at judging an appropriate level of workout. It was inspiring to see her demonstrate, correct form and share additional poses she learned from her continuing study of Yoga.

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from other departments. Jen Bagby is from Marketing and along with Wendy Weaver a Technical Writer who is also an attorney have been instrumental in bringing this class to MonaVie. Charlyn Wood is an accountant. She has listened to me talk about my goals towards competing in a Ironman triathlon. I encouraged her to learn to swim. It's nice to make friends.

Yoga is a refreshing break, stretching out sore and tired muscles that heal faster. The Vinyasa "breath synchronized movement" is especially helpful. Controlling the breath during exertion helps to avoid injury and keep the muscles supplied with oxygen and it helps to kick it up to go faster when it counts most.

The sun salutation provides a challenging workout when done several times in succession. It provides stretching, shoulder strengthening and a powerful lesson in breath control. Rena Thomas from Distributor Compliance recommended this video, "Yoga For Athletes". It has been a helpful supplement to use at home to continue practicing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone


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