Today I chatted about yoga with one of my work colleagues, Jackie. We both have daughters (she has twin girls) who just graduated from college. Our daughters like to go to the gym to "work" out. Jackie mentioned that despite her recommendation that her twins try yoga, her daughters are under the impression that yoga isn't a "real" workout. And, when I encouraged my daughter (a former high school varsity field hockey and lacrosse player) to try yoga she replied that it was something she'd consider when she was "older." Hmmm.
Nowadays many people don't feel they have had a workout unless their hearts are pounding afterwards and they've sweated up a storm. I would never argue with the satisfaction and boost in endorphins you get from a brisk walk, jog, or hard-core running. I jogged daily for a twenty years and loved the energizing euphoria I felt after completing a three-mile jaunt. (I have since replaced jogging with jumping on a mini-trampoline for my aerobic exercise.)
Yet, working up to 3 miles required patience and enduring super sore muscles. I remember the first time I ran a mile at age 18 in high school. For 3 or 4 days my thighs protested every time I got up from my chair at school. I could barely move! However, many people assume that you gain no benefits from exercise without pain, without going through a period of sore, tender muscles. And, many people who participate in intensive, faster paced forms of yoga suffer injuries in droves.
However, this doesn't not usually happen (at least not to me) with slow, gentle hatha yoga! One of the aspects of gentle hatha yoga that attracted to me to it when I first studied it at age 15 was the promise of gaining myriad benefits WITHOUT pain! And that has been my experience ever since! I have NEVER suffered soreness or had an injury from gentle hatha yoga. I move in SLOW motion - as if in a dream and I focus intently on each part of my body as I stretch and move. I don't get a heart-pumping workout, but I do gain the power of releasing stored-up tension and eliminatin kinks in my limbs that result from sitting at a computer all day.
Just look at the photo above of me doing a backward bend. I don't sweat while doing this pose and I don't get into an aerobic "zone." Yet, this pose is very powerful. It stretches my spine and back, tones my upper arms, firms my neck, improves posture, and increases flexibility in my feet. It's not a complex, pretzel pose that visually impresses you. Nevertheless, it is replete with power! Don't be fooled by the simplicity and slow pace of gentle yoga. It works your body from the inside out in ways that may not be obvious to the naked eye.
Yours for no pain is all gain with gentle yoga,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez
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