The Truth About Yoga

Yoga is not my thing. Its a little too breathy, a little too quiet, and a little too much time to think about all the shit I should be doing instead. However, from a professional standpoint, appreciate, understand and enjoy the activity. 

There are many, many, many benefits to being bendy and zen, but skinny just may not be one of them. The old adage of "If its seems to good to be true, it probably is" is (today) my number one rule of thumb in fitness. If sitting, breathing and listening to whales sing seems like the easiest freaking way to exercise...that is because it is. E = R. Effort = Results. While poses may be challenging at times and you may have to chase your brain around in circles and force it to remain calm (is that just me?), a hatha-style yoga class (1 hour) burns less than 200 calories. Good for reducing stress? Yes. Better than sitting on the couch? Double Yes. Good for weight loss? Your time could and should be better spent.

Now that is not to say that all yoga is low on the calorie-burn. Vinyasa or Flow style yoga can kick your ass a bit - up to 600 cals per hour!

Check out this great little article from Fit Bottomed Girls for more on yoga and calorie expenditure!

I'm just going to go ahead and get all the yoga out of me right now.

Now, onto how irresponsible the yoga world can be. In January, the New York Times published an article warning readers of the danger of yoga. How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body includes images of oddball Broadway actors contorting themselves while the article tells the most obnoxious, worst-case scenarios of bizarre-o individuals doing really dumb shit and calling it yoga.  From the "pop pop pop of ribs giving way" to irresponsible statements like "the vast majority of people should give up yoga altogether. It’s simply too likely to cause harm. the vast majority should just give up yoga." If people are seriously this dumb, we have some problems. The article elicited little more than an eye roll from me...until I started to hear people's reactions.

"See, I told you exercise was bad!"
"And that is why I don't exercise!"

Are you f*&%ing kidding me?

I actually met with my tax man yesterday, an avid yoga practitioner, and he was like "that article scared me...until I read the article in the Wisconsin State Journal."

And back to my girl, Jeanne. She wrote a great article reviewing the book, The Science of Yoga by William J. Broad (and author of aforementioned NY Times article) and I was fortunate enough to get a few words in (by the way, I love to be interviewed). Jeanne, being a yoga instructor, certified group ex pro AND writer, wrapped all of her common sense up into a great piece.

It is all about common sense, people. But, just in case that common sense does not exist...as a professor once told me...Be a good consumer of anything - fitness, food, people. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If it seams f-ing crazy, it definitely is. If it is a combination of both - why are you still thinking about it? Your body, your brain, your responsibility. If you believe everything you read, you've got problems (present reading material included).