Yoga + Stretching + Meditation

On September 18 2015 14:27 dogmeat wrote:

cliffs?

dont do it

Imo Yoga/meditation and yoga/stretching should be in separate threads as they can be related but are mostly different topics.

Despite conflicting research, I think stretching and myofascial release (or sports massage) have significant benefits in terms of mobility and pain relief. Unfortunately there are a few problems when it comes to most people trying to incorporate stretching, myofascial release, etc. in order to reap the benefits. First of all most people don't stretch problem areas at a high enough intensity where the impaired range of motion is actually being increased, most people just do stretch X and zone out to almost falling asleep and think they're doing themselves any good. You have to force each muscle slowly cm by cm slowly passed the range of comfort, without obviously being too aggressive and pulling/tearing something. Secondly people don't do particular stretches or stretching routines at a high enough frequency, one should try to do stretches daily after working out some kind of sweat from like a jog, swim, gym workout, etc. Once or twice a week just won't cut it. But really I think the biggest problem is that people don't address the causes of their impairments or pains first. Majority of muscle imbalances are caused by the typical modern way of life, people are sitting down for too long at a time (should not exceed 1 hr straight) with bad posture (hunched over with legs in an overly flexed position). Also sadly I think at least 90% of people that do weighted squats, deadlifts, and presses with the shittiest form and too much god damn weight therefore they just slowly fk themselves up over a long period of time. If you do bro-split bodybuilding type workouts then you really gotta make sure you stretched the worked muscles on a regular basis.

Anyhoo for myself I do dynamic stretches for my lower back and roll it around over lacrosse balls, then I do a few static stretches for my lower body. I do a prifimoris stretch, hip flexor stretch, hip adductor stretch, hamstring stretch, and calve stretch. I try to do 3 sets each of each stretch, 30 seconds each set, so it's about an additional 10 mins after most of my lifting sessions. Whenever I'm just sitting at the computer or studying, I try to get up every hour walk around for a few minutes and then stretch out my hip flexors a couple times.

On September 18 2015 19:35 bigredhoss wrote: Show nested quote + On September 18 2015 14:27 dogmeat wrote: cliffs?

Read some of the slides, and pretty much sums up what I was feeling/why I stopped. The path to enlightenment being mumbo jumbo, teachers imposing rules and their understanding of reality on you...

Still think the actual stuff like counting breaths, focusing on parts of body, or on surroundings...is awesome if you drop all spirituality, contemplating of the "self" and use the practices to just focus on present moment, filtering out the past and the future, and making the most of it.

I can recommend this book by Sam Harris.

http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spiri...-Without-Religion-ebook/dp/B00GEEB9YC

" For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s latest New York Times bestseller is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.

From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives.

Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it. "

i stretch my dick out with my hand

Read the notes on that 2 hour video. He isn't really saying not to meditate.

I agreed with the points he make. I didn't like his tone, I found it discouraging and a little pretentious(just my interpretation of the notes. he may not be this way in the video).

Harris is pretty smug in general.

People say that you usually hate your own flaws reflected in others but it doesnt seem to bother me at all when smart people are smug.

I'm too scared to try yoga since I've heard it turns you into a woman..

I dont do Yoga nor meditate but I started having stretching sessions after workouts on a yoga mat and god damn its fucking orgasmic, it get sooo relaxed I could sleep profoundly on the spot, you should try it.

good for computer users
http://www.doyogawithme.com/content/y...-problems-caused-chronic-computer-use

longple inspired me with his blog and posts here.

I'll give quick update:

I was taking a local yoga class. Really awesome. Teachers were great. Classes were small and friendly. It was a local place dedicated solely to yoga. Owner has been practicing for 40 years. I would recommend. I was going daily for a while and took some private lessons and bought recommended literature. (Erich Schiffman stuff). Rodney Yee tapes. Yoga Journal. I then started practicing a lot at home. Experimenting. It's all good.

Mediation is inline with yoga. Yoga is moving meditation. But, I started going to a local meditation center for practice. Helped out a lot. Just practicing a lot. I have been reading a book called "Where Ever You Go, There You Are." A lot of good insight in there.

I don't know. I like this thread as a sort of growing, evolving source for yoga, stretching, and meditation information. Now, I am just typing a loud.

hmmmm,

I suppose I have some questions.

Does anyone practice yoga outside in those outdoor sessions?

What are people's thoughts in regards to stretching and training?

I suppose stretching at anytime is beneficial to not?

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-Your-Spiritual-Chakras
When I first started meditating and didn't know much about it, this helped a lot. Remember, it is important to have an open-mind, not to take yourself too seriously or get frustrated if it doesn't work at first, and to believe that you are fully capable of doing it.

poker can be a very spiritual game but mostly just passionate people play. taking a general poker players advice on spirituality is like asking a homeless man for sobriety tips

On September 19 2015 02:55 Baalim wrote: Harris is pretty smug in general. People say that you usually hate your own flaws reflected in others but it doesnt seem to bother me at all when smart people are smug.

haha same
I do have other flaws that annoy me in others but warranted smugness is just awesome. Maybe it's just that I don't actually consider smugness a flaw.


Also, a while ago I was feeling sore all around, stiff, inflexible and unable to move with the graceful fluidity I've come to expect from myself. I had been for a while, and it was annoying me. Soo before going to bed one night I just youtubed some 'yoga in bed' routine, then I watched a 12 minute long video or so, replicated her moves to the best of my ability, and I woke up the next day feeling like a new man. After that, I've been doing some 'yoga' (it's pretty much just stretching though, I don't try to meditate or whatever, I'm just breathing heavily while stretching intensely and holding until I'm tired) for like 10-15 minutes most days for the past 2 weeks. And I've felt so good. I wholeheartedly recommend stretching, and then you might as well replicate yoga moves cause they seem to have that part figured out, and if not every day then absolutely every week. I wasn't doing it for a long time, but looking back at how my body was feeling before I did it and after, and how much flexibility I seem to have regained already, I wish I had started sooner. ;p

On October 18 2015 12:27 EzPzLmnSqz wrote: poker can be a very spiritual game but mostly just passionate people play. taking a general poker players advice on spirituality is like asking a homeless man for sobriety tips

Something competitive cannot be spiritual, they are diametrically opposed to each other. Competitiveness and dominance appeal to our base animalistic nature, while spiritual goals seek to overcome that nature. What you probably mean is that your game can benefit from spiritual practices outside of the game, simply because these practices allow you to be more mindful and reduce emotional reactivity which will lead to bad decisions. During the game you might be using mindfulness or relaxation techniques but there are no spiritual aims (or gains) there, it's just part of your strategy; it's a means to an end for the purpose of material gain.

even a mass murderer can be spiritual if he is aware of his ignorance and detaches himself from it. what you speak of is a heavenly pursuit which is temporary as well.

simply said u can be addicted to ignorance , passion or even goodness. whatever your nature is , you work according to your own nature and slowly detach yourself from the fruits of your work

this is hindu philosophy

Cant recommend enough

I don't get anything out of any of the 'spiritual' stuff when I go to yoga class. I go to yoga once in awhile because it's great for flexibility and also helps you to tune your mental strength (holding them poses longer than you thought you ever could) which can lead you to do better things physically. But I can't stand the instructors who are there constantly babbling about...uhh...'spiritual' shit. Which leads into...if you want to improve general core strength as well as mobility/flexibility without any of the mumbo jumbo...go take pilates classes. I'm not totally advocating pilates over yoga as there are body benefits to yoga you don't get from pilates (I still go to yoga as well on top of pilates sometimes)...but if you're like me and want to stuff 40 socks down the mouths of some talky yoga instructors and tell them to just get on going with the movements, pilates is the way to go.

Anyone know what this is about?