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| I always hear about the benifits of strength gained from ashtanga.How about cardio vascular conditioning?
Can yoga adress both cardio and strentgh issues? |
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| bucktooth - 2006-09-15 9:57 AM
I always hear about the benifits of strength gained from ashtanga.How about cardio vascular conditioning?
Can yoga adress both cardio and strentgh issues?
Dear Bucktooth: In response to your query, I would suggest the following:
a) in your mind, make a up a clear definition of cardio and strength.
b) then actually meet some Ashtanga teachers and students who have done it as their main exercise without other cardio and strength, and for at least let us say 2 years or at least one year, consistently.
c) then judge whether they fit in your definition criteria.
d) And, without forgetting, whether they have any other problems such as injuries, etc. etc.
Best Luck
Neel |
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Location: London, England | Hi Bucktooth,
I haven't heard of any major studies to prove the effectiveness of astanga yoga in cardiovascular conditioning. I'm sure that other forms of exercise will more readily produce a heart muscle with increased strength and endurance. This means that a runner's heart cannot only supply them with oxygen when they're actually running, but also that at rest, the heart rate is often lower, resulting in a heart which lasts longer.
The heart must be trained by the practice of astanga yoga-it has to respond, to meet the demands placed by muscles being contracted around every joint in the whole body, for about 90 minutes or so. It would be interesting to measure the results of astanga yoga training, but a bit difficult-they would not have to do any other exercise, then you would have to put them on a treadmill to make their heart rate go up to the extent where you could measure its response. This would probably be about 160-180 for most-and then you would measure how quickly it returned to normal.
The trouble with this is, that you are then comparing a running population to a yoga population, using a test which the runners have actually been training for-not fair! What would be interesting if both groups then participated in each other's exercise pattern, and then re-taking the test.
On a personal note, I took my heart rate recently and it was 42 bpm-2 beats lower than twenty years ago, when I was a runner. I know that a low heart rate is not a measure of fitness, but I was pleased to see that some kind of maintenance had probably taken place with the aid of yoga practice. Now I just need to dust off those Asics 
Nick |
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| Cardio refers to "that of the heart".
Unlike typical western lifestyle, yoga address heart health in a variety of ways - which do not including running in three mile circles, running indoors on a big rubber belt, pedaling a stationary bike while someone tells you to shift gears, rowing but going nowhere, or tai bo.
So back to you. How ABOUT cardio?
Yes yoga practice, the full body of it, address the entire phyical body (including the heart), though your personal trainer will vehemently disagree.
Edited by purnayoga 2006-09-28 3:03 AM
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| Dear Friends,
I've done an experiment with a simple pulsemeter. At the beginning of the serie -with the sun salutations- (and with the most simple and without excess of streng because I'm a simple beginner), my ratio of cardio was near of my limits (principally in sun salutation Namaskara B). After, the ratio goes constant, since the sitting postures, that makes this go down. Finally, it makes an incrementation (with cross legs -not padmasana- and maintining with hands) to finally stand to final and normal pulse.
I used this pulsemeter because i'm not in good body to enface all this exercice.
Namasté. |
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| purnayoga - 2006-09-28 3:02 AM
Cardio refers to "that of the heart".
Unlike typical western lifestyle, yoga address heart health in a variety of ways - which do not including running in three mile circles, running indoors on a big rubber belt, pedaling a stationary bike while someone tells you to shift gears, rowing but going nowhere, or tai bo.
So back to you. How ABOUT cardio?
Yes yoga practice, the full body of it, address the entire phyical body (including the heart), though your personal trainer will vehemently disagree.
I wish to thank Purna for this reply. And, want to add that:
Fitness and Health are two distinct things, though they are somewhat related. |
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| Your age, gender, and pulse numbers are relevant here.
In the traditional "fitness" realm cardio is defined as working between ~60-80% of your maximum heart rate for 18 minutes or more. Some define maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age but I think that's old school thinking.
Can we have the data please??
Yogui-bubu - 2006-11-01 4:40 AM
Dear Friends,
I've done an experiment with a simple pulsemeter. At the beginning of the serie -with the sun salutations- (and with the most simple and without excess of streng because I'm a simple beginner), my ratio of cardio was near of my limits (principally in sun salutation Namaskara B). After, the ratio goes constant, since the sitting postures, that makes this go down. Finally, it makes an incrementation (with cross legs -not padmasana- and maintining with hands) to finally stand to final and normal pulse.
I used this pulsemeter because i'm not in good body to enface all this exercice.
Namasté. |
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| These are not 'major' studies but give you some idea
Di Carlo, LJ Sparling, PB, Hinson, B T et al (1995) 'Cardiovascular, metabolic and perceptual responses to Hatha Yoga standing poses' Medical Experiments in Nutrition and Health, 4 107-112
Sinha, B, Ray US, Pathak, A, Selvamurthy, W (2204) 'Energy cost and cardiorespiratory changes during the practice of Surya Namaskar'. Indian Journal Physiol Pharmacol 48 (2) 184-90
Tran, MD, Holly, RG, Lashbrook, J et al (2001) 'Effects of Hatha Yoga practice on the health-related aspects of physical fitness'. Preventative Cardiology 4 (4) 165-170
There is lots of stuff, mainly in Indian Journals, but yes I think it can be said that Yoga does address cardiovascular health and as Sinha et al show in their study, improve itstudies
Tubbs
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| I think it is very important to honor Uijji Pranayama that is practiced in the Ashtanga series as taught by Sri PAttabhis Jois. Yes, Ashtanga is going to help your cardio! Think about in whatever activity you are practicing - I don't know I am going to guess - running, skiing, biking, hiking...whatever it is you are doing in 'cardio', when you take time to breathe meaningful it is going to carry over immensely in your 'cardio' experience because you are more likely to bring yourself back to your breath and find ease and rhythm, just like you do while you are for example inhaling and stepping back with your right leg and rotating with an exhale into Uttita Trikonasa or any posture in the series. The linkage of the breath with asana is one of the great gifts - the vinyasa quality to the practice is keystone. So why not carry this over in your 'cardio' - linking your breath with your activitiy is going to automatically make your experience fuller. Keeping true to what your breath is doing while you are in cardio - is it faster, slower, notice your rhythm! - use this self study of your breath to your advantage. You will see that by noticing your breath while you are practicing some cardio activity - you are going to be more likely to eventually let your mind focus only on your breath and less on your exertion - this is the key to having fantastic experiences while in a cardio mode. Let your breath guide you! Use your yoga tools - breathing and listening to your breath while you are in any other activity. this will greatly effect your overall experience while huffing and puffing in some 'cardio' mode! SO yes! The tools of the Ashtanga vinyasa practice - incorporating bandhas, breath, and dristi are going to help you in your 'cardio' mode! |
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Cardio & Ashtanga
