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| Lately, I've had the urge to get back into swimming.
I swam the last two days and when I got out of the pool, my body was so flexible and felt so strong.
This is the first week that I didn't practice primary every opportunity I could. It really felt wonderful. I'm feeling a little guilty, because my intention is to practice primary 6 days a week.
Swimming and yoga were my two favorites when I started yoga and I progressed very fast. Then I gave up swimming regularly and now I'm thinking maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Maybe what I've been missing is the cardio from swimming and the yoga might need to be reduced.
Anyway, if anyone has experience with swimming and ashtanga, please reply.
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| One more thing.
I practiced primary today and my practice was so strong and steady....
I actually think I did one jumpback without my feet touching. And after utkatasana I lifted as much as I jumped into handstand.
This could be the swimming, the regular practice or the intermediate series I did the other morning. I forgot to mention that. When I do intermediate my body gets so flexible and strong the next day. Part of me thinks that it is time to do more intermediate. (i'm totally folding forward nose to knee on almost everything these days, I can do dropbacks, etc..)
Maybe it is time?
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Location: London, England | Hi Eric,
I'm the same-I love the combination of swimming and yoga, but unfortunately, there always seems to be too many things to do in a day. This is a shame, because I can swim for free-the clubs I teach at all have pools-the biggest one is fantastic-it's a huge pool, set about 3 storeys underground, but the roof is above ground level-so you just have this great big empty space, hardly any people-just two or three usually-absolutely fantastic.
I think swimming also carries through well because you really have to observe good breathing technique, as well as what you mentioned.
Nick |
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| Hey Nick,
I didn't know you were a swimmer too. That's great. I also swim at the University I work for and teach yoga for. Yesterday, I was the only one in the pool!
I didn't think about the breathing. But yes, of course. If you don't breath right, you'll not be swimming very long. The last couple of days, I was really focusing on breathing on both sides. One lap, I would breath left (my favorite), then the next I would breath right, then the next one I would alternate.
I'm going to try to get back into it.
What your best stroke? Mine is breaststroke. But I'm pretty good at freestyle and fly (for about 100 yards) , but I don't care too much for backstroke (never liked backstroke, but I was always given the IM cause I could do fly and was a good breaststroker).
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Location: London, England | Hi Eric,
Oh no, I'm not a swimmer like you-sounds like you are much more competent-mind you, I used to be a white water canoeist, and if you have to bail out, you better be a strong swimmer, or you are dead-so I can't be as bad as I thought  Favourite stroke? Front crawl and breast stroke.
Nick |
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| you could always alternate swimming and ashtanga. say do ashtanga three days a week and ashtanga three days. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| Bilateral breathing is the goal, eh? My kids both learned it when they were 6 or 7. Hard to learn after that, though... I think ollie swims some, though he is not ashtangi. I recall discussing flip turns - or at least one that ended badly. Poor ollie  |
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Location: London, England | Hi Glenda,
Yes, those flip turns can look fantastic, but also have the ability to make you look a fool with a big lump on your head
Nick |
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| Hm, I'm interested in this idea that swimming somehow might positively affect an ashtanga practice. To be honest, I've never liked swimming at all, but I'm now moving to a building with a gorgeous rooftop swimming pool, big enough to do short laps, and I was thinking of using it for more than just floating around (which is essentially the only water activity I trully enjoy).
With regards to the increased flexibility, I was wondering if that might have to do with the water temperature... Here's my reasoning... With something like bikram, I believe the idea is that the heat works to loosen you up and increase flexibility. But with the coldness of (most) pool waters, perhaps this somewhat reduces your natural level of flexibility. So if you practice smooth movements with this reduced flexibility, then maybe you end up increasing your base level of flexibility? Does this make any sense?
Also, could it be that the relative lack of gravitational effects that you get from being in the water allows for more "natural" movement of the muscles and joints so that you can eventually correct some of the problems that can come from working against gravity the rest of the time?
This is all speculation on my part, but I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else has theories or ideas on how or why swimming might be a good complement to yoga.
sp |
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| hi!
i swam competitively throughout high school and college. (i also coached high school swimming for a number of years.) about a year and a half ago i started doing astanga yoga. my very first teacher was surprised i'd never done astanga before and said i must have done it in a past life. i always thought it was the swimming. so i do believe swimming helps. the flexibility, upper body and core strength and breathing. there is so much core strength built up through swimming because of the balance in the water and using the trunk to rotate (you're never actually on your stomach for long while doing front crawl- you're on your left or right side, you just rotate through the center.) sorry, i'm digressing... i could go on and on... anyway i find i use a lot of that core strength in my astanga practice. it ties everything together. the jump throughs, jump backs, controled movements.
i haven't been in the pool for awhile because of time, but it would be nice to get back. |
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Location: London, England | Hi there,
I think Seoul explains it nicely To a certain extent, the degree to which astanga and swimming are complimentary depends on how well you can demonstrate the qualities she mentions in either discpline-so one trains the other.
Nick |
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| I don't have my copies with me in Lebanon, though I pretty certain that Mr. Iyengar talks about the benefits that swimming brings to Yoga practise in either 'Light on Yoga' or 'Light on Pranayama'.
Jonathon
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| Hey Slowpie,
Well, the pool water was cool, but my workout was hot.
I guess my base flexibility was increased. I did Uttanasana when I got out and I felt like I was completely open and warmed up.
I'll probably swim again on Weds afternoon.
Eric
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| Funny how things are.
I was watching some guy swim next to me and he wasn't rotating at all. Hence he was going very slow.
I swim Austrialian style. Very long slow strokes, elbows high, wrists limp, etc. I learned to complete 25 yards under 10 pulls.
I also count my strokes and laps, Which ends up counting the breath like ashtanga.
Eric
Seoulyogi, you should get back in there. It feels great.
Eric
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| Hey, Eric. I live in Bradenton, not too far from Tampa.
I was wondering, do you have to do the competetive forms of swimming to get benefits from laps? I swim but I don't know "breaststroke" or the other types used by pro swimmers.
I was just wondering about this. |
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| Hey, small world, we're neighbors. We were at Lido beach last weekend...
breaststroke is like a frog kick.
Freestyle is more up and down, scissors kick. both strokes are worth learning because when one group of muscles wears out you can switch gears to a different stroke and keep swimming.
Basically you want to be able to swim non-stop with minimal effort, get the heartrate going and keep it going to get the benefits. I would try to swim non-stop for at least a 1/2 hour.
When I swim, I think of myself being in a tube, always trying to glide and pull.
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i should get back in---but right now i'm just trying to get a regular yoga practice going again since i took a couple weeks off...
as far as needing to know all the strokes- i don't think that's necessary to get the benefits. the only thing i think it would help is understanding how the core is engaged in every style... but that takes awhile. and like tampaeric said, to give you more options if you get tired. i was always a backstroke fan. that was my event when i competed- and i loved the peacefulness i got when i would swim that way long distance during practice. hmmm, now i'm starting to miss it... maybe i should get in soon. |
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| Get in there Seoul; you won't regret it.
I have to take two days off from yoga instead of 1 day a week now, but it has been worth it.
It took about 3 weeks, but I'm already noticing the changes in my body.
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| Thanks, Eric. I belong to the YMCA so I have year round access to an indoor pool. I love swimming.
We go up to St Pete's Beach when we want to get away from around here. |
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Veteran
Posts: 168
| Hi, TampaEric and all. I've been reading your comments with great interest because I have been a swimmer all my life but took up yoga only a few years ago. I'm not a great swimmer, certainly not a competitive swimmer but I do the crawl--at a crawl--, backstroke, frog, breaststroke and I try the butterfy now an then.
My problem is that I can only really swim in the warm months so now I can swim everyday for an hour--and love it--it keeps me sane. I would use a public pool the rest of the year but for only two days a week (scheduling problems) which just was not enough. I practised yoga or pilates the other days but I did not find that I stayed in condition like I would like. My yoga is not good enough yet to really benefit I'm afraid.
So, my question is, since I now swim everyday , pm,I would like to add a brief morning yoga session 2-3 times a week, more for learning and practice than real benefit. Do you think this would be too much.
Yoga and swimming seem to complement each other so well, physically and mentally I would like to do both  |
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| Hey Belle,
I don't see a problem with doing both. In fact, it's a good idea. Swimming is great, but there is not enough weight bearing on the bones. Cycling and swimming have been know to be great for cardio, but not so good for bones. Bone density can be a problem.
So, think of your yoga as an opporutunity to put weight on the body.
Also, if you start to do both, remember one can effect the other. I have this one student that swims at like 5:30 in the morning and then does my flow at 5:00 p.m. He usually falls asleep during savasana... As long as you don't demand too much of yourself, I think you will benefit from these two things. |
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Veteran
Posts: 168
| Hi, Eric, thanks so much for your help. Bone density is a concern as the bones have a tendency to become more fragile with age. I'm sure you did not mean "put on weight" as in gain weight which is the last thing I want to do ! I would like to build some weight bearing strength.
I'd have no problem about falling asleep during am yoga but one evening a neighbor's son was swimming with me, I was doing a gentle breast stroke with my eyes shut. He whispered to his mother that I was sleeping! --and he wasn't far off |
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any swimmers do ashtanga too?
