Tag Archives: fitness

Sense prevails in the USA – Judge rules that yoga is not a religion – but for some it can be a way of life.

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I get angry when I hear people refuse to try yoga because they think (or someone told them) that yoga is a religion (or has religious overtones). I despair when I read about churches kicking yoga classes out of their halls and community centres because they think it offends their own religious focus.

It would be such a shame if people miss out on yoga’s physical benefits because they hold or have listened to these ill-informed views.

I have followed a legal case in the USA in the San Diego-area. A family had sued the Encinitas California school district for what it saw as government sponsorship of religion for its yoga classes. This is clearly complete nonsense I read with delight that a judge ruled on Monday that whilst yoga might have spiritual overtones – yoga is not a religion. And there is nothing religious about the way it’s taught in the Encinitas district. Common sense prevails in the USA.

yoga is not a religion
photo credit: myyogaonline via photopin cc

It is important to note however that although yoga is definitely not a religion, it is a way of life for many people. For them it includes elements beyond the exercises and breathing techniques we focus on in yoga classes. These other elements are probably the ones that wrongly create the religious perceptions and concerns.

There are eight elements to yoga. In most western classes, or modern interpretations of yoga, we take part mainly in the third, fourth and fifth elements.

These are the eight elements of yoga:

Yama

This means restraint. Yoga is about restraint from unhealthy actions such as cheating, stealing, and violence.

Niyama

Niyama means observance, or being content, pure, tolerant, remembering and studious.

Asana

Asanas are the exercises that most people recognise yoga for. The poses have names such as warrior 2, downward facing dog, frog, tree and teachers will often use their Sanskrit names like Utanasana.

Pranayama

Pranayama are breathing techniques such the complete yoga breath.

Pratyahara

This is the moment before meditation begins, effectively preparation for meditation. It means the withdrawal of the mind from the senses.

Dharana

Dharana is concentrating on one object for a length of time.

Dhyana

This is meditation, the other yoga element that most people recognise. It involves the ability to create an image of an object, place or person and becoming immersed in that image. Or it could simply be clearing the mind of all thoughts.

Samadhi

Finally samadhi is realising your own nature, or becoming more self-aware.

I do not believe that any of these elements would be at odds with any religion a person may have. They are life choices in the same way as following a certain type of diet, or committing to an exercise routine agreed with a personal trainer.

yoga is not a religion
photo credit: BozDoz via photopin cc

It’s a different way of looking at yourself and the world. These elements can improve quality of life, regardless of your race, religion or profession. And of course you can find classes involving only the exercise element and nothing else – or classes that embrace all 8 elements. It’s up to you.

For me personally, yoga means stress reduction, better sleeping, better posture, greater flexibility and muscle tone, improved energy levels and other things I have written about in earlier yoga posts. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss out on this simply for fear that yoga is a religion?

Perhaps those who pedal the myth, or those who close down community classes don’t really understand what yoga is about. If they put their prejudices aside and tried to understand it for what it really is then they might find that their main excuse for avoiding it is not an excuse at all.

Your turn: This is a tricky subject. Do you agree with the US judge? I know some will disagree with my view. Some might take a deeper spiritual view of some of the elements but I still don’t think that makes those that claim yoga is a religion right. What do you think? Leave a comment. Share your thoughts. Let me know.

Life changing events – leaving work to focus on future opportunities and dreams

Fitness and Yoga, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last Friday was my last day as Managing Director of a company I helped to build from scratch over 12 years ago. I was one of 6 people who set out with 6 chairs and 6 mobile phones.For most of that time I was Marketing Director, spending the last year as MD. It has been an amazing adventure and experience. I have met and worked with some inspirational people.

I took the decision to leave and not face the complications of another internal restructuring. This will be the first time in 25 years that I do not have a full-time job, but I have 3 months garden leave to consider my future.

life changing events opportunities dreams
Best wishes.

As well as the day job, over the last decade I have also developed a successful sideline as a fitness and yoga teacher. My passion for yoga and teaching, plus my keen interest and experience in marketing, social media, speaking and blogging suggest to me a whole series of opportunities and dreams. And these are the areas I think I will focus my attention.

Offering consultancy services in marketing and social media, picking up some speaking engagements and of course teaching yoga, Body Combat and Body Balance sounds like an ideal combination – if I can get the business mix right.

I’ve already made a start. On my first day of garden leave I went along to a local club and covered a yoga class. It was a class I hadn’t covered before. In the studio I met 15 ladies who were quite surprised to see a male teacher. That’s hardly surprising as most yoga teachers in Edinburgh are women. An hour later I finished the class in my usual way and invited questions from the participants. Was there anything about what we had done today that they wanted me to explain in more detail?

One lady put her hand up and said, “I only have one question. When are you coming back to teach us again.”

I love that sort of feedback.

So I am sat in my garden, slightly nervous that I no longer have the safety net of corporate life to support me. But I feel very excited about leaving the politics and bureaucracy behind and looking forward to possibilities and opportunities of working for myself.

To quote from one of may favourite songs.

“I’d like to make myself believe.

That planet Earth turns slowly.

It’s hard to say that I’d rather stay awake when I’m asleep.

Because my dreams are bursting at the seams “

Your turn: Have you made a big leap from a secure full-time job into the world of consultancy or full-time teaching? I’d love to hear your stories. Leave a comment below or post a link to your own blogs or articles.

 

First impressions of Body Balance release 61 after Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop

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After the sweaty excesses of the Quarterly Workshop for Body Combat 56, I staggered out of Virgin Active at the Omni Centre in Edinburgh and found sanctuary in St. Andrew Square for a couple of hours. It was lovely to sit on the grass in the sunshine people watching as my muscles recovered from all those “matrix kicks”.

But soon I was heading back to Virgin Active for the Quarterly Workshop for Body Balance release 61. Our trainer was Kathryn Cullen, a very witty enthusiastic lady who had us all in stitches during the education session. As the only male instructor at the session, I wasn’t as interested in her stories of the perfect bodies of some International Master Trainers she had met recently, but the ladies seemed to appreciate her graphic descriptions.

Here are my first thoughts about Body Balance release 61.

body balance release 61
Screenshot from the DVD Masterclass.
  • The class begins with a stunning piece of music by Delerium (featuring Aude Feuilerat) called Paris which sounds almost angelic. We build up a lovely tai chi sequence layer by layer until we finish with a very beautiful flowing set of moves. A great start.
  • Pink’s song Try is very aptly named for the standing strength track. You will really have to try hard to get through a tough set of poses including triangle, extended warrior and sun warrior.
  • If you have tight hips from running then you are going to love the hip opener track. The combination of cowface pose and modified half lotus is exquisite, almost pleasureably painful. I know us guys find cowface pose difficult for obvious reasons but stick with it. Flexibility will come.
  • The core abs track is a great bit ouch. This could be one of the toughest ever.
  • I like the way we use upward facing dog and bridge pose to extend our backs in track 7. We do it slowly and I found this a refreshing change from the more recent full back bends we have had to contend with.
  • Once again we have two forward bends tracks amounting to nearly nine minutes of hamstring stretches. I love the focus on the wide leg forward bends in the first one and then the seated bends in the second.

It seems that we have another tough but lovely release. I can’t wait to learn this and launch it to my classes over the next few weeks.

Your turn: Are you a Body Balance instructor? Do you agree with my first impressions of Body Balance release 61. Share your thoughts. Leave a comment. Participants let me know what you think of the class once we’ve launched it.

First impressions of Body Combat release 56 after Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop

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As the sun finally appears from behind the clouds in Scotland we are ready for the new summer fitness class releases from Les Mills.

The studio at Virgin Active in the Omni Centre was packed with Body Combat instructors wearing Venum shorts and sporting martial arts fighting gloves. Trainers Dave Cross and Aaron Davison led us on a sweaty journey of calorie burning kicks and an arsenal of punches.

A problem with the air conditioning meant that the mirrors clouded over and the room turned rapidly into a swamp. But all it did was make us work even harder and sweat buckets.

Here’s what I thought of Body Combat release 56.

Body Combat release 56
Dave Cross and Aaron Davison on stage – Body Combat 56 Masterclass
  • The lower body warm up feels like a whole workout in itself. Seven muay thai knees on each side repeated. Very tough.
  • They’ve brought the advancing side kick back.
  • The music in track 3 is Hymn by Tina Cousins. They used it back in release 28. The song was originally recorded by 1980s band Ultravox, best known for Vienna.
  • In over 10 years of Body Combat the artist they have used most is German rave band Scooter. Track 4 is a Scooter track with a pounding beat that will motivate you to kick harder.
  • The “matrix kick” is going to annihilate your legs.
  • Track 8 is immense. Long, relentless and just when you think it’s over, you fight on for a lot longer than you think.

I thought the class was hard, fun and the right balance of musical styles. Where else can hard rock, dub step and hip hop co-exist to create fitness magic but in a Body Combat class?

Your turn: Are you a Body Combat instructor? Do you agree with my first impressions of Body Combat release 56. Share your thoughts. Leave a comment. Participants let me know what you think of the class once we’ve launched it.