Great Yoga Book for Hikers

[hikehike]

I thought I'd pass this along to this group as this might be of some help for anyone who stretches before or after hiking.

I have been using the following book for the last year or so in my stretching routines and have found it excellent. The book is called "Hatha Yoga Illustrated" by Martin Kirk, Brooke Boon and Daniel DiTuro.

Here's a link to Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Hatha-Yoga-Il...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325805063&sr=1-1

I'm sure there are other good books on this subject out there, but what's nice about this book and what sold me is that it shows you how to "cheat" if you cannot completely do the stretches/poses. In other words, it shows you how to partially do the poses and eventually work you way into the full poses. I have found this aspect of the book to be very helpful as many yoga poses are almost impossible to do unless you have years of practice.

In addition, the book is great with their descriptions and illustrative photos and has a number of full routines to follow which are shown at the end of the book.

I should add that I am not affiliated in any manner with the authors or publisher.

 

[IndianChris]

Yoga is great! Thanks for the suggestion.

Is there a difference between Hatha and Bikram's? I've taken some Bikram classes and have a Bikram home video.

If stretching before a hike (especially after a long ride in the car), it might be best to hike on the trail a little to warm up first. Stretching cold muscles might lead to a pull. Would hate to do that right before a hike.

 

[hikehike]

Yoga is great! Thanks for the suggestion.

Is there a difference between Hatha and Bikram's? I've taken some Bikram classes and have a Bikram home video.

If stretching before a hike (especially after a long ride in the car), it might be best to hike on the trail a little to warm up first. Stretching cold muscles might lead to a pull. Would hate to do that right before a hike.

Sorry, I don't know the difference. I typically use the yoga book(s) to improve my stretching capabilities and my knowledge of yoga beyond that is pretty limited.

And I agree, definetly should warm up before stretching. I usually stretch in the morning (after warming up) and then sometime in the evening. For me it makes a big difference in my day!....

 

[una_dogger]

isn't bikram"hot yoga" generally performed in a warm studio?

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Hatha yoga is a term which generally applies to different schools of "gentle" yoga. Bikram yoga is quite new, done in a 95 to 100 degree room, and uses a set series of poses - 26 if I remember correctly.

There's an interesting article in a recent issue of Outside Magazine, which reverses much of the conventional wisdom about the benefits of stretching before exercise. In a nutshell, IRRC the article recommends - don't do it, and if you do, it will decrease your overall output in the short-term.

 

[daxs]

Try getting the foam blocks and straps used in yoga. These devices can help you get into postures and hold them longer without compromising the posture. I need to use them because even with doing yoga religiously, I am not a flexible person. I also though Bikram was done in a warm studio. One of the triangle poses is called a Bikram triangle because it was "invented" by Bikram. Personally, I do not like the warm studio approach to to yoga. It makes for sweaty, slippery palms and feet which can make postures difficult to hold.

My yoga instructor calls yoga a breathing exercise and stretching is just a positive extra.

 

[ChacoTaco]

Bikram is Hot Yoga, Hatha is a general term used to describe the type of yoga that incorporates poses. There are 8 limbs of yoga and hath a being one of the 8. With Bikram there are 20 something poses and 3 breathing exercises. Its more of a system of fitness as opposed to actual yoga. Ashtanga is a great type of yoga if you don't like the poses in Bikram. It also has set poses but uses so many variations that you can build upon. Personally, I love down dog and Bikram doesn't use it. DD is the foundational pose for me. Its where I come back to my breathing.

On my thru hike I would do yoga in the mornings to get ready for the day and to quiet my mind so I could really feel centered when walking amongst the ridges and trees. I had a set group of poses I would do for about 30 minutes in the am. Always try and do yoga on an empty stomach, trust me, it aint pretty if you eat first.

 

[erugs]

I haven't tried Birkram yoga. The idea of it warming muscles is one I like, but that idea of being in a hot room is unappealing to me. (TMI perhaps, but at my age rooms get hot enough from time to time. Here I sit in my office in short sleeves while my co-workers have sweaters on.) I've thought myself a little lazy for it, but I prefer to start my hikes off slowly rather than stretch a lot first, so am comforted when I read that a lot of stretching beforehand is not encouraged. The best part about yoga, for me, is the greater understanding in thought it has brought to me about equality in mind and body. In simplistic terms, its like walking on a sidewalk and making sure if I step on a crack with my left foot, then I need to step on the next one with my right foot, but that doesn't usually work out because of the spacing and I have had to learn to not allow myself to be upset by that.

 

[daxs]

I agree Chaco. Yoga with food in the belly is very unpleasant