[Adam Lincoln]

Thought some of you may find this of use.
http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/features/a_question_of_balance/

[Oldmanmatt]

Is it just me...

Or does she look like she's holding a dismembered fore arm in the lower shot?

[Johnny Brown]

More like a collection of Yoga poses that look like wacky yoga poses, never convinced that Garudasana 'The Eagle' is much use for anything but fulfilling stereotypes of what yoga should look like.

If you want to balance your body for climbing I'd start with a solid sun salutation.

[Stubbs]

If you want to balance your body for climbing I'd start with a solid sun salutation.

 

Been doing this for a weeks now, and already noticing the difference, a few rounds of B is a good workout in itself!

[TobyD]

never convinced that Garudasana 'The Eagle' is much use for anything but fulfilling stereotypes of what yoga should look like.
If you want to balance your body for climbing I'd start with a solid sun salutation.

I think that it is one of the poses which is easy to cheat into, and look very much as though you are doing it, yet not actually be working much.
I would strongly agree with your second point however; I use navasana quite a bit too, though more as an extra bit of core, than for balance.

[SA Chris]

I like doing B more too.

Also not convinced that starting off doing yoga based on description and a few pics is a good idea either. At least attend a class or two to start off so you can learn good form and understand the flow between positions without having to stop and look at a picture every few seconds.

[jwi]

Nevermind that Yoga-thingy. The author is said to have over-developed lats.  How on earth does one get a pair of those, that's what I want to know!

[chris05]

Yoga agin? 

I'm surprised Lund hasn't been along yet.. 

[Muenchener]

never convinced that Garudasana 'The Eagle' is much use for anything but fulfilling stereotypes of what yoga should look like.

The legs part is - for me at any rate - a somewhat useful illiotibial band stretch.

The arms parts should, I suppose in theory, stretch the rhomboids/lower traps, but involves so much forward rotation/displacement of the shoulder that I really can't see how it can be a good idea for most already shoulder-impinged climbers.

a few rounds of B is a good workout in itself!

Try holding it for five breaths at *every* position in the diagram.

[Stubbs]

Try holding it for five breaths at *every* position in the diagram.

I do five breaths for each of the downward dogs and warrior poses, as that's how I was taught, I'll try doing it for the other positions too

[Johnny Brown]

I've got MASSIVE lats. I've been climbing with the chick in the photos too. Look at me.

Is the five breaths things more of a Vinyasa approach? Too slow, always preferred the movement/ flow of Ashtanga myself.

[moodyboy]

That's quite nice timing...was just googling yoga centres near me with a view to joining. being tied to desk and sciatic/back pain has brought about some action

So is there a general style that's followed by the yoga heads on here? Any recomendations? Particulary for those with Kyphotic tendancies.

[TobyD]

So is there a general style that's followed by the yoga heads on here? Any recomendations? Particulary for those with Kyphotic tendancies.

I like Ashtanga; but my advice would be to go to some different classes at a reputable centre, and see what fits for you. I also used to go to a vinyasa flow class a lot, which was great.

If you (or anyone else who is interested in yoga for that matter) is anywhere near Leeds, The Yoga Space is absolutely brilliant, especially Nichi Green, and Joey Miles' classes. A small warning, the proper Ashtanga class there in no way constitutes a rest day; I usually felt more beasted than after a 3 hour session on the Leeds Wall.

[TobyD]

I've got MASSIVE lats. I've been climbing with the chick in the photos too. Look at me.

I've been climbing with the author of the yoga article. I have pathetic lats. I'm not sure if the two are connected.

[SA Chris]

I like Ashtanga too, feel the flow of movement more beneficial to climbing (and other things) than the "find a hard position and hold it" school of yoga. But as TobyD says, try a couple of different classes to see which one you think will be most beneficial.

[Muenchener]

So is there a general style that's followed by the yoga heads on here? Any recomendations? Particulary for those with Kyphotic tendancies.

I did the full ashtanga bit for several years during my intermission from climbing, including four months with Pattabhi Jois (the founder/most senior Indian teacher of the style) in Mysore. Don't any more: my practice such as it is these days is mainly some sitting mediation, and (too) occasional spells of basic stretches/asanas for health's sake.

I got a lot out of it at the time but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to everybody: a lot of people who get into it strive towards too much lotus and advanced backbending before they're ready for it, to the detriment of a lot of knees and lumbar vertebrae.

In general, the teacher is more important then the style. There are a lot of yoga teachers out there with pretty minimal experience & qualifications, but also a lot of really good ones. But my knowledge of who's who in uk yoga circles is more than a decade out of date.

[Johnny Brown]

my practice such as it is these days is mainly some sitting mediation

I'm hoping my climbing will one day achieve such heights.

Seriously though, UKB never fails to amaze. How far did you take the spiritual side?

[Muenchener]

my practice such as it is these days is mainly some sitting mediation

I'm hoping my climbing will one day achieve such heights.

cf. Pete Livesey's "Jonathan Livingston Steelfingers"?

How far did you take the spiritual side?

Remains to be seen. At the moment with family & job, it's more a matter of finding enough time to maintain some basic level of inner peace / mental equilibrium. As Frau M quickly realised when I didn't practice for about a year after our son was born: "get yourself back to yoga class, you're getting unbearable".

"Inner peace" my sound corny, but pre-yoga I was always one for constantly beating myself up inwardly, post-yoga I have the tools to keep that within reasonable bounds. Up to you whether you choose to call that "spiritual".

[miso soup]

My mum became a yoga teacher late in life, she starts to lose her shit if she skips her morning session too often.  Does seem to be the kind of thing where the people around you can notice the benefits more than you can.  I usually do at least one sun salutation after a climbing session.  I've been nursing a dodgy shoulder for months now, recently whilst doing some yoga I felt a series of escalating cracks and pops round the back of the shoulder and spine coupled with a sensation of something sliding back into place.  It's still not 100% but definitely better than it was.

[SA Chris]

My end of session meditation normally results in a 10 minute power nap. I think I've stayed awake once in 4 years of going to the class more or less weekly.

[moodyboy]

Thanks for the advice

[mrjonathanr]

four months with Pattabhi Jois (

[miso soup]

I was going to chuck this in quality non-climbing videos but since we're on the subject.  At 2:45 she does something absolutely amazing that I'd never seen before.

[hongkongstuey]

check me out - i can do that too... (kind of sloppy attempt in this vid (slight floor dab) but have actually done it going from a back bend all the way into kundinyasana without touching the floor...)

[hongkongstuey]

have actually done it going from a back bend all the way into kundinyasana without touching the floor..

my yoga teacher demo'ing what i'm on about here: