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I'm a fairly new yoga/fitness instructor, who enjoys running and has been less and less attracted to the gym. When I do go, I lift lightly and keep the alignment principles in mind. I'm finding it boring.. and wish I could adjust the weight for some guys who are killing themselves and sacrificing safety in order to pump it up.

I see a future of only yoga and maybe running.. does anybody else been weened off of the gym? Are you satisfied with your chest and biceps? I'm still working on inversions and arm balances. Looking forward to the strengthening of my mind, too..

Right now, no. I haven't been weaned yet. I enjoy lifting weights. It is about correct lifting techniques at the max weight you can do and pushing yourself. I don't like running that much, but I do love yoga. You can train with just yoga and build up your body. It's a similar principle, but with time in poses vs weight.

I've found that the awareness fostered by yoga practice is something I can bring to weight lifting, or to just about any situation if I remember to be mindful. It can actually make weight lifting safer as you are much more connected to what your body is telling you.

Yoga is isometric whereas weight lifting is isotonic, so they work muscles in different ways. I remember reading an article in Yoga Journal where the author said, from a purely physical stand point, asana practice can't do it all. But of course, yoga is more than exercise.

I wouldn't give up on the gym if I were you. There are different ways to make it more interesting. Changing your workout every six weeks or so is one way.

you can, sure, and depending on your natural body type you may maintain some muscle. But the number of people who just do yoga and look as well put together as those who lift is very very small.

I mostly train pilates but lift 2 times a week as otherwise my upper body shrinks and I lose weight.

I suppose I am one of those few who naturally maintains muscle..

Does this dissipate with age? :-) I'll continue the gym a few times a week, but my focus should probably be heavy weights since yoga is more of a calisthetic.

I probably won't do anything. I think routines are so hard to stick to..

I've done nothing but yoga for years now. As I'm sure you're aware, yoga effectively tones muscles but doesn't largely build them... If you want to be big and buff, you'll need more than just yoga.

Be aware that arm balances, inversions, and backbends predominantly work the triceps and very rarely challenge the biceps.

BTW: if you're doing yoga just for exercise, you aren't doing yoga (and you all can argue that until the cows come up if you like, won't change a thing).

i beat myself up all the time for my desire to enhance my body.. thanks for the reminder.

especially since what initially brought me to yoga was to stop the thoughts racing through my head.. once i had a better control over my mind i was finally able to change the negativity

then i came out.. and have since been listening to the feelings i have rather than the thoughts. its VERY HARD to do in a egoistic society (not to mention gay community--hence, this forum and my resulting superficiality)

i know that i am young, and (yoga sutra 1.17) a full understanding of myself will take years of practice..

i think i'm just beating myself up because its Leo season.. my birthday is just around the corner..

so.. urdhva/handstand pushups for biceps? i'll ask John Friend in october

SFYogi saidBTW: if you're doing yoga just for exercise, you aren't doing yoga (and you all can argue that until the cows come up if you like, won't change a thing).

Quoted for truth.

Back to the original post... I can't give you your answer, but I can tell you what works for me.

I've been practicing for 11 years, and teaching for 7. In that time, while my yoga practice has remained constant, the lifting has come and gone many times. It's always been prompted by my feeling that I need better arms, a bigger chest, or whatever.

The most recent bout with lifting lasted about 2 months, until I got tired of it impacting my yoga practice. The mindset I settled on is this: I'm in a place where my mind and body feel good, and my body does what I need it to, so having a bigger chest or better arms doesn't really accomplish anything. My asana practice is important to me, and helps me maintain all the other aspects of yoga, so I'm not willing to sacrifice it.

On a side note (and I'd be curious if other yoga teachers agree with me), despite being really impressive & flashy asanas, arm balances & inversions are all about subtlety.

You don´t need strength for most arm balances... you are right.

I think of a friend of mine (who practices the astanga 3rd series) who had the most amazing body... he only ever did yoga, but his genes just made him all swole. I hate him

Just recently was chatting with a really cool sub for one of my yoga classes, and mentioned to him that I still want pecs and arms like the guys in my gym.

He reminded me that those guys wouldn't be able to half the things I can because of yoga. Great perspective, but still would be nice to fill out a t-shirt.;)

I tried just Vinyasa yoga for a year and began to have problems. I really believed it was all I needed to do since the practice pushed me to my physical limit. I started yoga to get out of my head as well and will continue with it but at my age I discovered that I also need the weight workout as well.

Research bone flexure. Our bones manufacture all kinds of stuff necessary for life. In zero gravity this stops because the bones are not flexed. Weightlifting causes bone flexure.

Resistance exercise can help retain bone density which can become a problem for people who are middle aged and beyond. So it might behoove 'sumayew bitchuz' to incorporate some resistance training. With that being said, two to three days of ten to twelve total working sets with core exercises would be all that is necessary (e.g. squat, deadlift,pullups, bench press). And there is no need to lift super heavy and strain yourselves.

I have been practicing Yoga for almost 20 years and teaching for 5. Like many others here my lifting comes and goes.

There is no "one" answer. For true health and fitness we need a well rounded program.

For me Yoga will always be the basis of my workouts because it balances so many parts of my life. Pepper that with a variety of lifting, Kettle Bells and cardio and I am a happy man....

Peace

fitdude62 saidI have been practicing Yoga for almost 20 years and teaching for 5. Like many others here my lifting comes and goes.

There is no "one" answer. For true health and fitness we need a well rounded program.

For me Yoga will always be the basis of my workouts because it balances so many parts of my life. Pepper that with a variety of lifting, Kettle Bells and cardio and I am a happy man....

Peace

That's a nice outlook to have and I largely agree with you, there arte so many great types of exercise out there!

dumb question - can you combine weights and yoga?

I love yoga, but for me it's just one component of many in my routine.

I find that doing yoga at least once a week helps me be a better runner, and gives me a sense of body awareness and symmetry that I've been able to incorporate into swimming and lifting.

I used to think it was important to push around a lot of weight in the gym. Now I focus on form and breathing, which was a take-away from practicing yoga.

There is no single approach to all-round fitness. For me, yoga is for flexibility and balance, swimming/running/biking for cardio, and weights for strength. We need all those components: flexibility, balance, cardiovascular strength, and muscle strength--and all the more as we age.

I don't really see yoga as exercise, more of basic stretching, increasing flexibility, and most of all more than anything else it's just a way to meditate and get my mindset in a good place.

Then again I'm a complete beginner some of the guys on here are actually certified teachers with years of experience haha, so they probably know more.

I would be against running if I were practising yoga on a daily basis, but weight training would be ok, but not to fatigue, and also on a daily basis, and focus on form and breath, so that I would always be fresh for yoga the next day.

Does that make sense?

We are supposed to do the heavier exercise in the morning, so your daily routine might depend upon how heavy your yoga routine would be compared to your weight routine.

starboard5 saidI've found that the awareness fostered by yoga practice is something I can bring to weight lifting, or to just about any situation if I remember to be mindful. It can actually make weight lifting safer as you are much more connected to what your body is telling you.

Yoga is isometric whereas weight lifting is isotonic, so they work muscles in different ways. I remember reading an article in Yoga Journal where the author said, from a purely physical stand point, asana practice can't do it all. But of course, yoga is more than exercise.

I wouldn't give up on the gym if I were you. There are different ways to make it more interesting. Changing your workout every six weeks or so is one way.

^^^
I absolutely agree with this. I've done Yoga and lifted, plus cardio and swimming laps for many years (since I was a teen). This with a healthy diet and attitude can keep you in top shape for the rest of your life.

Has anyone here tried or heard of DDP Yoga? I've seen some great things come from this, and will be giving it a try myself!

Yoga has improved my incredibly bad back to the point I no longer have issues with it, My snoring is nearly gone and I'm sleeping through the night now. I will never stop doing yoga in one form or another for the rest of my life. I feel like an entirely new person!

After 2 years with a personal trainer and 20 lbs of muscle gain I could not stand lifting weights again. Right after a knee injury I started practicing yoga. Two years after I was not only keeping my body weight but also able to run up to a half marathon with no pain. I think yoga worked for me and I haven't been to the gym since. I like the way my body looks but if you want more mass then you may still need to lift weights. Have fun teaching and practicing!

Only swimming makes as much sense to me as only yoga. (Assuming you have pool access.)