what yoga exercises do you do?

[marc25]

hi folks,
first of all sorry for my english,

i am interested in yoga to improve my freediving.
unfortunately i haven´t found a series of yoga exercises for freediving, so

what yoga exercises do you do especially for freediving?

does anybody know a good series of exercises?

perhaps with a link to pictures how they look like?

many thanks,
marc

 

[trux]

There are several websites and documents coping specially with yoga and freediving. Ones of the best ones are yoga-free.ru and yoga-aix.fr (both you will probably need an online translation for), but there are also some German websites and documents that may be easier for you to study. Check them all listed at yoga @ APNEA.cz

 

[rbsub]

You will find some informations in German at :: Verband Deutscher Sporttaucher e.V. - Tauchen und mehr beim VDST<

And take a look here: http://apnoe.ausbildung.vdst.de/dokumente/training/Apnoe-Yoga_Card.pdf

Not pure yoga - but it's ok for the beginning.

 

[Vicktorioo]

Try this site: Yoga Basics: your guide to the practice of yoga

 

[marc25]

Thanks a lot for the links,

this will be a lot to read (and to try ;-) )

cheers
marc

 

[vermin06]

Interesting question. Any type of yoga is great. Yoga is an exersized based largely on your breath, and your core strength. Sounds familiar? Well it better! That's freediving! A good way to work on breath is to breathe in for 10 counts, and exhale 10 counts. Try to push the numbers up as you go. Remember to fill your lungs from the bottom, to the top, then exhale from top to bottom. This is a great way to stretch your lungs, and how to learn control of breath. Do plenty of exersizes that work your torso, shoulders, and hips. Stretching is huge to, flexibility makes it easier to move your muscles without burning as much oxygen. Good luck!

Love, Peace, Humor,
Vermin

 

[marc25]

Thanks,

I startet now with the "Sunprayer" (look here: http://fitness-total.net/bilder/Sonnengru%DF.pdf )
Read on german apnea-pages, that this is good fpr beginning with yoga and it is a good warm up for advanced yoga.
I added some positions i found in a journal, that are for the torso. they showed some positions for beginners there.
I thought its a good way to start.

Maybe i will change it later, if I will find better positions.

kind regards,
marc

 

[Fondueset]

One thing that commonly happens in asana practice is an emphasis on pushing - and less on relaxation. Freediving is interesting in this respect because conditioning and relaxation play an at least equal role. With the asanas there is conditioning and, if they are done correctly, de-conditioning; the un-doing of dysfunctional patterning in the body. (if asana is pushed too hard these patterns can be pushed deeper) A result of this can be much more efficient movement - with only those muscles needed being used - and less opposition within the body. (this is also an operant principal in Taijiquan and qigong- rightly practiced) I've been experimenting with minimizing/prolonging the breath in asana as a way of, hopefully, increasing the body's efficient use of energy. More superficially with asana, it is possible to focus in on specific muscle groups etc.

An interesting principle - lifted from the internal martial arts (taiji, bagua, hsin yi) is 'sung' - aka 'moving without moving'. I think of this as movement without the sensation of movement - such that you are, in a sense, 'equalized' with the environment and sensory space and the body moves as a single unit. I've been trying to apply this to monofinning. It definitely works when it comes to getting close to fish.

Pranayama - among other things, can open awareness to the very subtle movements of the spine (this is also used in taiji - all of the spaces in the body are cultivated) which seems to give rise to an increase in available energy/deep relaxation.

For what its worth I always concentrate on deep relaxation/feeling-awareness when diving or exercising - concentrating on pushing/achievement just seems to get me into trouble.

 

[fcallagy]

I tried the 5 Tibetans for the first time this morning
http://www.freedivers.net/documents/The 5 Tibetans.pdf

The spinning I found very difficult and its now the afternoon and i dont think my stomach is still right however i shall still persevere. Does any one else use these exercises some of them are quite nice and they are so simple even I can manage them to some extent.

 

[rbsub]

Marc,
I don't know where in Germany you are living - but look here:

News

I (and I guess Sanso) will be there.

 

[marc25]

rbsub,

thanks for that, I had already seen it on the aida-yahoo group.
unfortunately I am living in Krefeld, which is far away,
but I will go to the http://www.apnoehappening.de/ and hope to learn some yoga there,

marc

 

[sanso]

...
News

I (and I guess Sanso) will be there.

Yep, I'll be there.

 

[island_sands]

Sanso I have just signed up for an art of living course, will let u know what its like.

www.artofiving.com

 

[island_sands]

Sorry that's www.artofliving.org rofl and not as above!

 

[sanso]

Cool, looking forward to that. A friend of mine shoved me that way before, but I never went. - Thanks for finding out what I missed so far. ;-)

 

[marc25]

searching for back-bend asanas i have found this page:
Vinyasa Yoga Practice - Mark Stephens

different asanas for salutations, standing, core, arm balances, backbends, restore, inversions and finishing.

might be interesting....

greetings,
marc

 

[sanso]

Good one! I like the way they show how to reach the asanas.

 

[land shark]

For what its worth I always concentrate on deep relaxation/feeling-awareness when diving or exercising - concentrating on pushing/achievement just seems to get me into trouble

thanxs I needed that kick in the pants refresher dude

 

[bgill]

I speak to the great Kundalini through my belly-button. And I can hum repetatively while standing on my head...Does that count? rofl

On a more serious note...:t I used to do Tai-Chi every morning years ago...It was VERY relaxing to me. I might have to start breaking out some smoothe moves again! Tai-Chi is an awesome "body awareness type" excercise.

The ancient Taoists were renowned for their study of the arts of health and longevity. Tai Chi Chuan is good for ANYONE...But I beleive freediver's and especially monofinning freediver's would get a bigger "take" out of it so to speak.

I'm gonna have to dig up my old Tai-Chi books and video's one of these days! Sure was a nice start to my day every morning...Especially when it's not winter and you can do it outside....Oh...But it seems to ALWAYS be winter around here! :vangry

Might be cool to do a little Tai Chi before morning dives this spring...I always feel I have a better freedive experience in general when I'm more relaxed - and I also seem to spook WAY less fish then too....

 

[Nikkey]

I too have practiced Tai Chi in the mornings and found it a wonderful way to start the day!
However I am now doing yoga in the mornings and I was actually cautioned the other day but a relatives doctor that doing any stretching of the spine in the morning is a bad idea. Has anyone else heard this?
I do notice I am less flexible in the morning than at night but I haved assumed that is because my body is mostly static while I'm asleep verses doing it at the end of the day after I have been active.