realskiers

A good friend that had practiced yoga for years had a serious back injury one day during a yoga session doing the same thing he had done many times before. I searched the web and found lots of similar stories. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people end up in surgery.

Some people who ski end up in surgery too.    Some of them are even very good skiers, but perhaps are not smart enough to know their limits.

Josh, good on ya for taking up this great practice.  I do yoga, but only occasionally, and not nearly as much as I should.  But when I do, it is amazing.  It feels like my entire body has been lubed on the inside (easy on the jokes, guys).  I use it only for flexibility and to get rid of stiffness in spine and hips and hamstrings.  I'm not much for the spiritual side of the discipline, but I respect those that see benefit from it and find stress relief and calm from it.

A lot of elite athletes are using yoga as part of their regular training.  And these are some pretty macho types -- football and hockey players, WC skiers, etc.   I sense that much of the stigma of yoga being a flaky, airy-fairy thing for blissed-out zen dreamers is disappearing, as more and more people are discovering the health benefits and that it just feels damn good to move with a fluid stride again.

Thanks for another thought-provoking post, BW.