Having never done Bikram (but having practiced various styles of yoga since 1996 including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kripalu, and Anusara, and now teaching my own mixture for the past year and a half, I'd say try Bikram, but try some other styles as well. I can see Bikram being good if you are VERY inflexible, but it is a very repetitive style (you do the same 20 poses twice each class in the same sequence). If you are very flexible, I can see Bikram being potentially dangerous (you don't want to over-stretch your ligaments). In many other styles, each class can be quite different, one focusing on backbends, the next on synchronizing your movement with your breath, and the one after that on hip openers. Find a style you like, a teacher you like, and keep going. I am 43 now, and each year I have practiced yoga I have gotten stronger, more flexible, more focused, and have improved my posture. I can do things now I was never able to do when I was at my supposed peak physical condition in my 20s. And yoga is great for counteracting the hamstring tightness that results from biking and running.
I'd have to say that aside from my wife, yoga has had the single most positive impact on my life, just ahead of biking. :) Gernot On Jan 19, 11:35 pm, Patrick in VT <swing4...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Jan 18, 7:00 pm, William Pustow <bpus...@aol.com> wrote: > > > The bottom line is....all yoga is good - just do it . . . > > i'd second that, even as one who doesn't practice yoga regularly and > is still a novice. for me yoga and cycling dovetail remarkably well > because yoga teaches one to breathe evenly, stay relaxed and stay > focused when the body is being stressed. my performance on the bike > during hard efforts increased noticeably when I introduced some yoga > into my fitness regimen - particularly, the ability to ride for longer > periods of time at, or above, lactate threshold. > > being mindful of my breathing has also made a real difference for me > off the bike. good stuff, and I look forward to practicing/learning > more about it. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.