Yoga? Help with training a martial art?

Thinking of doing yoga for flexibility and functional strength. Anyone do it?

 

My Brother maintains a Yoga routine, alongside his Karate sessions, and claims that his agility, posture and respiratory flexibility have have benefited no end...

...It certainly couldn't hurt to try!

Regards,

Travess

 

i do too. yoga is awesome for martial arts. strength and flexibility.

 

Done it for about 7 years. Agree with the others, good yoga will help your martial arts. Also teaches you to breath properly (most of us tend to breath in a very shallow way) and it's very relaxing. I actually cut down my time doing martial arts to do more yoga, I got that in to it.

If you want greater functional flexibility and functional strength, try a more dynamic yoga. Any decent yoga school will be good, but something like Ashtanga might suit your needs. Do you have any particular places in mind? Any websites?

Like martial arts, if more senior students are good that is a good sign. You won't get a lot of places that let you come watch (like martial arts classes do though).

 

Cheers guys it was just a guy at his black.belt test warmed us up with a yoga thing and it was punishing to say the least, his jkd grading as proper hardcore great stuff

 

It's brutal until you start doing pranayama (breathing) properly. Makes life easier. I really recommend anyone try it.

 

How does it make you stronger? Just wondering because there is a drop in class I could make once a week.

 

here's my thoughts on yoga practice, as a beginner, but i wish i could do more....

i like to think of it as a practice of contraction and elongation. you contract certain muscles in order to elongate others, while breathing properly. over time, you're able to contract/elongate more/better.

 

Some styles actually have some pretty challenging poses. A lot of the strength gains are from the strengthening of stabilizer muscles and increased coordination under load.

 

I'm sure it can help with flexibility at the very least. My grandma has been doing yoga for many years, and when she was around 75, she showed me how she can (in a slow motion) put both her shoulders under her knees and the only thing I could do and she couldn't was the lotus position. Well, the next year she was all happy about how she can already do that one, too...
And she's really fit maybe even because of yoga. She practices it once or twice every day and even started teaching it recently

 

I found more dynamic styles like Ashtanga were better for strength due to increasingly demanding postures. Goggle Derek Ireland. Man was a beast.

 

I can believe that. I really think I should give it a go.

 

I think I mentioned this in another thread. (been doing yoga around 8-9 years)
1. It can be a very challenging workout

2. its good for you

3.Beautiful women teach it and take the classes.

 

Works beautifully with my martial training. I have been doing yoga for over 10-11 years now. There are very physically challenging strenuous systems like ashtranga or more moving fluidly like vinyasa flow or hot yoga--you can find what fits into your lifestyle and needs.

 

Just to say.... Bikram yoga is just about one of the toughest things you can put yourself through. I had a marathon runner friend attend a class. He stopped half way through as it was too much for him. I just about managed because I kept my breathing strong.

 

Will Jujuitsu help my breathing?

 

Possibly... It depends how you have trained your breathing. My friends cardio was vastly superior to mine but his breathing was quite shallow.

This is an example on yogic breathing. BKS Iyengar isn't exactly ripped but for a man of his age he is actually in phenomenal health.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcPjvp4La8A"]BKS Iyengar pranayama - YouTube[/ame]

 

Well my cardio is good, but I can relax in stressful positions quite well.

 

You should be grand mate, give it a go.

 

I'm sold 1 2 and 3 not necessarily in order