Could Yoga have Aerobic benefits?

[Guest guest]

Let's not assume yoga is simply equivalent to stretching. It's not.

People who have actually done yoga know it can be a very strenuous

activity. I certainly break a sweat, my muscles do real work, and my

heart gets pumping - at least some of the time!

Of course, the same could be said for resistance training, which we

all know does not provide cardiovascular benefits equal to an

aerobic workout. The main point of this post is not to argue that

yoga _DOES_ have cardiovascular benefits similar to aerobic

training: Rather, it is that we should not assume a priori that it

doesn't just because it doesn't superficially resemble what we would

normally think of as an aerobic workout.

As for me, I'm not entirely convinced either way. But I would like

to see some discussion of the evidence.

The following link, which argues that yoga can have a variety of

cardiovascular and muscular benefits, is more suggestive than

conclusive. Nevertheless, it is interesting:

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/739.cfm

> In a message dated 9/25/04 1:16:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

> writes:

>

> Message: 2

> Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 06:35:39 -0500

> From: " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

> Subject: Re: Exercise / Not Smoking / Nutrition / Wine

>

> Defining what exercise IS may be the problem.

> Difficult to guess what " activity level " is.

> There's the diff in working a garden (not exercise), versus

walking/running

> (exercise), versus calisthenics (may be exercise), versus

stretching/yoga (not

> exercise), versus weight lifting (not exercise).

> Hmmmm I disagree very much that gardening, yoga, and weight

lifting are not

> exercise. They may not be very aerobic but you sure feel

different after

> working a day in the garden and perhaps carrying some dirt bags

around and heavy

> pots then if you just worked at your desk inside. I've worked in

the garden on

> some days and even though tired, I felt very very good...as if I

had done a

> good hike. And yoga and weightlifting are a whole other matter.

There is a

> huge difference between a day without yoga and day with and that

is because yoga

> is performing exercise on our body. You are stretching and deep

breathing and

> your blood is being squeezed throughout your whole body...your

glands and

> organs are being toned. It is most definitely exercise even

though it may not be

> the huff and puff your heart racing a mile a minute kind of

exercise.

>

> a

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the link.

Nice write-up.

No argument against yoga. Not all people can do it - I think that's an important point.

"Alisa Bauman stays fit through yoga, running, and fitness ball workouts. She lives and writes in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where she is studying for yoga teacher certification under Rosenberger at Accent on Yoga and Health. September/October 2002"

It's not obvious to me that I want to increase VO2 max as a measure of "fitness" much less CR. But then I have a hard time figuring out what "fitness" is and relating it to longevity.

Did you see the lady that swam the Bering straits? Lynne ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/7/newsid_2528000/2528217.stm

"Ms who weighs 13 stone, has about 36% body fat compared to the average for women of between 18-25%." [182 pounds]

Two hours in frigid water that would hypotherm almost anyone in 20 mins. Not a figure you'd see advertising swinsuits. I'd call her "fit" for what she did, and proud she could do it, and she'll probably live longer than I will, but is that the right "fitness" for longer lifespan?

Just thinking out loud:

In tests, my VO2max has always been normal even at 234#. Yet I'm limited to running to <1200 feet. That's a cardio limit not lung capacity. I've worked on it - all it did was raise my BP. In fact, I need higher BP to make the system work more "efficiently" for physical output. And that's what the system wants, but the system could never learn that is bad for strokes. So I have to wonder about "raising" VO2 max. I don't wonder about lowering weight to lower BP, however, and perhaps that will increase the running distance.

BTW, there is in calisthenics, an exercise to increase lung capacity - that's not a unique feature of yoga.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: timwilliamrogers

Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2004 8:07 AM

Subject: [ ] Could Yoga have Aerobic benefits?

Let's not assume yoga is simply equivalent to stretching. It's not. People who have actually done yoga know it can be a very strenuous activity. I certainly break a sweat, my muscles do real work, and my heart gets pumping - at least some of the time!Of course, the same could be said for resistance training, which we all know does not provide cardiovascular benefits equal to an aerobic workout. The main point of this post is not to argue that yoga _DOES_ have cardiovascular benefits similar to aerobic training: Rather, it is that we should not assume a priori that it doesn't just because it doesn't superficially resemble what we would normally think of as an aerobic workout.As for me, I'm not entirely convinced either way. But I would like to see some discussion of the evidence.The following link, which argues that yoga can have a variety of cardiovascular and muscular benefits, is more suggestive than conclusive. Nevertheless, it is interesting:http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/739.cfm