Day Four - On the fence with 'Yin' yoga

Sunday lie-in this morning and big meal last night (I'm not used to that - I tend to eat light in the evening) so I was looking forward to getting on my mat this morning and being dynamic.

So, I was quite disappointed when Travis explained that the class would involve holding stretches from three to five minutes.  I then assumed that there would at least be a flowing warm up but we just went straight into the first stretch.

Now, Travis explains that the challenge with this DVD is that you're seemingly doing nothing, when all the other workouts involve strong, dynamic movements.  He quite rightly points out that our lives are so full of doing 'things', rushing about from one activity, job or other commitment to the next so that staying still feels very alien. 

I can see his point.  However, my feelings of agitation doing this particular DVD were due to my knowledge that, according to current research, long, static stretches are not beneficial to the body.  Part of the elastic recoil that is essential in movement - and especially in running - can be compromised with excessive stretching and lengthening of the muscles.  I enjoy dynamic/flow/power yoga because I gradually gain more suppleness through varied, flowing movement without holding stretches still for long periods.

HOWEVER, I know that I would benefit from being more flexible.  I also recognize that this DVD could be very relaxing at the end of the day and if pursued with an awareness of how each stretch is feeling and taking it gradually, it may improve my other sporting activities and general movement.  Most importantly, I am much more a fan of anecdotal evidence rather than scientific studies and know from experience that everyone is very different. 

I discussed all this with David and wondered whether I could substitute this DVD with another but he pointed out that it's part of the programme that I've committed to and I should follow it as closely as possible to fully understand how well it works for me.

So, my plan is to find out what the other programme participants think of 'Yin' yoga and what their experience has been with it.  I will also continue to include it in the plan and will try and do it at the end of the day rather than the beginning. 

Incidentally, I went for a small run later in the afternoon and my movement felt pretty fluid and springy.  I suspect that this maybe the DVD that, in many ways, will challenge me the most and after all, a challenge and new perspective is why I chose to do the programme in the first place.

Looking forward to sweating and twisting in 'Detox' early tomorrow morning :).