Saturday, June 2, 2012

This post is separate from anything I will normally post. But in preparation for my Mission I've spent some time trying to figure out what peaces of equipment and what movements would work well in a non- ideal workout environment. In my search I have come across a method of training that I believe would work very well with CrossFit.
I have done yoga for years. I have always attributed my fair proficiency in technical gymnastic movements to my experience in yoga, and also my short history in wrestling. However, since CrossFitting, yoga has been pretty much been thrown to the side. CrossFitters hate yoga... I'm one of them... It's long, boring, and just weird. However, I kept doing yoga because I saw the immediate benefits from it. That being said, for the past few years I have kept a close watch at a new budding industry of yoga called Prasara Yoga. And in the past year, it has been exposed full spread, and more and more people are becoming interested in the techniques.
Here's the cool thing about this yoga, each session or "Flow" only takes 3- 5 minutes to perform; and after each session you feel great. The movements and speed of the "Flow's" are a little tricky so it does take some practice. But the result is better mobility, and better kinesthetic awareness. And here's the best part. The problem with most yoga is that the soul purpose is to improve better flexibility in the muscles. The downside, over- elongated muscles which leads to less stretch reflex which ultimately leads to less powerful muscles; in short, you become to flexible. On the other hand, Prasara Yoga doesn't focus on "stretching muscles," rather it focuses on improving mobility and range of motion in joints, tendons, and ligaments. As a result, the powerful muscles you build in regular training aren't over exposed to over stretching.
Here's a video from the YouTube channel I follow to understand these movements. Again, be patient with learning these movements, it does take some practice. You may notice that the movements are a combination of traditional yoga movements, along with wrestling drills, and mat work. As a result of these unique movements, they can be modified to create intense conditioning drills that can be used into any CrossFit WOD. And here's the thing. In regular yoga sessions, you listen to soothing and boring meditation music. But due to the intensity of this type of yoga, heavy rock is the preferred choice of music :)

Let me know what you think :)  

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