TATTOOERS: Yoga?

[Perez]

Boom!

[Lochlan]

no mat, hardwood floors, and other obstacles....parkour yoga!

[dari]

You rule!!! This photo is the cherry on tonight's LST sundae.

Boom!

[conor blue eyes]

ive never really been into yoga, but have done a little bit of tai chi and qigong through my martial arts instructor. and that all has great benefits... back strengthening, clearing the mind, its pretty legit.

[mario desa]

so...i finally tried it. my girlfriend and i have been going to bykram yoga, which is a type of hot yoga. man, it kicked my ass, but in a good way. it's 105 degrees, 40% humidity. the first time i got light headed twice, but i'm adjusting. during the class i kinda hate it and want to run for the door and the relief of the cool locker room! but afterwards, i feel amazing and i know it's worth it. i've also been working out with a personal trainer the last 4 months, and i know that's helping me, since a lot of the postures are all quad/leg strength and upper body strength.

i was a bit nervous about not "fitting in" at first...kinda felt like the first day of high school haha. but once we got there, it was no big deal, and i know i can beat up any other dude in that class, and i'm not that tough. but, most of the other people have tattoos and there's even a baldheaded tattooed chick, so it's ok.

[gougetheeyes]

Perez holy shit!

[JoKno]

I do most of the workouts with the p90x system. They have some great stretcher and use a lot of common yoga poses. I don't really follow the routine as strict as they want, but I do it enough to get some benefits out of it.

[sboyer]

I am not a tattooer but I am a long time cyclist and I have had a lot of injuries over the years. I am a bicycle mechanic by trade so I work with my hands and now that I am getting older a lot of my injuries over the years are causing me problems. Mostly knee and back issues. I started going to yoga with my girlfriend last year and I was fully expecting to hate it and went into it with a semi closed mind but to be honest I was quickly converted. The place we went to offered unlimited classes for the first week so we tried out as many classes as we could to find the right instructor and we found a perfect fit with one of them. After about a month I noticed a huge difference in how I felt when I was riding my mountain bike, no back and knee pain for the first time in a few years. I was also able to touch my toes for the first time in my life (that I remember). I also noticed a huge difference in my partners temperament as we stuck with it. She seemed much more relaxed and able to let go of things that bothered her that in the past she would usually obsess over. My only real complaint was the process of finding a teacher was a little annoying because we had to sit through some classes that I really didn't like, one of which the instructor sang to us at the end (poorly) and I laughed when everyone else was silent and got some dirty looks at the end of class. Other than that I can't recommend it enough.

[mario desa]

hahaha...thats hilarious about the singing. the place we found is free of any mystical talk, which i'm very happy about. there are a couple of yoga snobs in the class, but whatever. if you're gonna get self-righteous about yoga i guess you're kind of missing the point ???

[cfgsteak]

I do most of the workouts with the p90x system. They have some great stretcher and use a lot of common yoga poses. I don't really follow the routine as strict as they want, but I do it enough to get some benefits out of it.

Not a tattooer...but I work bent over a computer 8 to 10 hours a day...

this was my intro to yoga (P90X)...it cured my Plantar Fasciitis completely. I literally couldnt walk in the mornings my heels would hurt so bad...after 5 months of yoga the pain is completely GONE. Its done great stuff for my back...i'm older (44), its made a huge difference in my quality of life.

[RoryQ]

Although I like yoga, and have done some sessions of bikram I think my main issue is that I just don't have the 1.5 hours to spare on each class. I'm already training maybe 7.5 hours a week, and factoring in work and other committments I can't see myself taking up yoga too.

So for the past couple of years I've tried to incorporate a lot more mobility work into the training I do (weightlifting, some strongman type conditioning). Before workouts, after workouts and in the mornings when I get out of bed (inevitably feeling like I'm about 90).

Couple of things I would recommend for anyone who is looking to address their joint health and general physical creakiness-

1. Consider a strength programme if you aren't doing one already. Strengthening you back, in particular, can make a huge difference if you're experiencing particular types of pain or discomfort in that area.

2. Foam roll. Foam rolling has been described as self-massage / soft tissue work for the masses. Basically you roll problem areas of your body on a cyclindrical bit of foam or even PVC. It sounds strange but basically done correctly it is like having someone do some form of active release therapy on you. I mainly foam roll to mobilise my thoracic spine, hard to otherwise do with most joint mobility programmes... Which brings me to...

3. ...Joint mobility programmes. There are a bunch of them out there, but one of the oldest (and most basic) is Pavel Tsatsouline's super joints (his super stretching is also worth checking out). Pavel is best known as a russian kettlebell instructor, and although his marketing is heavy duty and he has a touch of the snake oil salesman about him, this is a very straightforward joint mobility programme you can get through quickly and on a daily basis.

4. If you've got a dysfunctional joint or are carrying a proper injury then the above may not be appropriate - you probably need a specific programme and should get one from a professional.

5. Glucosamine and fish oil are great supplements.

Some sites worth checking out-

Pavel Tsatsouline super joints video Pavel Tsatsouline - Super Joints

Mobility WOD (workout of the day) MobilityWOD

-This is a blog by a physical therapist, Kelly Starrett. A lot of good specific (if masochistic) material in there.

Introduction to foam rolling Foam Rolling

[dari]

Hey, Oakland and SF LST'ers, I'd just like to put it out there, in a moment of shameless self-promotion, that I'm a kick-ass yoga teacher. And my Friday night 6:30 class is a donation based class, so if you're saving all your $ for your next tattoo or still broke from your last one, I don't care. I just want you to come do some yoga, please be my guest. My Vinyasa Flow classes are vigorous and playful, and I also promise not to hurt you if you are a beginner. So come recharge, regenerate, and find some new fluidity in your body.

Loka Yoga

2701 MacArthur Boulevard Oakland, CA. 94602

[MsRad]

i want to start going Dari! but tonight i can't as i'm visiting my grandma who is still recovering : /