I must say that one yoga class is not enough. I've been doing yoga for a while and a one hour yoga class is only enough to start to open my back muscles and spine. So I found a yoga studio (www.gethotyogastudio.com) that has "hot" classes, and decided to do a 1.5 hour "warm" YinYasa class, and then a one hour "hot" vinyasa class. My back and body thanked me. It felt awesome. Kind of like drug dependence where one needs more and more drugs, but this yoga thing is the healthy kind of dependence, or at least that is my opinion. Yah for yoga!

Have power with yoga

I recently finished taking a yoga class. I was the only man in that class. There were ten women in the class. Why don't more men do yoga? My sense says it is an issue of macho/maleness. I think, for some reason, yoga is seen as feminine. My teacher today was a woman. My teachers in Boston were both men. People need examples. A woman teaching yoga does not give men a good example.

Back to the macho thing, which might have something to do with being sensitve. My perception is men do not want to be seen as sensitive. Grrrr, argh, tough, macho, no-pain-no-gain; that's what men are into, or strive to be into. That's all good and nice, but scientific studies have proven that stretched muscles process oxygen more efficiently and increase V02 MAX...in general give a better performance, whether you are sinking the ball through a hoop, racing to the end zone, mashing pedals on an grueling uphill, slicing a winning backhand, sliding the ball past the batter, or playing with your kids. Stretching helps prevent injuries, which everyone can smile about. Yoga helps me do what I like to do, with less pain. And for those hardcore athletes, yoga just might help you find a new peak.

A few stretching/yoga resources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/

http://www.yogadork.com/news/lance-armstrong-is-getting-freakin-flexible-with-yoga-says-yoga-teacher/

http://jasyoga.com/yoga-will-make-you-a-better-athlete%E2%80%94just-ask-your-favorite-pro/

stretching Scientific

first post..

hi..this is the first post about yoga stuff.

my thoughts will be in italics..