Hi there,
It's has been quite a while I have not writing anything here. Well, life is sometimes just busy!
Anyway, I found this info quite true for me and I have been practising it ie, no coffee, love raw vege+fruit juice and salad, santan free food, no frying in my healing kitchen, etc... heheh! Just hope to share these info with you and no intention to promote his products as I (you as well) - we have our own trustable products in mind.
Pls read my comment in 'yellow' on "Subject: #4 of 7: Yoga doesn't work!"
Peace,
yw
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Subject: #1 of 7: Anyone Can Become
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7 SECRETS OF NUTRITION & FLEXIBILITY#1 of 7: Anyone Can Become Flexible
Dear Yw,
Let me tell you why I KNOW that anyone canbecome super flexible. In 2003, I met Jake, a former body-builder turnedyoga student who showed me old pictures ofhimself.
Jake used to have biceps like tree branches! No joke!This guy was ripped, and everyone knows that bodybuilders are all stiff as a board... right? Well, this guy completely transformed his body intoa long, lean, flexible machine so fast that his friendsdidn't recognize him.
He did this using a system he learned in India thatinvolved long-hold stretches, a special Ayurvedic diet,and some funky Pancha Karma detoxification program. All told, Jake spent 1 full year in India practicingand studying, and I have to say his results wereamazing.
But here's the thing:
I got the same results in HALF the time usingGravity Poses, nutritional supplements, andeating healthy foods. I'm not one to take shortcuts,but hey, who wants to waste time?
Here's a tip you can use tomorrow:
Try drinking green juice before you stretch (like atleast 30 minutes before). These are my favorites:wheatgrass, spinach, kale, and parsley juice.
//yw: Yeah! I have my favourite green drink: barley grass(1 tsp)+wheat grass (1 tsp) to mix with water before practise.:)
I'm not going to explain to here why green juicesmake you bendy, but trust me, they do.
If you're interested in the theory behind greenjuices and other "flexibility foods," I go into moredetail on page 12 of the YOGABODY Handbook(which I'm giving away free of charge by the way).
Details are here: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5EpaS&m=1jmFjwFIOE4rf9&b=FgGvIPM1AgTkVAukQ98qkw
Keep Practicing!
LucasYOGABODY Naturals LLChttp://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5EpaS&m=1jmFjwFIOE4rf9&b=FgGvIPM1AgTkVAukQ98qkw
7 SECRETS OF NUTRITION & FLEXIBILITY#2 of 7: Coffee Makes You Stiff
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Dear Yw,
When I was 19, I worked at Starbucks on Park Rowin downtown Manhattan. At first, I was really into the Carmel Macchiato, butafter two months, I couldn't drink the sweet stuffanymore. Made me sick.
The staff mostly drank Americanos (espresso andhot water), but after a couple weeks on those, Idecided to skip the water and drink 12 oz. glassesof straight espresso--3 times per day! My bean of choice was from Sumatra; full bodied,thick as mud, and not too bitter.
I was a coffee boy for nearly a year and half (theentire time ruthlessly addicted to caffeine) andhere's what happened:
- I gained 15 lbs.- My skin went translucent- My stools looked like petrified wood- I couldn't seem to sleep OR stay awake- My love life was crap (read between the lines)- Every joint in my body ached
What I'm trying to tell you is, I know coffee. Iknow why you love it and why you need to giveit up, or a least cut WAY back.
Here's a quick stretching tip: drink fresh juiceinstead of coffee, tea, or sodas and watch yourflexibility improve within 36 hours. I'm serious.
Sound too simple?
Get this: caffeine sucks the water out of yoursystem, fries your nerves, and makes you tense.Let me put it this way: dry, tense, over-stimulatedbodies are, without fail, stiff and tight every time.
If you really need a pick-me-up, do a 3-5 minuteheadstand. It beats the hell our of Grande cupof Sumatran espresso any time.
7 SECRETS OF NUTRITION & FLEXIBILITY#3 of 7: Indian Food is NOT Yoga Food
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Dear Yw,
In 2006, I spent 3 months in India studying yoga. I practiced with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, Ispent time at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala,and I met some really cool, old-school yogis atrandom temples and markets.
I've traveled to over 20 countries, but Indiastands out as both the best and the worst.
It witnessed beautifully-rich traditions, heart-wrenching poverty and desperation, magnificentmonuments, and desolate slums all crammedtogether in a huge land mass that somehowalways feels crowded even when there's noone around.
And the food? Well, indian food tastes amazing,but for yoga and flexibility, it's death!
Let me explain. The Indian diet consists mainly of wheat, rice,and dairy--three of the most mucous-formingfoods known to man (think of mucous like gluesmeared throughout your body).
Lots of Mucous = Lots of StiffnessSo why do yoga teachers always recommendthat you drink milk, eat yogurt, and suck downspoonfuls of ghee every day? Probably because they've never tried giving it up!
Here's a quick tip: give up dairy for 1 week andsee how much more flexible you feel. Most peoplenotice a HUGE difference within 3 days (I'mtalking night-and-day difference).
Listen, I know what you're thinking: "Not anothercrazy vegan trying to turn yoga students intotree-hugging hippies..."
... well, think what you like. I'm not a hippy, I'monly slightly crazy, and this isn't about the cows!
(OK, I'll admit I do think it's wrong to strap cowsto machines, steal their babies, and pump themfull of antibiotics just so we can have yogurt forbreakfast... but that's another topic altogether.)
Mucus sucks! That's the straight story. Give up dairy,go deeper in your backbends, and your sinuses willbe so clear, you won't believe it. After 1 week, if you just can't go another day withoutBen & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, well then at least you'llknow why your hamstrings are so stiff when youwake up the next day.
Keep practicing,
Keep Practicing!
Subject: #4 of 7: Yoga doesn't work!
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Dear Yw,
Warning: this might shock you!
Yoga classes, for flexibility, rarely work.Sad but true. Let me tell you why. In most yoga classes, you'll practice 30-50postures in 90 minutes. This means that you usually get less than 30 seconds per posture. I'm no math whiz, but I can tell you this:20 seconds ain't much! Neither is 40 secondsand neither is 1 minute.
If you want to really get flexible (this century),you need to start holding postures for 2-5 minutes. Sound crazy? Well get this: most yoga poses demonstrate ratherthan develop flexibility. That's why dancers area lways the stars of yoga classes while the stiff guys (like me 5 years ago) hide out in the backand pray for a miracle.
Well stop praying and start practicing! The miracle of flexibility is in self practice,at home, where you can take your time. I'm ayoga teacher, and I know what I'm talking about. If you want to get flexible, you need to learn adifferent way to stretch. The method I use,called Gravity Poses, involves ZERO effort,just a ton of concentration and deep breathing.
Let me give you a sample of what I'm talkingabout. This is for tight hamstrings:
1 - Stand with your feet about as wide as your hips
2 - Bend you knees a little
3 - Grab opposite elbows, and fold forward over your legs
4 - Relax your head5 - Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth really deeply (I mean, really deeply)
6 - Count 100 breaths and then release
*NOTE: don't bounce or wiggle or use any effort...just allow gravity to do the work.
Keep practicing,
//my comment: Well, not everyone have the discipline to practise at home by themselves. As for me, I took a while to be very discipline into my self practice. Now, I hardly miss my daily meditation and Yoga practice even I go for holidays... I'll sure wake-up ard 6 am to do it! My students (I always treat them as my learning partners/buddies rather then students. Their problem/questions help me to grow and learn more indept) love to practice in a group. But, I always advice them to practise back at home at least 20-30 min 3 times a weeks. So, I have to provide them proper info during the class so that they can practise at home 'safely'. So, I talk a lot in the class... :P
As for beginner, they need people to guide them until they have better understanding to minimise any unwanted injuries may occured for self practise at home.
Anyway, in the Iyengar Yoga tradition, we stay and hold in a pose for few minutes to build the flexibility and strength... As what Mr BKS Iyengar said, - we are meditate in the pose! I'm enjoying it and I'm happy with all the body reaction happens during my practise that make me understand my own body more - end of my comment! Thanks! //
7 SECRETS OF NUTRITION & FLEXIBILITY#5 of 7: Raw food for flexibility
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Dear Yw,
In 2002, I stopped eating.
I lived in New York City at the time, and afterreturning from my first 10-day, silent Vipassanameditation course, I got off the subway in adaze and said, "Forget it!"
Forget meat, forget dairy, forget booze, andforget cigarettes. I quit everything right there--just like that. I began this new healthy chapter of my life witha 5-day fast. I drank carrot juice, orange juice,watermelon, cucumber--anything I could find.My head was spinning, my belly was shrinking,and a little voice in my head said: "Your on to something here, Luke!"
So when I started eating again, I ate only rawfood... and that lasted for the better part of 2 years!In case you don't know, raw vegan food consistsof fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Nothing else. Lucky for me, I really like plants (hmm... broccoli).
Here's what happened: I dropped 40 lbs in 8 weeks,my clothes hung from my lean frame like laundryon the line, and I had this crazed look in my eyes ofsomeone who just discovered a HUGE secret... andI had! Wanna hear it? "Food is the most powerful drug on this planet!"
Eat the good stuff, and like a German diesel engine,your body will perform like a champ for a century.But if you like to eat the crap at 7-11, then youbetter invest in a premium heath insurance plan.
So what does this have to do with flexibility?
Well, when I started on a plant-based diet,I got really bendy, really fast because plantfoods prime your body for growth and changelike no other.
Here's a quick tip: try to eat at least 1 raw mealper day (a giant salad is fine), and if you can,make it your last meal of the day.
I've done this experiment with over 140 people,and they ALL told me the same thing: raw foodmakes you flexible.
Plus, it's damn good for you too. Funny how that works... if you eat healthy foods,your body seems to perform better. Coincidence?I doubt it.
7 SECRETS OF NUTRITION & FLEXIBILITY#6 of 7: Flexibility is not genetic
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Dear Yw,
I don't care if your mom is stiff... ... or if your dad can't touch his toes.Flexibility is not genetic!
My older brother, Ryan, can drop down intothe full side-splits (that's impressive), while myyounger brother, Mike, has a hard time touchinghis toes. Genetically, these two are 99.9% alike, so whythe difference? Well, Ryan stretches and Mikedoesn't. It's that simple.
Forget the rumors: flexibility is not somethingyou either have or don't have - like red hair ora clef chin. Flexibility is developed throughphysical practice and proper diet. Nothing else.
What does that mean? Well if you did ballet asand ate a macrobiotic diet, then sure, you'llprobably have an easier time with stretches.
Here's how it works: people move their limbsthrough a wide range of motion on a regularbasis tend to be really flexible... the rest of ustend to be stiff.
So obviously, if you want to improve your flexibility,you need to start stretching. That's probably not newsto you--but maybe this is:
1 - You need to stretch 5 days per week, but onlyfor about fifteen minutes
2 - You need to practice long-hold Gravity Poses,these are passive stretches that target specific areas
That's right. Just 15 minutes per day.
If you're looking for a fast-track stretchingroutine, in the YOGABODY Handbook, I have a5-day program that targets all the major areasof the body.
It's got color photos and is extremely easy tofollow... but let me give you one passive stretchfor the hips that you can do right now:
1 - standing, bring your feet wider than your hips
2 - squat down and turn your feet slightly outward
3 - bring your arms inside your knees
4 - rest your hands on the floor with your palms facing up
5 - drop your head and relax6 - breath in through your nose and out through your mouth for 100 breaths (really, really deep breaths)
Tomorrow, I'll tell you how a New York City yogateacher popped one of my intercostal muscles.
Keep practicing,
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