yoga and MA An individual seeking to become a complete martial athlete cannot afford to leave the ancient practice of yoga out of his/her training regimen. No other exercise addresses and develops as many physical AND mental attributes as yoga does. If you think that yoga is only for new age hippies or human pretzels, think again!! If BJJ black belts such as Rickson Gracie and Wallid Ismail train in yoga, you owe it to yourself to rethink what yoga is all about. For BJJ practitioners, the most crucial physical link between yoga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is their emphasis on ground work. ALL yoga poses (handstands, seated poses, standing poses) emphasize the body's relationship to the ground. All strength related exercises in yoga put the practitioner in direct resistance to the pull of gravity. Sound easy? Sure, if you're just standing around on both legs, gravity is a piece of cake. Now try standing on the balls of your feet, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and hold that pose for 10 controlled breaths. That's yoga! More importantly, the mechanics for most of the poses found in yoga almost directly resemble the physical movements found in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I've found, from personal experience, that yoga's "crow" pose (hands on the floor, with your knees planted behind your triceps for support) has helped my transition from side-mount to knee-on-belly tremendously. Next time you bench press 250 lb., ask yourself how that's going to help your mount escape. If you're not sure, I'm willing to bet that there's a pose in yoga that will. Finally, yoga prepares you mentally for the rigors of BJJ sparring and competition because it teaches you how to mentally relax while holding physically compromising positions. There are poses in yoga that are meant to arouse specific emotional responses, be it anger, fear, or frustration. Regardless of what you might feel, and how intensely you feel it, the practice of yoga teaches you not only to endure such emotions, but also encourages you to EXPERIENCE them. When you experience your physical and mental limits at their extremes, yet respond with a calm and clear attitude... getting mounted by a 260 lb. sparring partner or competitor won't be as fearsome as it used to be. That is the true benefit of yoga. Each pose, each practice session, is an opportunity to face your internal, resisting opponent. Each breath and each moment is a personal challenge that we can experience and overcome. It's quite unfortunate that, for the majority of the population, when the word "yoga" comes up in conversation, one immediately envisions a half-naked Indian man, dressed only in a loin cloth, with his feet behind his head, chanting "ohm", smiling the widest, most masochistic grin imaginable. Or, even worse, one envisions a group of individuals, seated in full-lotus position, trying to get in touch with their inner dolphin. But there is more to this art. Much more. Drop the weights, leave the running shoes, the gloves, and the gi at home for just one hour every Saturday, and open yourself... to yourself. Empty your cup. This is the first challenge of the path to yoga. Rolando Garcia trains at the Basulto Academy of Defense. This article was first published on the web on the Royler Gracie-David Adiv Jiu-Jitsu Team site All materials & images Copyright 2002 to 2008 Stephan Kesting Home Store Articles Techniques Photos About Us Schools Links Contact An individual seeking to become a complete martial athlete cannot afford to leave the ancient practice of yoga out of his/her training regimen. No other exercise addresses and develops as many physical AND mental attributes as yoga does. If you think that yoga is only for new age hippies or human pretzels, think again!! If BJJ black belts such as Rickson Gracie and Wallid Ismail train in yoga, you owe it to yourself to rethink what yoga is all about. For BJJ practitioners, the most crucial physical link between yoga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is their emphasis on ground work. ALL yoga poses (handstands, seated poses, standing poses) emphasize the body's relationship to the ground. All strength related exercises in yoga put the practitioner in direct resistance to the pull of gravity. Sound easy? Sure, if you're just standing around on both legs, gravity is a piece of cake. Now try standing on the balls of your feet, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and hold that pose for 10 controlled breaths. That's yoga! More importantly, the mechanics for most of the poses found in yoga almost directly resemble the physical movements found in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I've found, from personal experience, that yoga's "crow" pose (hands on the floor, with your knees planted behind your triceps for support) has helped my transition from side-mount to knee-on-belly tremendously. Next time you bench press 250 lb., ask yourself how that's going to help your mount escape. If you're not sure, I'm willing to bet that there's a pose in yoga that will. Finally, yoga prepares you mentally for the rigors of BJJ sparring and competition because it teaches you how to mentally relax while holding physically compromising positions. There are poses in yoga that are meant to arouse specific emotional responses, be it anger, fear, or frustration. Regardless of what you might feel, and how intensely you feel it, the practice of yoga teaches you not only to endure such emotions, but also encourages you to EXPERIENCE them. When you experience your physical and mental limits at their extremes, yet respond with a calm and clear attitude... getting mounted by a 260 lb. sparring partner or competitor won't be as fearsome as it used to be. That is the true benefit of yoga. Each pose, each practice session, is an opportunity to face your internal, resisting opponent. Each breath and each moment is a personal challenge that we can experience and overcome. It's quite unfortunate that, for the majority of the population, when the word "yoga" comes up in conversation, one immediately envisions a half-naked Indian man, dressed only in a loin cloth, with his feet behind his head, chanting "ohm", smiling the widest, most masochistic grin imaginable. Or, even worse, one envisions a group of individuals, seated in full-lotus position, trying to get in touch with their inner dolphin. But there is more to this art. Much more. Drop the weights, leave the running shoes, the gloves, and the gi at home for just one hour every Saturday, and open yourself... to yourself. Empty your cup. This is the first challenge of the path to yoga. Rolando Garcia trains at the Basulto Academy of Defense. This article was first published on the web on the Royler Gracie-David Adiv Jiu-Jitsu Team site
another intresting link Yoga and Martial Arts True martial artists, like true yogis, are humble and respectful towards everyone and everything............ Yoga and Martial Arts. Adnan Tahirovic reveals how the two disciplines complement each other. Martial arts are about protecting and not destroying life.Years of dedication, strong discipline and diligent practice will transform the martial arts practitioner into a kind, humble, respectful and gentle person whose ego is melted in the fire of intense practice, just like the yogi’s ego is melted in the fire of tapas (austerities). In their philosophy, both disciplines teach that an ego that is too strong or inflated can cause a lot of trouble, so they encourage the development of respect and humility. True martial arts practitioners carry love and kindness in their heart, like a wellestablished yogi. Both disciplines use and teach: • mental and physical practice as a tool toward self-knowledge; • meditation and self-reflection; • different ways of bringing the opposing forces into complete and true harmony (yin and yang, prana and apana, in-breath and out-breath); • power of the core and breath (they use different names for the centre of gravity: in martial arts, dan tien or hara, and in hatha yoga, udhyana bandha). Yet, few martial arts practitioners are truly aware of the healing powers of yoga. Generally speaking, there are still a lot of misconceptions about yoga although the sports and fitness industry increasingly recognizes and uses the therapeutic value of yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercices). Postures are being used as additional training, injury prevention and as a tool for faster recovery in the case of injury. As a former practitioner and teacher of martial arts, I had firsthand experience of the healing power of yoga.Years of intense training and competition had left me with weak and damaged knees. I was no longer able to run, train or jump. After only three years of regular yoga practice (ashtanga vinyasa), my knees were healed. Now as a full-time yoga teacher, I encourage everybody to practice yoga, especially athletes. Regardless of the martial arts style, most people will favour the use of one side of the body, usually the stronger side. In the styles that use a lot of striking (punching and kicking), one will dedicate much more time to developing an already stronger side, thereby creating even more imbalance in the body. To give an example, a person who prefers the right leg for kicking will have stronger yet less flexible hip flexors on the right side than on the left side.The right hip flexors will then pull more on the lower back and hip, thus bringing the whole pelvic area out of balance. So if the same person starts using the appropriate yoga asana routine, the weaker side will get stronger, and the stronger side will get more flexible (but without losing their respective strength and flexibility), thus bringing the pelvis back to its neutral and balanced state. Yoga asanas are ideal for simultaneously developing flexibility and strength. Instead of doing strength and flexibility training separately, one can do both at the same time with yoga practice. By including yoga in their training, practitioners will become more focused and grounded, calmer and stronger, more flexible and generally more proficient in their art. Years of intense training and competition might easily create chronic injuries of the neck, shoulders, hips, lower back and knees, yet with regular yoga practice all of this can be avoided.As Patanjali states,“Heyam dukham anagatam”: the pains that are yet to come can and are to be avoided. So whatever style of martial arts you are involved in, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose from practising yoga.
