yoga on the trail

[skinny minnie]

Anyone partake? I'm just starting up a serious daily practice. Was doing it 3-4 days during the work week previously, but I really want to buckle down and push myself a little. Have only been doing short day hikes with other people lately, so there really hasn't been an ideal time to incorporate it into hiking yet, but I'd love to hear if others have.

[Alligator]

Once in a blue moon. I'm usually such a late starter that I don't get the chance. It's nice if you are at a site with tent platforms, then you might get one to yourself. Sometimes you'll have the shelter to yourself too. You might consider using a closed cell pad as a yoga mat is heavy. Inflatables are a little wobbly.

[wakapak]

i remember that one of my friends during my first thru did some yoga every morning for quite awhile. he was a fairly early riser, and would pull out his sleeping mat and use that as his yoga pad. he said that the days he did it, he felt better than those days he didnt do it. it was cool to watch in the early morning sunlight and it seemed even more mystical/spiritual out there in the woods too...

[warraghiyagey]

I've never studied Yoga per se but many folks that have seen my stretching ritual tell me that that is what it reminds them of. That time for me is very spiritual but to be sure when I'm done I know I'm going to have a great hike that day.
I never miss the morning stretch and try to get quick ones in along the way and then another around the campfire to loosen up for sleeping. Good for the body and Spirit.

[skinny minnie]

You really do feel better.

And yeah, I'm think that the z-rest will be perfect. Out flat it can be a mat, folded up it can sub as a bolster or block. (I do Iyengar yoga, we're all about the props ) Plus, it's LIGHT!

[skinny minnie]

And Warren, if you really enjoy stretching then I highly recommend looking into Iyengar yoga. It really emphasizes the placement and positioning of your body. Pretty much all about stretching in the right way, and balancing your body. Even just taking a class or two will demonstrate the correct way to position your body, if you have a good teacher. I'm a former big fan of stretching, and now that I do yoga I'm way more aware of my body, and just use yoga poses to get it limber.

[clm42]

Im not sure about Inyegar yoga, I learned a different branch, but Light on Yoga by BKS Inyegar is an excellent book if anyone is interested in getting into yoga.

[hobojoe]

When I'm hiking I try to do yoga bout once a week. I usualy try to hike for about an hour or two and then before i take a break for breakfast I will do a few poses. I don't usually do a full workout I just work on the parts that feel sor on that particular day. It is important to do the full array of positions so you dont weaken the lesser used muscles. When I do it I feel so much more limber. I plan on making it a regiment on this years thru. I do bikram yoga.

[Blue Jay]

IMO the most important position is the Cobra, if you do nothing else do this one before and after sleep. While backpacking, you are constantly exercising your core stomach and back muscles in the forward direction and doing very little in a reverse direction. This can lead to serious imbalance. The Cobra brings balance.

[Monkeyboy]

Never seen Yoga on the trail.......

....but I have seen Boo-Boo

[skinny minnie]

I plan on making it a regiment on this years thru. I do bikram yoga.

Let me know how it works out for you on the thru. I'd ask some questions about bikram, but I should probably be working right now not slacking on WB all day.

Btw...Hobojoe: are you from Boston, or do you go to school there?

And in regards to another post: Light on Yoga is the one required book I've had to use and it is great. My teacher studies with the guy who wrote it, B.K.S. Iyengar. The guy is in his late eighties and still does several hours of intense yoga a day - and has been for over sixty years. Impressive stuff.

[Pokey2006]

I started out planning to do some yoga every day, but it never happened -- not once. I discovered that making breakfast, breaking camp, hiking, eating lunch, hiking, getting to camp before dark, setting up camp, making dinner and sleeping all got in the way. There was just no energy -- or time -- left for anything else.

I think if you have a strong daily practice going into the hike, it would help you stick to it during the hike. It is tough to do, though. Good luck!

[sourwood]

I did a yoga/stretching routine most days. I usually got into camp sometime between 3-5 and made that one of my first activities. If you make it a priority and part of your routine you can do it. I find it pretty necessary, especially the older I get.

Julie

[Tipi Walter]

When you say yoga, which style of yoga are you talking about? Mantra yoga? Hatha yoga? Raja yoga? Pranayama? Karma yoga? Kriya yoga? Nowadays when people mention yoga they are simply meaning stretching exercises, a watered down variation of the Hindu science.

The main consideration when backpacking and doing yoga is a tent shelter high enough to allow head clearance when sitting in the lotus/half lotus position. Another is having the traditional wool blanket for the meditative asana, extra weight here but needed.

The forest is definitely the best setting for meditation, in fact, the forest dweller is the third stage of the four ashramas or periods of an ideal life as prescribed in traditional Hinduism. The whole point of the yoga philosophy is to live detached from possessions in a clean and natural environment, so backpacking and living out of a pack coupled with yoga meditation and pranayama is about as good as it gets for the materialistic, on-the-go, hectic, worry-filled American.

[skinny minnie]

Tipi Walter:

I practice Iyengar Yoga - which is a variation of Hatha Yoga. I also am just beginning pranayama - am in the very early stages of a practice. What types do you practice? I'd say my practice isn't too watered down - I have a fantastic teacher who was taught by Iyengar himself. We don't view it as simply a physical workout (although it definitely is that as well) and are aware that this is only 2 aspects of the 8 limbs of classical yoga.

Good point - I actually hadn't really thought about tent clearance until now.

I did ponder bringing a blanket; it's just so bulky that it is hard to justify bringing it. Currently my set up for pranayama calls for three blankets. Which just isn't going to happen out on the trail!

[Phoenix Rising]

Skinny Minnie
While procrastinating from doing my Yoga Teacher Training homework assignment (due tomorrow) because I can’t seem to find the inspiration need, I happened on to your post and well, thank you for the inspiration I needed. The assignment is to come up with a dream class, and well, once I complete it and discuss it with my mentor, I will post a copy of a full asana practice (and a shorter “quick” version) which will address the areas we backpackers really need to concentrate on while on the trail. And a few other styles of hatha yoga you might want to check out are Astanga and Kundalini, which in a similar fashion to Iyengar, all focus on alignment, but without the heavy dependence on props, which as you said earlier could be a bit heavy in the pack.
Phoenix Rising!

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi Walter:

I practice Iyengar Yoga - which is a variation of Hatha Yoga. I also am just beginning pranayama - am in the very early stages of a practice. What types do you practice? I'd say my practice isn't too watered down - I have a fantastic teacher who was taught by Iyengar himself. We don't view it as simply a physical workout (although it definitely is that as well) and are aware that this is only 2 aspects of the 8 limbs of classical yoga.

Good point - I actually hadn't really thought about tent clearance until now.

I did ponder bringing a blanket; it's just so bulky that it is hard to justify bringing it. Currently my set up for pranayama calls for three blankets. Which just isn't going to happen out on the trail!

It's great you're actually connected to Iyengar even if indirectly thru a teacher. I started out with Raja yoga which is a blend of postures, mantra and involved pranayama techniques. In my readings of Iyengar and Hatha in general, there is much discussion about opening the sixth chakra through diet purification and intense asanas, all resulting in "cleaning out" the forehead and other areas to view the "inner lights".

Anyway, as far as yoga and backpacking go, they fit together perfectly. The yoga philosophy of sannyasi(wandering sadhu)is what got me out in the woods to begin with. My teacher(Yogananda) told me the church of the future will be a small group of people sitting under a tree meditating, so it's no stretch to live out of a backpack in the last remaining wild places left. For the true yogi, Nature is Herself God, and thousands of seekers thru the centuries have retreated to the wilderness. Milarepa is a fine example, along with Babaji and countless others.

As far as the wool blanket, you could also consider a deer hide, another traditional asana seat.

[skinny minnie]

Skinny Minnie
While procrastinating from doing my Yoga Teacher Training homework assignment (due tomorrow) because I can’t seem to find the inspiration need, I happened on to your post and well, thank you for the inspiration I needed. The assignment is to come up with a dream class, and well, once I complete it and discuss it with my mentor, I will post a copy of a full asana practice (and a shorter “quick” version) which will address the areas we backpackers really need to concentrate on while on the trail. And a few other styles of hatha yoga you might want to check out are Astanga and Kundalini, which in a similar fashion to Iyengar, all focus on alignment, but without the heavy dependence on props, which as you said earlier could be a bit heavy in the pack.
Phoenix Rising!

That's great
I look forward to checking it out.

I don't think I'll go with the deer hide idea, as I'm not a huge fan of animal skins, but thank you for the suggestion TipiWalter!