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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2015 : 10:07:01 PM
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New year's resolution time! I'm starting a daily exercise program now. Should one do DM before exercising or after? How much time should elapse between working out and DM, ideally?
It seems self-evident that I shouldn't do DM until my HR has come back down to near-normal. But with strenuous workouts with a lot of heart rate elevation, HR recovery may not be complete for a day or even more, if one is overtrained and has an elevated resting heart rate.
I'm restarting my cycling, hoping to do a 200 km ride in May. It will be the longest 1-day distance ride I've ever planned for. Not a particularly fast ride, but long. My goal will be to complete it before the time limit and with decent comfort. If I can maintain 13 mph average it will take about 9,6 hours.
I've found my Iyengar practice helps a lot with strength, balance, and form. I'm not too worried about meditating on the ride - the training period will tell me if I can or should meditate while out on the ride. For now I'd like to hear how other AYPers who ride, run, or do other endurance sports have found it best to combine endurance training and DM.
The guru is within each of us, so let's let our gurus speak to each other!
-- Ken |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 04:06:43 AM
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Hi Ken, I don't do any endurance sport on a regular basis, but I would say that DM requires a calm body/heart/mind. In my case, the heart rate and the mind activity are good indicators: when they are "high", I just wait some more minutes before engaging in yoga/DM. For example, when walking home after a stressfull day which could potentially habe an impact on meditation, I do some relaxation during the walk in order to come home ready for my evening AYP session. Other times it might be an asana session that caused my heart rate to go up (usually backbends), so I just lie a bit longer in savasana before starting DM; there is a right moment when I have to come out of savasana to enter DM, and I may reach it after 1 minute or 10 minutes. |
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Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 06:46:29 AM
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quote: I'm not too worried about meditating on the ride - the training period will tell me if I can or should meditate while out on the ride.
Certainly you are not in deep meditation while cycling?! |
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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 06:48:11 AM
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Thanks! I think you've hit the key point, the activity of the mind and the heart rate. Usually DMreduces both levels, but sometimes the needed reduction is large. Plus there's a need for some recovery food and drink, such as a Clif bar or chocolate milk. I don't like to do DM within 45 minutes of eating.
As long as you mentioned DM and savasana, can DM be substituted for savasana? |
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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 06:54:32 AM
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Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 06:46:29 AM quote: I'm not too worried about meditating on the ride - the training period will tell me if I can or should meditate while out on the ride.
Certainly you are not in deep meditation while cycling?!
No, certainly not. I mean during breaks after starting the ride. But I do use the postures of tadasana to relax my back and align my head and shoulders while riding. |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 08:05:25 AM
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Hi Ken, IMO savasana and DM are two very different things, although - like many yoga practices - they partially overlap (both practices have a relaxing effect, for example). I was only suggesting to do savasana before DM because savasa can relax you and therefore prepare you for a smooth transition into DM. |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
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adishivayogi
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2015 : 5:33:42 PM
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i think you should do yoga first. if you do it afterwards it will be harder. just like it is after eating, or working hard all day. energy wants to go into body to recuperate |
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kensbikes100
USA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2015 : 10:45:53 PM
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Yogani, thanks for that! It's what I was thinking of. |
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