[Cr33pin]

I saw a smaller clip of this somewhere else and was pretty moved. I saw this longer version tonight and cried like a man. Its truly amazing.
Makes me wonder how powerful Yoga can really be.

[rottenapple]

Nice clip, but I dont really understand how that worked. I mean as far as I know, yoga increases blood flow and enhances muscle leniency no? How does Yoga make you lose so much weight? How does Yoga make a man walk again?

I'm not saying its not true or anything, but just trying to understand, maybe there are some yoga experts here.

[Tuthmosis]

"All yoga instructors turned me down. Except for one..."

   

[The Lizard of Oz]

Yoga is great -- but I think this says less about yoga very particularly, and more about the value of extremely persistent rehab exercise generally.

The human body has an almost boundless capacity to rehabilitate itself, and to regrow muscle, reroute nerves, reestablish lost connections and so on. But to accomplish that these things have to be pinged all the time, relentlessly. One has to knock on the door a thousand times before it opens by just a small crack... then keep knocking till a slightly larger one appears... and so on. Nerve connections in particular respond mainly to this kind of unrelenting pinging once they've been sufficiently degraded.

With a correct and comprehensive routine of rehab exercise -- and yoga is certainly one approach but it's not the only one -- it is possible to come back from almost anything but you have to be absolutely relentless and always keep going. Most people don't get there simply because they don't really try; they don't undertake the effort in the first place, or give up too soon.

It is a beautiful and moving video, marred only slightly (for me anyway) by the unfortunate whiny song selection.

[Kaii]

Awesome find! Very motivating.

[Kickb]

Man, if i was any good at video editing, I'd turn this into a full blown 80s montage.

[RawGod]

Insanely inspirational!

[Teedub]

If anyone is an expert on yoga, I'd be extremely interested to know if you think it would be good for a disc protrusion in the lower back.

[Beyond Borders]

(07-21-2014 09:52 PM)rottenapple Wrote:  

Nice clip, but I dont really understand how that worked. I mean as far as I know, yoga increases blood flow and enhances muscle leniency no? How does Yoga make you lose so much weight? How does Yoga make a man walk again?

I'm not saying its not true or anything, but just trying to understand, maybe there are some yoga experts here.

Surely you realize one of the first things they did was put this guy on a strict diet, right? It's often said that diet is 80% of losing weight, and it doesn't take a genius to look at the guy in the beginning of the video and see that his extra pounds weren't doing him any favors. He was the poster child for giving up on your own body, and in doing so, he threw away any chance at rehabilitation (that's what the yoga really did for him - gave him his overdue rehabilitation).

Not to mention that, while I know very little about yoga, there's a lot more lifestyle to it than just the stretching. Hard to say how deep his own practice went, but given the results (and his tie-dye shirts haha), I'd say he soaked it all up. The important thing is that beginning to strengthen and limber up his body gave him hope again, and that right there was a huge part of his progress. Once he started seeing results through the posture-building, he snowballed.

It also looks like this was a more comprehensive program than just yoga. I mean, take a look at the guy's teacher - does he look like the kind of guy that puts together a workout program consisting solely of yoga? Judging by the video, they had him doing some strength conditioning and walking (and eventually running) once they got him in condition to move again.

In any case, I think it's a great video, and I don't think it was faked at all. Would also love to hear input from guys with serious yoga experience though.

[The Beast1]

For developing core and ensuring my muscles are as stretched as possible, yoga is excellent. As a weight loss device not so much still need diet and actual gym time for that. Not to mention the spiritual side effects of a cleared psyche.

I highly recommend yoga.

[Lizard King]

Yoga IS very good, and not to take anything away from this guy and your post, but it says to me that the real power is determination, persistence and desire.

[Lizard King]

(07-22-2014 06:05 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

Would also love to hear input from guys with serious yoga experience though.

I have a little experience with it.

I found it very useful and effective. It energised me, got rid of minor long term injuries I had never overcome, such as a bad back and shoulder from construction work. Made me feel more confident and gave me energy I could apply to will power towards reducing my alcohol and tobacco intake.

Unfortunately my current work commitments don't allow me to see the instructor I was seeing last year(who was excellent, and very hot, amazing body, but married), so I'm not currently doing any. I lack an exercise regime at the moment which is not good.

[Blaster]

I see a few possibilities. First is the breathing component of Yoga. I've seen them make the point that you can live for three weeks without food and three days without water, but you can't live 3 minutes without air. Good yoga practice helps you breathe better all day long. I know someone who had been obese for a long time, then after a doctor discovered and surgically corrected a blockage in their nasal passageway, they suddenly and dramatically started losing weight and getting in shape. Any kind of physical activity gets dramatically harder when oxygen is limited.

Second is that you can do certain kinds of yoga for hours and get mild benefits the whole time. Where traditional lifting and cardio workouts will tire you out quickly, you can prolong yoga indefinitely. You can do it for the several hours that you might otherwise have spent sitting at a computer with bad posture and snacking on junk.

Finally, the meditation and relaxation components do a great deal to help control food cravings and other kinds of impulsive behavior. Yoga (done properly) is a very deliberate, controlled activity and trains exactly the kind of discipline that will help maintain a good diet, a good sleep routine, and other healthy behaviors.

Not hard to imagine how yoga was the primary/initial factor in holistic health changes that led to this amazing recovery.

[reaper23]

i'm an expert yoga practitioner. not an instructor. kind of like an expert computer user, but not a programmer.

and i can say for sure that yoga can and should be the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. there are varying styles. some are more feminine and about opening your heart (literally and metaphysically), while some are more geared towards "power" (batista power yoga being one). the movements bring my heart rate up to mid level cardio, i generate internal heat in a way that very few other work outs do and in a normal temp room when done with a session i have soaked every ounce of my clothes in sweat leaving a puddle behind.

the strength required to do many of the advanced poses both standing and using the arms can develop a fine physique.

i lift regularly on top of a almost daily yoga practice.

the core strength, body awareness, flexibility and in some cases brute strength (hand stands, forearm stands, arm balances, etc) are tough to beat with other exercise because of the combination.

the breathing is restorative.
the meditative aspects often help me process things.

and damn if there aren't hot bodied little yoginis all around too.

being "yoga guy" is kinda creepy. somehow I manage to maintain my masculinity and do yoga. i highly recommend it as a foundation for life.

teedub: i have no idea how yoga would help with your disk but what i do know that is yoga done right, lengthens and strengthens the spine.

blaster: i've held my breath for three minutes while free diving - and thats nothing compared to the experts.

[Blaster]

(07-22-2014 08:20 AM)reaper23 Wrote:  

blaster: i've held my breath for three minutes while free diving - and thats nothing compared to the experts.

Yeah it's just a saying and I'm probably misquoting it. The point is just: breathing is important and we sometimes take it for granted.

[Lizard King]

(07-22-2014 08:20 AM)reaper23 Wrote:  

being "yoga guy" is kinda creepy. somehow I manage to maintain my masculinity and do yoga. i highly recommend it as a foundation for life.

Being 'yoga guy', ie: the only guy in a class of women, and the feeling that the women think you're there to score, can be off-putting, or an obstacle, but I decided to just not give a fuck, and after a few classes the various types of women at my class became a bit more relaxed/friendly/less threatened.

Personally, I like being the only guy, it's good for confidence and social aptitude.

[reaper23]

(07-22-2014 09:12 AM)Trev Wrote:  

(07-22-2014 08:20 AM)reaper23 Wrote:  

being "yoga guy" is kinda creepy. somehow I manage to maintain my masculinity and do yoga. i highly recommend it as a foundation for life.

Being 'yoga guy', ie: the only guy in a class of women, and the feeling that the women think you're there to score, can be off-putting, or an obstacle, but I decided to just not give a fuck, and after a few classes the various types of women at my class became a bit more relaxed/friendly/less threatened.

Personally, I like being the only guy, it's good for confidence and social aptitude.

i meant more like, super feely all hippied out yoga dude.

being a creeper is just being a creeper

i'm the kind of guy that is very outward with my sexual desires and flirting. but when i'm at yoga, i'm practically a neuter. i dont leer, stare, or even engage with most of the women there and its about 95% women.

that being said, i've banged plenty from the studio, it just happens outside of there.

if you have clearly have a solid practice and are serious, chicks dont mind at all. except for my sweat pools. maybe they mind that.

[Matt3B]

Seen this before. For all the cheesiness in the background music, it sure is a good example of how strong the human mind is and what you can achieve with determination, courage, and a unshakeable belief in yourself.

[vinman]

   

[Quintus Curtius]

[Dr. Howard]

ok wait, diamond dallas paige is a yoga instructor? That is more mind blowing than this guy's recovery. If you had told me 20 years ago that this guy would be talking downward dogs and yogi cups my young brain would have melted.

[Cr33pin]

[Days of Broken Arrows]

This inspirational. Except for the sappy music, which I find annoying. But I digress.

When doctors tell you something like "You'll never walk again" or "You'll never get off meds," they base their opinions on collective cases. They don't know you inside and out personally.

Therefore, there is some room for change. As this guy's story shows, there is often room for a lot of change.

I would also recommend eating lots of raw (i.e. uncooked) broccoli, since that is the major vegetable that's been known to help with cell repair. Cell repair is paramount when you go to improve your body, whether it's muscles, lungs, or other damaged organs you want to get straight.

It bothers me that doctors don't push this. I was more or less laughed at by my (Harvard) doctor when I brought this up. And yet because of broccoli and a regiment of running, I've been off meds for over 15 years -- and he and others repeatedly told me that would never happen.

For more info, Google broccoli and cell repair (no quotes). Buy the "broccoli crowns" your supermarket sells and make salads based around that, not lettuce.

[Hypno]

DDP lives in my town. He does some sort of mix of fitness and yoga. From how he described it it sounded like Jazzercise or something, not yoga. He's always on the local radio with these amazing stories, but this is the best one yet. He is a legit motivator who is driven by helping people, what his fitness style is I can't really say though. I was never into pro wrestling but apparrently this is a big change to his persona.

[Dirtyblueshirt]

It makes sense when you think about it. A lot of pro wrestlers develop chronic injuries, especially to their joints and back. All those falls and steel chair hits eventually take a toll. Most usually get hooked on painkillers and other types of substance abuse. I remember watching a video years ago with Hulk Hogan in it describing how destroyed his body was from years of wrestling, and the pain he lives with every day. This is probably what led DDP to find yoga. Yoga (along with healthy diet and lifestyle) can totally transform your body if you are dedicated. DDP seems like a genuinely good dude who wants to spread the word.