End of last year
I started to be a yogasana and pilates instructor and opened a studio at home.
I had some people who regularly practice and at times get annoyed every time
they compare the exercises I praxis to aerobics, or the gym or they asked for
heavier and challenging workout even though they not able to do it. They asked
for it only because they think they strong and well-heeled because beside
practicing yogasana with me also practice aerobics elsewhere. Obviously zero.
They out and out not able to do it when I demonstrated. And I got annoyed.
And when I
noticed some people who always did this to me are those who practiced aerobics
before. They so anxious, unable to focus, so it's hard for them to listen explanation
or remember what's been explained to them. Even though I already explained what
yogasana is, why should we practice yogasana and how to do it and why I trained
them in such a way. I really distracted and it was in this moment when my mind
drifted and remembered again to my experience of this aerobics. All right then.
Maybe I should write it down now.
I started knowing
about yogasana in the late 2003 after the birth of my second child. At that
time I was 32 year old, had two children and my backbone around the waist
(lumbar) began to hurt. Sometime it hurt so much I had to bend down to reduce
the pain. I very afraid that I stoop before I stepped on my 40s.
When my gripe
started to disrupted I set to searched what exactly I through because the
traditional message not help much. Usually the traditional message enough to
solve my problem such as sprains or prolapse uteri. But this one not work that
way, so I had to find another way.
I started looking
for information on the internet, but nobody could clearly tell me exactly what
I through. But my general conclusion from reading here and there, browsing here
and there, is that I have a spinal shift in the waist area. And the only
medical way to improve is by way of surgery.
God help.. ....!
I eerie.
So I then tried
to find another alternative treatment. There another way back then called chiropractic
which after I learned ah ... just like a traditional massage in Indonesia. It's
a kind of traditional massage whose technique is medically recognized in the
western world. That is all. Not help much.
But I found one
story of a man who recovered from his bone disorder (his legs form X) with
pilates exercises. I was very excited back then, and started looking for
information about pilates. Find some articles, and some pictures of the
exercise (only pictures ... at that time you tube not yet lie in Indonesia
... not even be) that I printed all along with instructions to do and I do it.
I tried to do as much as I could. Trial error. Sprained here and there. Abscess
and feel twitched for days. But I keep tried and I could.
Six month later,
the pain in my waist was gone and my body felt stronger. I got more excited and
started looking for more information, bought the video all the way through
Amazon (that year pilates, yogasana not widely known for most Indonesians, let
alone for me who not live in the nation's capital). I printed out 1-2 volume of
pilates book by downloading which I thought was good, and all I tried. I
satisfied. It worked. And I soon got tired.
Yes. After nine month of doing it, practicing the daily routine of the heavy pilates --the matwork exercises-- I exhausted. But at that moment I also understood that pilates actually originated from four thing; yogasana, martial arts, gymnastic and aerobics. I know the last three thing, but not know what yogasana is. So I started to found out about yogasana at that time.
There are only
3-4 website that explain about yogasana in that year (around early 2004), but
enough for me. I read and learned the entire content of the website, I did all
posture. I tried hard. And surprisingly I feel comfortable.
To me this is really
a soft version pilates. Gentle pilates. So I ended up doing yogasana and
occasionally when I felt full of energy I practiced pilates. And I do it every single
day from 2003 until now.
In 2005, - after
2 year non stop practicing pilates and or yogasana -, in my office at that time
my boss invited aerobic trainer because he like. He liked to be in the crowd.
And aerobics together like that is indeed very 'whoop it up'. Though no one
really do the exercises anyway. But it's always pleased and pleasured to see the
trainer coach move in the lead. A nice body she had, - I a woman and I did say
so— don't asked my underling man. What come about the move ? Aaah.. ... just forget
it. Ha ha ha…
But this did not give
me a deep impression because - never practiced seriously. In fact I more
interested in learning cha-cha or salsa steps on her coach. But then after the
aerobics activities together at the office stopped, (because my boss had been
move to another town, and my new boss not like aerobics) I then actually want
to really try aerobics in a real gym studio. Want to know the reason? I like
dances and songs in Indian movies and really curious to able to follow the
footsteps of the dancers that I thought are aerobic movement in them. I did try
aerobics in the office in consort with my co-workers. But I still
not know the steps usually used in the dance. Maybe ... maybe if I practice real aerobics in the studio
there might be a result. I sure about it. But really I just want to able to
dance like the dancers in the Indian film, so I eager to practice aerobics.
And by chance one
of my underling feel ready to accompany me because she also want to exercise
too, so we both practice aerobics in one studio in this Samarinda.
I signed up for 1
month, so there are 8 class I could take part. I was excited. And did practice.
Once, twice, three times ... ..and I started to feel uncomfortable. They were very roisterous at the time of exercise.
Four times, five
times ... my breath sound hodgepodge, my heart pounding strangely and I start
got nervous and restless.
At the sixth I
realized something was wrong here. First, way to take a deep breath in aerobics
quite different from yogasana or pilates exercise I had done earlier. Way to
move with so many sudden stop even sometimes make my joint pain. And my chest
and belly are confused about who's turn to act to breath this time. Because I
use abdominal respiration during yogasana, but have to use chest breathing during
aerobics. Make my head dizzy.
In the seventh
exercise I decided it was my last training. I sure my body was headed for
destruction. It feeled like my whole system is in a mess, and my brain started
to shake. So I decided to stop. And
later...... need 12 year--- now I just remembered again and could see
more clearly what I really experienced then .
----------------
What I understand
now is that breath used in aerobics not true if intended to maintain a healthy
body or to form a posture or to improve posture or body shape. Things that
people think could be obtained from aerobics. Second, the movement that often
stopped suddenly, and rarely actually deep into one posture because it must
immediately change direction or motion could make the ligament easily torn,
which sometimes made my joint feel painful at that time. Third, the movement in
aerobics are usually not arranged according to the correct sequence so as not
to damage the body's organ, so it could actually make the body damaged in the
long run. And the fourth are that all of this bring brain disturbed, because despite
we asked to concentrate for the movement according to instructor instruction
but the movement often designed only for the splendour beauty not consider the effect on the brain.
So basically,
aerobics really should not be said as a system of exercise to maintain a
healthy body. But if it's only said aerobics could help a dancer able to move
agile and strong, - that's right. That is, to strengthen the body, to
strengthen the breath, to maintain stamina one still have to do other exercises.
Not aerobics.
I could summarize
this because of my own experience and because I really a self-taught yogasana
practitioner, meaning I master a posture by feeling my own body moving scansion
rhythm with breath as it deep in posture. I knew when I could run into dislocate
because of a certain posture, I knew when there too much wind in my body that I
have to remove in a certain way, I knew when I should stop trying harder when I
get into a certain posture because my body only able to reach in some point.
And I've also tried aerobics and could feel how my body was so turn range in
the wrong direction. Just like water running through pipes. When the pipes bent
and make the stream obstructed, that's how I feel my body stuck in this aerobics.
Of course I not
blame or forbid anyone to do or practice aerobics, but should only everyone
know that one could not hope that aerobics make healthy always or could make a
good posture to old age.
For me aerobics are
just one kind of dance, dance with a fast and powerful step. Where do I get the
dexterity to move quickly and power to do it? From yogasana and pilates. It is
more fit if I sized up when looked at some studios that provide aerobics or
when there are aerobics events. Aerobics which looked just as an energetic
exercise with accompaniment of music (hence I called it as one type of dance
only).
Despite the
definition that this energetic exercise are to increase the strength of the
heart, lungs and muscles as well as to make the amount of oxygen in the blood
increased --- this is an unproven thing. Indeed, the heart beat fast, lungs
pounding but because of confusion responded to information from the brain how
to breathe in order to keep rhythm of motions. The muscle strong, but only the
legs and thighs. Even groin untouched. So the aerobics definition as recorded
in the Cambridge English Dictionary or on many other sites which is essentially
same ie; is one type of exercise that is energetic to increase body strength
and increase the amount of oxygen in the blood; --not proven. The amount of
oxygen in the blood do increase during exercise, because it have to breathe
fast but it not bring any benefit to body because it is too fast to pass and blow
away out because tired.
However this writing
only a sharing from me from my experience. I a yogasana instructor who developed a self-training system that a
combination of yogasana, martial arts and dance movement and been a yogasana /
pilates practitioner since 2003, so I feel I competent enough to give an
opinion that be from my own experience. It means that I have become the object
of my own research. And here's my conclusion about this.
So let's exercise
properly. It means moving right, breathing right. And healthy body,
self-balance be achieved as if might.
Ciaao vela!
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