This video hits on several points I frequently make in class.
The first is dosing. With exercise things like number of reps, speed, time, intensity, frequency all make up the dosing of what you are doing. The right amount can heal you and make you healthy. The wrong dose can hurt and kill you.
Another is moderation. Like he says toward the end of the video the couch potato (I’m looking at you yin-only students) will use this talk to justify not exercising. However, please note that in all cases exercise was healthier than not doing it. Simply doing moderate amounts was the most beneficial.
Another point he makes toward the end is we are not born to run but born to walk. I have mentioned in many classes how adding 30 minutes of walking to your day if you are not already doing it, is one of the best things you can do for your health. It gets even better if you can do it with minimal footwear (barefoot shoes or actually barefoot) and on natural terrain as opposed to a sidewalk or pavement.
I know the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is very popular and I know several students who have read it, however, McDougall’s theory is just that, a theory, and an unproven one at that. I agree with McDougall’s teaching about running barefoot, but the idea that it is good and natural for us to run for long distances and that this is somehow the missing link for our health and happiness seems to go against too much of what I have learned about how we evolved as a species. It also goes against what I’ve heard about long term joint health and what is said above.
So, everything we do in Yoga falls into the category of what he would consider moderate in the above video. Walking + Yin and Vinyasa a few times a week I think is a good recipe for a long healthy and happy life.
