Gabriel Benjamin yoga औं

Immersion in Nature

8/30/2023

Yoga means to join or union. A daily practice of movement and poses(Asana) is something I highly recommend. I also recommend other forms of union or connection. I once heard a master teacher day spending time in the mountains was a form of Yoga. As a mountain lover I couldn’t agree more~ one does not need an amazing National Park however to feel deep connection and to marvel at nature. A nice grove of trees, a simple stream, and a modest hill top with a vista can do the trick. In fact if you practice soaking in all this has to offer it can be as powerful of an experience as being in Hawaii or a trip to the Pyrenees. Your daily or weekly dose of nature is one of the best ways to practice yoga. Take a deep breath, slow down to look around, let the senses be fulfilled. Nature is a wonderful yoga teacher~
Immersion in Nature

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Simplicity

8/26/2023

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One of my favorite things about getting a little older and being an exhausted dad is that I’ve learned to embrace simplicity. In my younger days of practice I sought harder and harder poses, as well as endless travel adventures. I value those times as they were rich with reward but they had a cost. I was often thinking about other places to visit while traveling, not allowing myself to fully drop in to the experience.
Having breakthroughs in poses left me wanting more. Inevitably I would injure myself and then go back to the foundation. I had to learn that lesson again and again before it finally got across.
My practice and teaching still includes complex things, but what I celebrate and offer the most is simplicity. Going deep into the lifting of the arms in Staff Pose, enjoying quiet and deep breathing, rolling the joints and being grateful for loosening up my body daily.
I encourage all to seek and enjoy the simple things in life and practice. Even if you are interested in a more complex practice it is always good to go back to and deeply into the foundation. When the foundation of your practice is as solid as a rock, eventually a more complex practice simply feels natural.
Enjoy and best wishes everyone,
Gabriel

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Different Categories of Yoga for Cyclists

11/16/2020

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Over the years, I’ve heard athletes say, “All athletes should do yoga!” I
agree, but I also think this is just a generalization, and not specific enough.
To me, it’s like saying, “Eat food on a long ride,” or “Ride your bike a lot
and you’ll be strong.”
You can eat cashews and avocado on a long ride, which is better than not
eating. Riding often makes you strong. But what I’ve learned is that specific
nutrition and specific workouts get you faster results.
Over the years I have developed a specific training program for cyclists to
get the most out of yoga without it becoming detrimental to their
performance. Trying to achieve too much flexibility by pushing too hard is
all too common because of cyclists’ high pain tolerance and driven nature!
My goal is to help athletes balance strength and flexibility, so that they can
do more of what they love with less injuries for a lifetime.#
Flexibility isn’t everything. While flexibility helps with reducing sprains and
pulls during crashes, increases comfort on endurance rides, reduces cramps,
and helps with aerodynamics, it can also take the snap or spring out of your
muscle and reduce performance. This is why sports experts recommend
dynamic stretching (moving without holding stretches) before activity,
and static stretching and deep release after activity.
I have developed Yoga for Cyclists as 3 categories where the activity AND
the timing is very specific.
1. Cross Training Yoga
This yoga makes you sweat, challenges the muscles, has deeper stretches,
and potentially makes you sore.
Examples: Vinyasa or Hot Yoga
Timing:
Cross Training Yoga is best when you’re not focused on high performance.
In the off-season, I recommend 3-5x per week, but during race season 1-2x
per week is better. Avoid excessive training around and during big events.
Most modern yoga classes over-utilize the quads without stretching them
enough, which is great during any period where you’re riding less, for
example the off-season, but redundant (or even detrimental) when you are
putting in solid hours on the bike every day.
2. Light Toning and Stretching
This yoga addresses all muscles and directional movements of the joints
with an emphasis on toning muscles that are under-used in cycling, and
stretching muscles that are used the most, like the quads and glutes. Toning
is done in a way that doesn’t make you sore, so you can do this while doing
a solid training block.
Light Toning and Stretching is what hard-training cyclists should do the
most year round, prioritizing regular practice over long sessions. Five short
weekly sessions would be better than two long sessions.#
There are hardly any forms of yoga that target cyclist’s needs in this way,
which is why I’ve developed a custom program.
3. Restoration, Recovery, and Relaxation
These poses are almost all reclined and there is no strength training. You can
do them in bed, with the legs up the wall, or on the floor.
The closest type of yoga that matches these needs is Yin Yoga, but Yin yoga
includes too many forward bends, which is not ideal, and falls short with
cycling specific restoration.
Timing: Riders can’t get enough Restoration, Recovery, and Relaxation,
especially while racing. At first, it’s challenging for aggressive and driven
personalities to focus on this non-achievement approach to practice. But, the
positive impact on health, relaxation and mental clarity leaves the athlete
with greater potential to achieve more in their sport. I’ve seen many athletes
turn yoga into just one more thing that they grind, but I remind student to
practice yoga in a way that helps them be better at their sport, not necessarily
to be great at yoga

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Why Yoga for Cyclists?

Immersion in Nature

Simplicity

Different Categories of Yoga for Cyclists

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