Yoga Is More Than Just Showing Up, but That Does Help

By NORA ISAACS, NY Times, September 6, 2007

Haphazard yogis are the norm nationwide: 25.7 percent practice once a week compared with the 8.7 percent who practice more than five times a week, according to a 2005 survey of 4,700 people conducted by Yoga Journal and Harris Interactive.

Some kinds of yoga like Ashtanga and Bikram have always recommended daily rigor. Referring to the creator of the latter discipline, Hope Wurdack, 47, a director for franchise operations of Bikram yoga in Los Angeles, said: “Bikram often says you eat every day; why wouldn’t you do your yoga every day?”

But these days, get-committed promotions like Levitate Yoga’s 21-day Sadhana (which means “spiritual discipline” in Sanskrit) are a dime a dozen. Funky Door Yoga in San Francisco offers 30 days for $29; Hot Spot Yoga in Crestwood, Ky., offers 30 days for $30. My Yoga Lounge in Sacramento offers 10 days for $10.

“In the past three years, these 30 days for $30-type offerings are one of the biggest growth areas of how studios market themselves and how they attract new students,” said Robert Murphy, chief sales and marketing officer at MindBody Online, which provides business-management software to 764 yoga studios and collects data on participation.

One reason for the slew of promotions is stiff competition and high attrition rates. “Yoga studios have to have programs like this because they have to continually replenish their students,” Mr. Murphy said. “The rule of thumb is that 30 percent of the students that you have today will not be here a year from now.”

If yoga is about evolution, then coming once a week is nothing more than standing still, lifelong devotees say. “I have one student who started practicing regularly who has made more progress than most students have made in years,” said Sandra Nicht, who teaches Ashtanga and power yoga in the Baltimore area.

Yet, yoga hasn’t always been a daily enterprise, said Stuart Sovatsky, a yoga scholar based in San Francisco. For millenniums, the only people who practiced every day were monks who had dedicated themselves to spiritual life in lieu of marriage and family. “The way that it’s practiced now in daily life is quite new,” he said.

New is relative, of course. Everyday yoga started to gain momentum in the early 1900s, Mr. Sovatsky said, when a yoga teacher named Krishnamacharya was commissioned to create a fitness practice for the children in Mysore Palace in India. He came up with a vigorous style of yoga based on dance and gymnastics and ended up teaching this style to students like Pattabhi Jois and B. K. S. Iyengar, who would ultimately bring a form of this to the West.

NOT everyone agrees that daily yoga is necessarily a boon to health. Sal Fichera, an exercise physiologist in Manhattan who has had clients with yoga injuries, warns against it: “There is such a thing as too much of a good thing,” he said. He believes that yoga every day is too much of a physical shock for beginners. “A person needs a day of rest to see how the body is adapting,” he said.

Not to mention, Mr. Fichera said, most yoga doesn’t encompass the four parameters necessary for total fitness: aerobics, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance.

As much as studios nudge dabblers to become devotees, it can have the opposite effect. Jeffrey Vock, 45, a photographer, said that completing a promotion called 21 Club at Devotion Yoga in Hoboken, N.J., made him kinder and more aware of his aging body.

DISCUSSION

Did you ever try Yoga?  Would you like to?  Could you do it with your spouse or kids?  What makes you feel good in your life?  How much of your day is devoted to your needs, and what percentage is devoted to other peoples needs?  Are you happy with that ratio?  Do you deserve more?  Will you ever deserve more? 

ENERGY INPUT

Recipes from Runner’s World magazine

WALNUT AND BLUEBERRY BRAN PANCAKES

(A good pre-run breakfast!)

"If you cook with flavor," says Iron Chef Cat Cora, "then the nutrition will naturally follow." That's why Cora uses whole milk, which health-conscious runners typically avoid, in her walnut and blueberry bran pancakes. "Fat is flavor," she says. "You just need a little bit to get the taste and to feel satisfied. It's worth running the extra miles."

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup instant oats
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (or a blend of white and whole-wheat flours)
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup oat flour or oat bran
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten

Pour milk over oats and sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Lightly stir eggs into oats mixture. Add dry ingredients and honey, stirring until combined. When the batter is thoroughly mixed, stir in the blueberries and walnuts. Ladle batches of the batter onto a preheated greased or nonstick griddle or frying pan and cook until tops are bubbly and edges look cooked. Turn over and finish cooking the other side. Makes about 10 pancakes. Serves four.

Calories: 400, Fat: 16 g, Carbs: 52 g, Protein: 15 g

BASQUE GRILLED VEGETABLE KABOBS WITH KEY LIME CHIMICHURRI

One of Cora's simple tricks to add taste without calories is to use vinegars and citrus juices, as in these vegetable kabobs. "When you put a squeeze of citrus--lemon or lime--on anything, it just makes it pop," she says.

3 bell peppers, all colors, cut into two-inch pieces
2 portobello mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 zucchini, cut into two-inch rounds
1 red onion, cut in two-inch pieces

Vegetable Rub
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dried orange rind

Basque-Style Green Sauce
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 dried bay leaves
3 key limes (or 6 teaspoons bottled key-lime juice)
1 fresh poblano pepper, coarsely chopped with the seeds left in (optional)
1 fresh serrano chili, coarsely chopped with the seeds left in (optional)
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup olive oil

Cover the veggies with the rub and let them rest in a baking dish or large bowl. Preheat the grill. Make the green sauce by combining the garlic, bay leaves, peppers, and sea salt in a mortar and mash with a pestle until a smooth paste is formed. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, put all the ingredients in a blender along with just a teaspoon or so of vinegar.) Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the parsley, oregano, and basil. Juice the key limes into the bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Set aside. Skewer veggies and grill on all sides. Serve over a bed of steamed brown rice and drizzle sauce over the veggies.

Calories: 220 ,  Fat: 11 g ,  Carbs: 29 g ,  Protein: 7 g

CURRIED LENTILS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

A satisfying night-before-the-race dinner that won't slow you down

"For such a homey, healthy dish, this dinner has a lot of pizzazz, thanks to the fresh ginger, curry, and chili powder," says Cora. In Cora's new cookbook, Cooking from the Hip, she focuses on fast, healthy recipes that are easy to prepare. Since you can cook the lentils and chunks of squash beforehand and keep them in the fridge overnight, the final prep time for this recipe is minimal. And Cora says you can peel the fresh gingerroot quickly by scraping it with a spoon.

Cora likes to serve this dinner with fresh mango chutney, a big bowl of brown rice, and an ice-cold beer. If you're treating yourself to this dish the night before a race, you might want to make that a small glass of beer.

1 cup dry lentils
1 small butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Spray a two-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Pour the lentils into a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and add raw chunks of the squash (go ahead and leave the skin on to add nutrients and texture to the dish). Simmer until the squash is soft (about one hour). Remove the pot from the heat, drain, and set aside. With tongs, pull out the chunks of squash and mash them roughly, skins and all, with a fork, ricer, or potato masher.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the drained cooked lentils and mashed squash with the olive oil and all the spices (including the salt and pepper). Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight. When you're ready, bake until piping hot, which will be about 20 minutes if you're putting it into the oven right after mixing it or 25 to 30 minutes if it's been refrigerated. Serve warm, garnished with shredded coconut if you like and with a serving of wild greens, such as blanched chard. Serves two as a hearty main dish or four as a side dish.

Calories: 530
Protein: 32 g
Carbs: 94 g
Fat: 8 g

SPICY SALMON LETTUCE "GYROS"

A protein-packed recovery meal that's light on the stomach

As a child, Cora learned to cook in her family's Greek restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, and discovered affinities between Greek and southern cuisines, such as braising meat and emphasizing fresh ingredients like corn, tomatoes, and watermelon. "This lower-carb version of a classic Greek gyro, where I substitute lettuce for a pita, is one of my favorite postrun meals because it's satisfying but still light and fresh," says Cora, who lives in Santa Barbara, California, with her partner and two young sons. A daily exerciser, Cora studied exercise physiology, biology, and nutrition in college before attending the Culinary Institute of America.

5 4-ounce salmon fillets (can also use halibut, snapper, branzino)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to brush the fish
Juice of two limes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 head butter lettuce
1 head radicchio
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup prepared tzatziki (in yogurt section of your supermarket)
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Preheat grill to 400°F. In 13- by 9-inch baking dish, combine olive oil, lime juice, and spices. Add fillets and turn them so every side is coated with marinade. Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Form lettuce cups by gently separating the heads of butter lettuce and radicchio. Line a whole leaf of butter lettuce with radicchio.

Brush fillets with olive oil before placing them on the grill. Cook until they begin to turn opaque on top (cooking time will vary, depending on thickness of fillets). Fish should be firm to the touch, flaking easily.

Flake a generous amount of fish into each lettuce cup, or cut the fish into small chunks and place them in each cup. Top with tomato and onion. Drizzle with tzatziki, then garnish with scallions. To eat, use a knife and fork, or eat it like a taco (a bit messier). Serves four.

Calories: 350
Fat: 22 g
Carbs: 9 g
Protein: 31 g

CHICKEN SCALLOPINI WITH LINGUINE AND SPINACH

This light chicken and pasta dish powers a Colorado chef up 14,110-foot Pikes Peak

Hill running is not part of Siegfried Eisenberger's training program; it is his training program. The executive chef at the Broadmoor, a 3,000-acre resort in Colorado Springs, makes the most of the mountainous region by charging up hills on all of his four weekly runs. He trains on roads, trails, and stairs that ascend 1,200 feet for a single purpose: to run the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, an event in August consisting of a half-marathon that climbs nearly 8,000 feet to the peak and a round-trip marathon--up and back down--the following day.

Eisenberger trains year-round, but prefers the summer when he can run on the course. "The snow begins to melt in May," he says. "By July, I can do the '3-2-1.'" For this workout, he drives to the 14,110-foot summit, runs down the trail then back up for three miles, then two, then one, for a total of 12 miles. "It's great altitude practice," he says.

The night before morning runs, Eisenberger cooks light dinners, such as this chicken and pasta dish. "You can use beef, fish, or even pork," he says. It'll likely be his meal the night before this year's Pikes Peak half-marathon (August 18), which will be his eighth ascent (best time: 3:45). The next day he'll run the marathon, completing the "double" for the first time. "This race is great," says Eisenberger, 59. "It reminds me that age is only a number."


How To Make It:

Chicken Scallopini with Linguine and Spinach

8 ounces whole-wheat linguine
4 chicken breasts (each about 5 ounces)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups or one package baby spinach
1 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 cups Bertolli Organic Olive Oil, Basil, and Garlic sauce*
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and thyme. Preheat a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides and cook until done (about seven minutes each side). Remove from pan. In skillet, saute garlic, spinach, and basil with olive oil over high heat. Drain pasta and add it to the skillet, remove from heat, and combine with spinach mixture. Place pasta in serving dish, top with heated tomato sauce and sliced chicken breasts. Garnish with parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serves four.

Calories: 550
Fat: 16 g
Carbs: 51 g
Protein: 49 g


Broadmoor Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces (1 cup) canned crushed tomatoes with liquid
4 ounces (1/2 cup) tomato puree
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, coarse chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, saut?he oil, shallot, and garlic. Add crushed tomatoes, puree, and tomato liquid, bring to a simmer. Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer on reduced heat for 15 minutes. Adjust consistency with water and season to taste.

FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE THESE, GO TO RUNNERS WORLD MAGAZINE

They also have a vegetarian recipe section!!!