I've just started a Yoga routine this week. This is my second day of doing Yoga and I am seeing results, slowly but surely. The one benefit I'm definitely noticing right away is how calming Yoga is and how it helps me keep a positive mind and how rejuvenated I feel once I'm done.
The one thing I like about Yoga is that I'm not all worn out once I'm done. Granted Yoga is a practice that is rather slow in movement, but very focused. It helps calm your mind and allows to concentrate on your movements. Not to mention, you work muscles that may need a little work. I've always tried to stay away from some new age type stuff and I considered Yoga to be too new agey, I never thought there would be a real result from something like this. But it does truly work. I've noticed I have more energy, as well.

Do you do any type of practice or exercises that help you keep focus and help you feel better about yourself? What benefits do you receive from these practices or exercises?

Yoga for me too. And Yoga is definitely not new agey, more like old agey as it's been around a long time. About.com has an excellent section on Yoga if you want to do some reading. And don't anyone think for a second that just because Yoga is slow moving that it can not be hard work. Holding the poses in a still position can be quite demanding.

The other thing for me is hard physical training. Be it Muay Thai, running, drills, etc. My mind achieves a Zen state where everything seems calm and slow even though I am in major physical exertion.

Same here on the hard physical training. I work out daily. When I skip a day, I start feeling lazy and unfocused.

My typical workout is a 6-8 Km dash. I also do some bench pressing, three times a week.

In the past I have followed Krav Maga courses, though because of college stress I quit. I'm seriously thinking about rejoining these courses. I can advice anyone to atleast give it a try.

I never contemplated Yoga though..I guess it was the stereotypical image I had it was only for Volvo-driving housewives.

Kind regards,
Wilhelm

LMAO! See! That's more or less the same image I had of it too.  That or a really wacked out new age type person doing it. And it's really not the case! Just think of it as stretching.

I didn't really think about taking it up. I was in our local Half Price Books and decided to look at the workout videos. Actually I was looking for a video on Tai Chi. And this video that I picked up, was dirt cheap, and I thought, well, it's only $6.00, what the hell I'll give it a try. So, I went home and watch it, like most workout videos recommend the first time around. And I thought, this doesn't look too hard! HA! Like Bobby said, some of those positions are not easy to hold for a period of time. Especially when you are working muscles that don't get a lot of work all the time, or if you sit for long periods of time. Or if your coordination is a little off.

Here's the link to About.com that Bobby was talking about:
http://yoga.about.com/

Here's also Fitness Magazine: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/

It's a fascinating read.

Thanks!

Kind regards,
Wilhelm

I do daily meditation and I also used to do Tai Chi.
The Tai Chi kind of got put on the back burner because of my injury (it causes some issues with some of the movements)
I'm thinking about returning to a limited for of it though, which can take the mobility issues into account.

One of my training partners gets unfocused, even grumpy when he has to miss. His wife makes him go now to keep him in better moods.

I recommend returning to your Krav Maga practice. Aside from the obvious self defense benefits, it is fantastic total body exercise. On a side note, have you ever seen the episode of Fight Quest on Discovery network in which they send the guys to Israel to train? It is very eye opening, in more ways than one.

I know exactly what your training partner is going through. I am very focused on my daily training routines, and when I break from that routine, I can get quite grumpy.

I can't say I've ever seen Fight Quest, but I have a buddy(actually the guy who pointed me towards Krav Maga) who did the Marva program. This is a program for young Non-Israeli Jews who wish to know how life in the IDF(Israeli Defence Forces) is. Its also to recruit actual troops.

The stories he came back with were seriously hardcore!

Kind regards,
Wilhelm

I've been practicing Yoga since I was about 12, did what was allowed while I was pregnant, and it has helped me keep my shape through out my post pardom period. It's a very good exercises/practice if you wish to stay healthy and also focus on certain chakra aspects that you wish to improve upon. (During my experience that is.)
I do think that there is a huge general misconception towards this practice and it's a shame for it is something that I wouldn't live without. If I were to it would possibly be the equivalent to taking Meditation out of my daily routine or even fasting for that matter. I think that Yoga is another old tradition that has lost it's meaning through the main stream crowd through out the years.

And also, that is a very legit site you posted BobbyT. It's always good to have more references on this subject. 

I dabbled in kundalini yoga on and off for a few years and now I've taken it up as a serious practice. The beneficial effects are felt pretty quickly, and the balance and serenity it brings are key in handling daily stressors.

I used to view it as pure fluff, but I've seen the lives of a couple of coworkers transformed by it. Some of the exercises are truly odd, but they work.

Here in the states, kundalini yoga tends to have ties with the Sikh religion, partially due to the fact that the man who brought this yoga to the United States in the late 60s was a Sikh. It's a beautiful religion which I would have known nothing about otherwise. (Although it is not my personal path, I'm a dark pagan.)

In a nutshell: I just like being healthy.

I used to go to the gym regularly and lift weights but I had a bad car accident 4 years ago that limited what I could do with my neck and back injuries. At that time I was looking for something less strenuous and I started Yoga. I have been practicing it for years now and I love it! I did the same thing, just picked up a video one day. Now I have many different routines I do. They say you're supposed to work out in the morning but I always do my routine after work at night. It's the perfect stress reliever for me. I feel so good at the end and half of the time I end up falling asleep in my final 'corpse pose' because I get so relaxed. I also love the all over stretch I get. Also it is so hard for me to quiet my mind and practicing Yoga really helps me with that. I did try Pilate's but I can't do some of the moves because of my hip.

I also have some jobs on the side pet-sitting for some people. With one of the dogs I go to their house four times a day and take him out for a 30 to 45 minute walk each time I go. I count that as exercise too I also love to take late night walks alone with my music. I get a good pace going and usually walk for an hour or more.

I have been doing yoga for a year now and I also love it.  Some of the moves I'm still working on but I find it relaxing and like Melissa said, it does work.  I was also taking kick boxing which I miss and have to find a place close to home and start up again.  That was a great for stress and I miss it alot.  I also love dance, I was taking belly dancing which is so much fun and very hard but a great work out. 

I'm starting a Yoga class in a couple weeks Hopefully I'll see the same progress in it as you guys have!!

I am going to try to work a regular Yoga practice back into my weekly routine. I miss how it makes me feel. And it brings great balance to the other training I do, as well as to my mind.

I'll admit it. Since I have gone back to school, I have done no real exercising other than walking to the school. I use to be a vegetarian, ride my bicycle, and workout. Hopefully when I graduate in June, I'll get back on track. I guess I'm fortunate to have a high metabolism too, most people would put on weight from not exercising, sitting around at school, and not eating right.

Yoga looks interesting, but I have never tried it. Low blood pressure runs in my family and my doctor is always nagging me to do something to raise my blood pressure, not something to relax me.