Surya Namaskara, Walking, Jogging ... some thoughts to share
I happened to walk for 50 minutes in the morning in a near by park, wearing Heart rate monitor, just to see the amount of calories expended by the activity. I took 4 minutes to come round the park covering 300 metres approximately and did 12 such rounds. It was in fact a relaxed walk.
Before this, as a daily practice, I practiced 120 cycles of Surya Namaskara taking 50 minutes, wearing Heart rate monitor. Even this was at a moderate speed of 40 seconds per cycle of Surya Namaskara.
I am not intending to make a comparative study between Surya Namaskara and Walking. But, I want to share few of the differences I happened to notice.
Walking at a moderate pace (4.5 Kms/hour) for an hour may burn same amount of energy as that would have been doing Surya Namaskara. But the comparison ends there.
At physical level:
1. Surya Namaskara employs all the major joints in the body giving movements in the right direction; whereas, walking mostly employs only the lower extremities.
2. In the upright position, as while walking, the spinal column undergoes compression due to gravity. In addition to this, shocks traveling from the foot through the ankle, the knee and the hip joints, though absorbed at these joints, induce little more compression on the lower back. Brisker the walk, greater the compression force on the back.
Surya Namaskara is a compilation of scientifically well-sequenced postures, designed in such a way that the involving muscles and joints undergo various degrees of compression and extension, and movements in different planes.
For example, while bhujangAsana gives a nice back bending to the spine (with the highest compression in the lumbar spine), adhO-mukha-shvAnAsana introduces good stretch to the entire spine and the hamstring musculature.
3. While walking helps improving the functioning of the heart and the lungs, Surya Namaskara does it better. Postures such as adhO-mukha-shvAnAsana, uttAnasana introduces inversion of blood to the heart increasing the blood flow to the heart, while chaduranga-danDAsana, bhujangAsana helps opening up the chest cavity improving the health of the lungs.
Good coordinated breathing with compression and expansion of the abdominal area not only tones up the abdominal muscles, but also helps strengthening the low-back muscles.
At psychological level:
Any healthy habits such as walking, jogging, practice of Surya Namaskara that have to be carried out regularly, demands determination and enthusiasm. It requires a level of mental discipline to be regular at practice. At the same time, getting into one such regime with gradual increase in period of practice helps building up an attitude that aids regular practice.
Any activity when carried out in silence, with complete involvement always helps calming the mind. Even here, practice of Surya Namaskara has a much higher psychological effect than walking or similar activity.
Having said so much, Is the habit of early morning walk / jogg bad? Should it not be done at all?
Absolutely not, as long as we understand how we should do it.
While walking in the morning, I noticed few of the things not-at-all right about the fellow walkers and joggers:
1. Few people were walking very briskly, whereas there was a person who was in fact running than jogging.
Our knee joints already bear our entire body weight. Brisk walk or jogging will only increase the compression load, gradually hurting the joints and the cartileges that acts shock-absorbers. Not only the knee-joints and hip joints are put under undue pressure, the shock further travels up causing undesired stress on the entire back. The load is going to be more for a person who is overweight.
Giving more work to the heart should not be the only motive. Care should be taken to keep the other joints and muscles healthy and intact.
2. There were few people who kept talking during their walk, sometimes at higher volume. Any activity without complete involvement never helps. In fact it may work adversely in the sense, an unconscious step put in the haste of talking may hurt badly. There have been instances where a wrong step in a busy shopping mall has caused slip-disc.
Also, any physical activity without involvement may give work only to the body. Whereas, practice in silence helps also the mind.
3. Most of the people used to step with a crossed foot. Anatomically speaking, when a foot is put forward, all the toes should be held in line with the body. Foot should not be at an angle to the body.
There is an explanation for this. Our body is a kinetic chain with muscles, tendons and ligaments holding up the bones in position.
(a) The outward turned foot introduces a force that causes the medial (inner) side of the knee and the thighs to rotate outwardly;
(b) this in turn causes outward movement of the adductor muscles, the groin and thereby partial opening of the hips.
(c) The medial (inner) thigh muscles, the adductors, etc undergo less compression and over a period of time they weaken.
(d) An outward turned leg eventually exerts pressure on the lateral side of the lower back causing discomfort at the lower back.
Most of the postural problems can be addressed by giving attention to the alignment and orientation of the body. All it requires is a conscious effort in this direction. For example, conscious effort in the initial stage to put your foot straight in the direction you walk will help solving most of the lower-back related problems.
Lastly, it is very much important to practice some simple stretching movements at the end of walking or jogging, to relieve the pressure caused in the hamstrings and the low-back. Even after practicing Surya Namaskara, it is necessary to practice stretches to relax the muscles.
To summarise:
1. If you are inclined to practice Surya Namaskara, better do it. Do it in silence, with focus on breathing.
2. If you are satisfied with walking or jogging, again ensure that you do it in silence. And watch your steps; give importance to the anatomical alignment. A walk or jog should be done elegantly. Never abuse your joints.
It is more beneficial to walk at a relaxed pace (or a little faster for that matter) for a longer duration, than following a brisk-walk or jogging regime for a shorter duration.
Some simple movements to relax the low-back are given here:
1. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #1
2. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #2
3. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #3
Before this, as a daily practice, I practiced 120 cycles of Surya Namaskara taking 50 minutes, wearing Heart rate monitor. Even this was at a moderate speed of 40 seconds per cycle of Surya Namaskara.
I am not intending to make a comparative study between Surya Namaskara and Walking. But, I want to share few of the differences I happened to notice.
Walking at a moderate pace (4.5 Kms/hour) for an hour may burn same amount of energy as that would have been doing Surya Namaskara. But the comparison ends there.
At physical level:
1. Surya Namaskara employs all the major joints in the body giving movements in the right direction; whereas, walking mostly employs only the lower extremities.
2. In the upright position, as while walking, the spinal column undergoes compression due to gravity. In addition to this, shocks traveling from the foot through the ankle, the knee and the hip joints, though absorbed at these joints, induce little more compression on the lower back. Brisker the walk, greater the compression force on the back.
Surya Namaskara is a compilation of scientifically well-sequenced postures, designed in such a way that the involving muscles and joints undergo various degrees of compression and extension, and movements in different planes.
For example, while bhujangAsana gives a nice back bending to the spine (with the highest compression in the lumbar spine), adhO-mukha-shvAnAsana introduces good stretch to the entire spine and the hamstring musculature.
3. While walking helps improving the functioning of the heart and the lungs, Surya Namaskara does it better. Postures such as adhO-mukha-shvAnAsana, uttAnasana introduces inversion of blood to the heart increasing the blood flow to the heart, while chaduranga-danDAsana, bhujangAsana helps opening up the chest cavity improving the health of the lungs.
Good coordinated breathing with compression and expansion of the abdominal area not only tones up the abdominal muscles, but also helps strengthening the low-back muscles.
At psychological level:
Any healthy habits such as walking, jogging, practice of Surya Namaskara that have to be carried out regularly, demands determination and enthusiasm. It requires a level of mental discipline to be regular at practice. At the same time, getting into one such regime with gradual increase in period of practice helps building up an attitude that aids regular practice.
Any activity when carried out in silence, with complete involvement always helps calming the mind. Even here, practice of Surya Namaskara has a much higher psychological effect than walking or similar activity.
Having said so much, Is the habit of early morning walk / jogg bad? Should it not be done at all?
Absolutely not, as long as we understand how we should do it.
While walking in the morning, I noticed few of the things not-at-all right about the fellow walkers and joggers:
1. Few people were walking very briskly, whereas there was a person who was in fact running than jogging.
Our knee joints already bear our entire body weight. Brisk walk or jogging will only increase the compression load, gradually hurting the joints and the cartileges that acts shock-absorbers. Not only the knee-joints and hip joints are put under undue pressure, the shock further travels up causing undesired stress on the entire back. The load is going to be more for a person who is overweight.
Giving more work to the heart should not be the only motive. Care should be taken to keep the other joints and muscles healthy and intact.
2. There were few people who kept talking during their walk, sometimes at higher volume. Any activity without complete involvement never helps. In fact it may work adversely in the sense, an unconscious step put in the haste of talking may hurt badly. There have been instances where a wrong step in a busy shopping mall has caused slip-disc.
Also, any physical activity without involvement may give work only to the body. Whereas, practice in silence helps also the mind.
3. Most of the people used to step with a crossed foot. Anatomically speaking, when a foot is put forward, all the toes should be held in line with the body. Foot should not be at an angle to the body.
There is an explanation for this. Our body is a kinetic chain with muscles, tendons and ligaments holding up the bones in position.
(a) The outward turned foot introduces a force that causes the medial (inner) side of the knee and the thighs to rotate outwardly;
(b) this in turn causes outward movement of the adductor muscles, the groin and thereby partial opening of the hips.
(c) The medial (inner) thigh muscles, the adductors, etc undergo less compression and over a period of time they weaken.
(d) An outward turned leg eventually exerts pressure on the lateral side of the lower back causing discomfort at the lower back.
Most of the postural problems can be addressed by giving attention to the alignment and orientation of the body. All it requires is a conscious effort in this direction. For example, conscious effort in the initial stage to put your foot straight in the direction you walk will help solving most of the lower-back related problems.
Lastly, it is very much important to practice some simple stretching movements at the end of walking or jogging, to relieve the pressure caused in the hamstrings and the low-back. Even after practicing Surya Namaskara, it is necessary to practice stretches to relax the muscles.
To summarise:
1. If you are inclined to practice Surya Namaskara, better do it. Do it in silence, with focus on breathing.
2. If you are satisfied with walking or jogging, again ensure that you do it in silence. And watch your steps; give importance to the anatomical alignment. A walk or jog should be done elegantly. Never abuse your joints.
It is more beneficial to walk at a relaxed pace (or a little faster for that matter) for a longer duration, than following a brisk-walk or jogging regime for a shorter duration.
DO NOT FORGET TO RELAX YOUR BACK AND FOLLOW SOME SIMPLE STRETCHING EXERCISES AFTER A JOG OR A WALK.
Some simple movements to relax the low-back are given here:
1. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #1
2. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #2
3. Yoga: Relaxing the back - Session #3
Excellent blog. Thanks for putting it up
ReplyDeleteyour page layout and the content was just awesome..nice
ReplyDeleteVery well written and quite educative. Activities like walking or jogging are hardly done in the right way; quite often one does not pay attention to small details like how one's foot is kept while walking or jogging. Hope this write up becomes an eye opener.
ReplyDeleteVery well written on the benefits of surya namaskar
ReplyDelete