Fitness Goals Support Group

lots of theories of thought...

many say to hold 15-30 seconds... in yin yoga they are held anywhere from 3-5 minutes to an hour or so.

depends on your goals and desires for your workout.

Some links:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/s...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stret...
http://www.bodybuildingblog.net/fi...
http://walkingresource.blogspot.com/

there are lots of sites with more info and pictures but these are a start.

I can't believe I missed including this link.
I have found a great deal of helpful info from this site, even though I am no way a bodybuilder!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bb...

Yoga, yoga, yoga. I know people can say they can't fit it in but I do and it makes a HUGE difference all the way around even on a day I'm not doing a full yoga practice. You can incorporate yoga stretches into your cool down. Downward facing dog for instance, when performed correctly, stretches the entire spine, hamstrings and calves along with the shoulder loop. Hip openers are a good idea after lunges as the hips tighten both from and back. Going down into a low lunge with your fingers in tents or if you flexible, elbows on the flow and flexing strongly throw the back heal will get the front. Forward bends, making sure to pull up on the kneecaps to prevent hamstring injuries. You hold them as long as it feels good. Focus more on the quality of your breath and less on the count. Long breaths in and out threw your nose focusing the breath on the muscle your stretching helps tremendously. Listen to your body.

And yoga has done wonders for my spelling today.. what the heck? LOL

A sun salutation only takes about 45 seconds to do.

No harm in knocking a few out in the morning and a few more before bed time!

I must add that yoga is NOT good for everyone.

If you have any joint difficulties, you may have a problem.

I threw out my knee and now have horrible MCL damage because of yoga. After months of physio, I still cannot sit on my heels, never mind return to sessions of bikram yoga.

I also have issues with my rotator cuff which makes several of the positions just about impossible.

Downward/upward dog, sun salutation poses, they are not easily realized for many people. Even the cobra can be tough if you don't have healthy shoulder joints.

general stretches, non yoga, if held for approx 30 seconds, you will know by the feel if the time is long enough.

JustBlue, you really must have had bad instruction because injuries can happen but don't have to. Also, Bikram pushes people to extremes and if you were into a vinyasa/power yoga style or were being too aggressive with yourself and not using correct alignment then you will get hurt. That's not your fault, that's the fault of a very bad instructor. A good basic hatha class should be OK for everyone with a good teacher. I would take in an accredited studio and check out the credentials of the instructor. And sun salutations don't have to be the only option. In yin yoga no one even does sun salutes. I am sorry for your bad experience but in the end there is no such thing as a fully realized pose. It should and will always feel different. Yoga is for everyone. You might not be a pretzel and that's OK but I think with the right instructor you could get big help with your MCL. I'm sorry that happened to you.

There are many many forms of yoga. All yoga is not for everyone.

There are precautions and certain poses should be avoided for some people.

Please make sure to take instruction from someone certified from an accredited association. There is a national yoga group that can tell you who is and who isn't properly certified. When I took my yoga instruction classes, it was a very long intense training, and we had to learn anatomy and physiology. Not all certified people have to do this, and not everyone who teaches is certified.

There is no reason for any injuries in yoga unless the wrong person is teaching you (or someone is self-teaching and pushing too hard)

I appreciate the values of yoga and benefited greatly over 30 years ago. Unfortunately, now it is not helping me at all.

When my knee went in yoga, I literally felt it. I suspect the heat allows one to go further than necessary, so I cannot blame the instructors.

One cannot expect even the best of instructors to provide one on one instructions in a class, even if there are a few as 10 students.
Even with individual assistance, and did receive much of that, you really can't account for any physical limitations that are unknown or unseen.
Yoga may look tame, but it is far from easy. I saw many a young person just get up and leave in the middle of the class as it was just too intense.

I'll stick with cardio, spinning, and weight training, followed by traditional stretching.