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Jeff: Yeah, there is many types of yoga but I'm not such a smart guy so I don't get into all that Hatha Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga and all that stuff. I just do..... sort of what I do is just stretching, but I did learn yoga in India from a Indian yogi, or guru, or whatever you call them, but it's just sort of like stretching, just slow controlled stretching and it's good to have a quiet space and you do it on an empty stomach, and then you just concentrate on nothing or concentrate on your breath and it's very good for your body and your mind.
Todd: So, when you do yoga, you're saying breathing is very important.
Jeff: Yes, that's... to clear your head as well so that you don't have all these ideas and images going through your head: what you have to do in work that day or all your chores or things like that, what was on TV the night before. You concentrate on your breathing. You breath slowly and you focus on your breathing and it's really good because it clears your mind. It clears everything out of your mind.
Todd: Now, even though when you do the stretching, you improve your flexibility, do you think that yoga makes you stronger?
Jeff: Yoga does make you stronger, much stronger because when you're stretching, you're stretching the muscles and you're almost tearing the muscles and then they grow together again stronger, and yeah, you're building muscle but lean muscle. You're not big and bulky. You're lean and fit.
Todd: So when you do the stretching, and you say you're tearing down the muscles, should you feel pain? Does it feel painful?
Jeff: No, you don't have to feel pain. If you want to do heavy, strong yoga, heavy stretching, then yeah, it can be painful but you just do it the way you like. If you start to feel a little bit of pain, you just pull back a little. So no, it doesn't have to be painful. Slow and steady. Slow and steady. If you do it every couple of days, then you will get stronger and you don't have to feel any pain.
Todd: OK, sounds great.
Jeff: You should try it.
Todd: Actually, I should.
Part of Jeff's lifestyle is that he does yoga.
Our 'lifestyle' includes where we live, how we live, and activities we enjoy. Part of lifestyle is one or more of these things. Notice the following:
- Exercise is an important part of his lifestyle.
- Diet is an important part of a healthy life style.
When doing yoga, it is very important to clear your head.
When we 'clear our head,' that means we relax and think positive thoughts. Notice the following:
- Maybe a week off will clear your head.
- I need to clear my head before the exam.
Yoga is good because it clears everything out of your mind.
Here, to 'clear everything out' means to completely stop thinking negative thoughts. Notice the following:
- Jogging clears everything out of my mind.
- He couldn't clear everything out of his mind.
Yoga builds lean muscle, so you don't become big and bulky.
'Bulky' muscle is big, firm and strong. Notice the following:
- His fitness goal is to get big and bulky.
- I'm not attracted to big and bulky men.
If you start to feel pain in yoga, you have to pull back a little.
In any activity, to 'pull back' means to decrease your effort or intensity. Notice the following:
- They had to pull back and regroup.
- If you're tired, pull back a little.
