Top 4 Yoga Workouts for MMA To Reduce Chances Of Injury

Starting an intense workout routine after spending a passive lifestyle for a long time can test your body. The world we live in today runs according to the clock. You will see people struggling to find enough time to cook a decent meal. This is where you will see takeout, bad diet, lazy lifestyle, and intense working routines where they will sit behind computers most of the day.

In this intense lifestyle getting back in the ring without getting into shape means you will get injured right away. This also means that once you get injured, you will need too much time to recover and your routine of seeking rest and living a very passive and dormant lifestyle will prevail even more. This is the reason you need to get your body into shape before you start your workout.

How Does Flexibility Help You Improve Your Training?

To understand the idea of flexibility you need to understand the function of your muscles every time you lift something or you move, your muscle has to move according to the body and bones structure. If you lift something heavy, your muscle needs to extend. However, in most cases when you live a passive lifestyle, your muscles lose flexibility and become very rigid. The angle of movement and its extension capacity becomes very limited.

As a result, when you start your workout and you try to move according to the requirement of exercise, your muscles will only move to a certain limit. Beyond that limit, when you move your muscle or try to test its limit, you will either feel strain or your muscle fibers will rupture. This strain means you will have to wait for the fibers to heal.

Usually, after the healing, the replaced fibers are strong and flexible enough that they can support the movement. This is the reason you might have noticed that if you have never worked out and you start your workout, you will have very limited muscle movement and angle of movement. However, with the right workout and daily exercise, your movement will extend and you will be able to work in a better way.

With the help of this article, we will look at some of the best and most effective yoga moves that will improve your body’s flexibility. This workout will not only help you prevent the chance of injury, but you can also use it as a warm-up exercise.

Top 4 Yoga Workouts for MMA to Reduce Chances Of Injury

Utkatasana

This is also called chair pose. For this pose, you will follow the same pose as squat but you have to make sure that your hands are just above your head. This will help you focus on the strength of your lower body and as you extend your arms above, you will be able to work on the arms muscles as well.

Vajrasana

Commonly known as the diamond pose. This pose requires you to tuck your feet under your buttock as you take a seat on the floor. Now, keep your hands on the knee in your lap. Keep your back straight and breathe through your nose. This pose will help you fix your posture and work on the flexibility of your chest muscles as well as your shoulders and your back.

Paschimottanasana

This pose is known as the forward bend and it can be a little tricky for the beginner. For this pose, you will have to sit straight and then extend your legs straight as well. Now use your hands to reach your toes and then tug on them till you can touch your chest down on the knees. This pose will help you strengthen your lower back muscles as well as your legs and your arms.

Chakrasana

This is the most common pose and you might have seen people testing their flexibility through this pose as well. This pose is known as the forward fold or table pose. You will be required to lay down and then use your legs and arms to lift the weight of your torso. Make sure you are not getting lower stretch instead, go up till you see your back getting into a curved shape.

Bottom Line

To sum it all up, it all comes down to the workout you choose. Although stretching is the main principle in all kinds of exercises you also have to keep in mind that there are static stretching techniques as well as dynamic stretching techniques. Apart from this, focusing on the flexibility of just one muscle group will make you weak, and eventually, you will get injured somewhere else. While forming a good workout, always start with simple full-body workouts that will help you work on all muscles at the same time. Also, keep in mind that before working on muscle strength you need to work on flexibility first.

 

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BJJ / Grappling tips: Yoga & Jiujitsu

Adding yoga to jiujitsu is a great idea. The functional understanding of your body that the poses and flows of yoga give you, not to mention the breath control and mental focus, will go a long way to help both prevent injury by strengthening your joints and muscles and raise your competitive performance. Just look at the examples of Eddie Bravo, Sebastian Brosche and any Gracie. 

The thing is, we already know this. 

So why aren't yoga studios full of aspiring jiujitsu practitioners? The reasons are many:

1. Lack of additional time

2. Money

3. Not really knowing where to start...etc

All these reasons are perfectly valid and if like to use this post to help you overcome some of them. 

BJJ: Don't follow Keenan Cornelius' routines!

I was recently listening to a great in depth interview of competition phenom Keenan Cornelius by BJJ black belt and the man behind Grapplearts.com Stephan Kesting. Stephan is an expert journalist and really presses his interviewees for thorough and detailed responses. I liked a lot of Keenan's answers and it's always enlightening to hear what competitors in the top echelons have to say so expect many more posts inspired by that interview. Nevertheless, he said a few things that I disagreed with and want to bring up here.

BJJ Tips: self defence, what is it? What is this "self" and what are we "defending" it against / from?

Self defence is one of the primary reasons for seeking instruction in a martial art, such as Gracie or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The problem, however, is that not all teachers of martial arts agree on what self defence actually entails. Rightly or wrongly, some instructors mean "staying safe from punches and other strikes in an altercation".



Others refer to a preset number of scenarios they'll drill such as "escapes against  bear hugs" or "escapes from pins against the wall"



while others go as far as including local / national legal consequences and definitions of "reasonable force".



I think defining the "self" and "defence" will go a long way to help us address this question.*

The Self: What is it?

There are many ways to look at what constitutes self so I will summarise my way of looking at it here:

BJJ instruction: Quality can not be faked!

Jiu Jitsu equips us for life.

I recently listened to a brilliant interview with Hollywood actor and BJJ black belt under Sean Patrick Flanery on InsideBJJ where he said that he wouldn't trade the knowledge, confidence and relationships he built on the path to the black belt for a suitcase of 50 million dollars or even more. I am not a BJJ black belt so I can't say I completely know where he's coming from but sometimes things happen in life that give me a glimpse of the inner values of jiu jitsu.

I had a yoga session on Wednesday. Nothing new here, as Wednesday lunch time is the usual time our work gym has yoga on the schedule. The only difference is that our Uber-competent gym manager is leaving for a bigger, more challenging role at another location so after interviews she has handed over the duties to a new gym manager. Today, she was not in and he took all the classes and duties, yoga included.

Within seconds I could sense that this was going to be a very different yoga session. I immediately told myself that different is not necessarily bad so let's rock and roll and see where this is going. Within 10 minutes, however, my suspicions were confirmed and within 20 I was ready to get up and leave (which I didn't by the by, out of politeness). Why do I say that? Because I was still cold yet he was putting me in weird positions with very little in the way of instructions and details that make yoga the magical discipline that it is.

Here are a few tell-tales:

BJJ / Grappling and other activities: Yoga, swimming, tuina-massage and personal training

I haven't trained any BJJ or grappling since my private session with my brother Sam last Friday (23rd December) and while I do admit that I miss it, the break has been great. I've had a chance to let my skin recover, my tummy to fill and my joints to rejuvinate. This whole rejuvination theme made me think of the array of things we can do to stay healthy. Grappling and BJJ take their toll on the body and mind so it's imortant to utilise the many activities that help us keep together. My favourite are BJJ / Grappling specific personal training, massage, Yoga and swimming.

The Labs BJJ is part of the amazing CFS BJJ team, an IBJJF accredited school, under black belt Mr David Onuma. The Labs BJJ is also part of Fighting Fit Manchester. Fighting Fit Manchester has many other facets related to martial arts, fitness and wellness that don't all fall under The Labs banner, all led by very passionate and highly qualified people. I took advantage of Fighting Fit having two such subject matter experts recently.

BJJ Video Tips: Finishing Straight Armbars from Spider Web / Mount

I have decided to make and post more videos. They really help me get my point across but more importantly, they help start a discussion from the blog readers.

Here is a short video I made with my brother Mr Sam Wandi demonstrating how a weight management principle I picked up in Yoga can be applied to positions and submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. To demonstrate the point, I use the straight armbar. Please let me know what you think:



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Auxiliary Training and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling

It's important to treat it as that: auxiliary. If the intensity, duration or frequency of there sessions has a negative effect on your performance in BJJ / grappling / MMA then you have gone too far. All types of exercise exert stress on your body and dig a proportionate hole into your recovery reserves and you need to weigh off that against the potential benefit that auxiliary training will bring you.

Keeping the above in mind, there is also a hierarchy in building the attributes that you need for grappling and BJJ:

1. Mobility.
2. Endurance.
3. Strength.

You simply need enough mobility to be able to perform all the fundamentals of your art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Find a simple and reliable programme to increase your range of motion in your wrists, shoulders, neck, lower back, hips and ankles and stick to it. A Yoga vinyasa (chain) like the Sun Salutation is excellent. Notice I didn’t say flexibility! Flexibility is awesome and I stretch loads every single day, but I do it because I enjoy it. For a dynamic art like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or any other martial art) you need to work on your joint mobility. Rotation work ala Pavel is the way forward.

Once happy with this basic level of flexibility it's time to work on your gas. Once again it's important to remember why you're doing this. This is nothing to do with your Lactic Acid Threshold. You're not aiming to become a long distance runner, or any kind of runner for that matter. Don't get overzealous and push past the lactic acid barrier. Keep the pace and intensity low and never allow these sessions to interfere with your ability to train your main sport and art. If anything, there sessions will help you move the blood around and flush any remaining lactic acid out of your grappling muscles, not generate some more!

Next on the agenda is strength. Once again, keep the goal in mind and don't train like a body builder or a power lifter. Focus instead on strengthening your back, core and legs and perhaps leave the holy bench press aside for a while. You want to be strong in the areas that end up carrying toe most tension and stress during grappling so you can stay healthy and grapple your whole life.



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PART 3: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my favourite books is Anita Bean's "Food for Fitness". A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.

As promised here is part 3 of 3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

1. Drink water. I don't even want to joke about changing this one. The water break has both a very important physiological importance but also an important social value. It's a half-time get-together for you and your friends and if you ever can't get a technique/move/the energy and you don't want to feel alone, the water break is a great opportunity to exchange "I'm completely lost here too!" looks.

Original tip: Drink water.

2. Take a holistic approach to your art: I don't buy into the whole "Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a sport, a self defence system or a martial art?" question. It's everything and that's how I treat it. I love everything about it. The gi, the rash-guard, the MMA, the headlock escapes...the lot!

I remember hearing Marcio Feitosa talk about this on a Fightworks Podcast a few months ago and I completely agree. Why restrict yourself when the art/sport/activity is so encompassing?

Original tip: Eat fruit instead of drinking juice.

3. Beware of scams and empty quick-fix promises: Why oh why would you want this complex art that takes long hours on the mat to master to be easier and quicker to master? It's the equaliser in fights against someone who is bigger, stronger and fitter. It's a joy to share with like-minded people for years and years. It's the next thing to magic! It...takes...time. Let it!

I'm joking (a little) We want it easier and simpler because we are rational beings and because the geography of BJJ / Grappling is different to that of standing, walking and sitting that we are so used to. We think we can solve the riddle, or at least buy the solution on EBay or Amazon (or steal it from YouTube!) and, naturally, that creates an opportunity for people to sell us more and more products, books and courses.

I'm not against books, DVDs or Internet based instruction. I frikkin' love it. I am, however, very selective and don't expect miracles. I expect what I learn in 30 minutes online to still take me hours on the mat to learn and internalize.

Original tip: Beware of "reduced fat" labels.

4. Don't go on EBay or Amazon when your ego is bruised: Nice lead from the previous point. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an art of self development, but we are all guilty of self-Envelopment every now and again.

We are on the mat, we work hard and we get tapped and that's the reality of it. We take it personally sometimes though, especially if there is a question of differing belt colours. Damn them! How dare they! I need to learn how to counter that NOW!

If you go looking online for solutions, they will immediately materialize in the shape of books, DVDs and crystal balls and before you know it you will have a stack of them but no continuation and, chances are, you will still get tapped, just by a new sub!

Original tip: Don't go shopping when you're hungry.

5. Dedicate more time to positional transitions (escapes, sweeps and passes) and less to the cool submissions: Transitions open doors and teach habits. To me, that's the secret of Jiu Jitsu. The way I see a submission (triangle, armbar, footlock...etc.) is as a tighter and tighter position that can't really get any tighter. I have no doubt in my mind that the triangle choke was discovered by mistake when someone escaped mount to half guard, then to guard, then to high guard and then to triangle set up position (one arm in) and then suddenly, the frying pan got hot and someone passed out. Bingo. Focus on climbing the transitional chain and you'll get every submission along the way.

Original tip: Replace half your carbohydrates with veggies.

6. Spend some down time writing a game plan.

Beginning: You shake hands.
End: Someone taps.

Take sometime to fill in the different scenarios of what can happen in between and start working on assigning different solution ideas to the challenges along. Let me get you started:

They establish a good grip on you : break their grip
They pull guard : Hip in and posture up
They open their closed guard : go to combat base, get your grips on the pants and work for a bull-fighter pass (example)...etc.

Why not borrow a start-up flowchart from one of the greatest players: Rickson Gracie's flowchart part one and part two.

Original tip: Match every excuse to a solution.

7. Pack your gym bag the night before and have some spares: This is to avoid excuses to skip the session and to save time. When you get home after the session, don't just take your dirty stuff out of the gym bag. Replace it with clean kit straight away. Since I started doing that, I've not arrived without a rash guard / gi / belt / groin guard / athletic tape...etc. in 5 years.

Original tip: Carry healthy snacks.

8. Use BJJ / Grappling to revolutionise your whole life: I don't mean be a tool towards the rest of the world by telling everyone you meet "Oh I can't eat that / play that / drink that / wear that because a 2 strip blue belt you know!"

However, if starting BJJ / Grappling / MMA is the first move you've taken for your life into a healthy direction then why not compliment it with some early morning stretching, drinking less booze, spending some quality time with loved ones at the dinner table instead of eating in front of the TV...etc. Don't just do something healthy, allow yourself to become a healthier person.

Original tip: Stock up with healthy foods.

There you go ladies and gents. It's been a brain twister for me to transform the diet tips to BJJ / Grappling tips but it was great fun and made me put my own practice under the microscope. I know I can be guilty of, for example, number 4 in the list and I'm working on it. Being poorer helps!

Thanks Mr Recession for stopping me from googling "How to choke frikkin' Wrestler Freaks who pass my open guard!".


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PART 2: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my favourite books is Anita Bean's "Food for Fitness". A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.

As promised here is part 2 of 3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

Let me start by saying that this is NOT a weight-loss post!

As some of you know, one of my favourite books is Anita Bean's "Food for Fitness". It's a great book that tells you what to eat to enhance performance. It centres around everyday items like bananas, porridge, coffee and eggs and while there are many other books that do that (believe me I've read many!) what's awesome about this one is that it addresses the questions of "how much" and "when" to eat! Just yesterday I used it to time the consumption of my cereal bar before my session and my recovery shake and meal and I had one of the best BJJ sessions ever!

But enough about the book - well, almost.

A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.

Naturally, since the 22 is a lotta tips, I will break it up in 2-3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

1. Do several, smaller sessions: The best way to learn anything really but especially something as demanding as BJJ / Grappling is to restrict your training to 1hr sessions and do a number of them. If you can, do several in a day. Naturally, they can't all be hard sparring. Personally, I do a dynamic yoga and stretching session in the morning before work (30-45 minutes), a light strength, core and balance session at lunch time (30-45 minutes) and 2 hr sessions on the mat 2-4 days per week. To me, it's all BJJ / Grappling.

Original tip: Eat several, smaller meals.

2. Limit your technique choices: Bruce Lee once said: You want to learn how to punch? Punch! If you want your triangles to get sharper, limit yourself to only using triangles for a month. Something amaxing will start to happen: You will start seeing triangles from angles you never thought about!

Original tip: Limit your food choices.

3. Center your practice around smaller areas the game: Dedicating a month or two to getting solid at mount and side control escapes will give your overall game and confidence a much bigger boost than trying to "get better at everything!" in that month or two.

Original tip: Practice portion control.

4. Don't ban fun techniques: There is nothing wrong with blending in crazy-ass flying techniques and funky shizzle into your overall roll. The flying armbar shouldn't be your only sub but it sure is fun to play around sometimes!

Original tip: Don't ban your favourite foods.

5. Don't skip breakfast. I don't want to change that one. If you have a suggestion please post a comment but I really like this one just the way it is.

6. Never, ever skip the warm-up phase. If you are like the absolute majority of BJJ / Grappling practitioners around the world, you are a Part-Time Grappler. You probably have a job or go to school = sit around for several hours per day. This means your basic physiology is on a different setting than that needed for rolling around with a resisting partner of similar weight. Your awareness is not there. Your eye-hand-foot-hip coordination is still sound asleep. Wake it all up with a nice progressive warm-up.

Original tip: Start with salad.

7. Pay attention to rest and recovery. I remember reading a blog post by Rosi Sexton about recovery (highly recommended read) that made me buy less recovery pills and shakes and sleep more and eat better!

Original tip: Sleep more.

Sorry for such a long post and I hope you liked these. Part two coming soon.

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BJJ Tips: Wanna Get Better at BJJ / Grappling? What Are You Gonna Do About It?

On my way to work I listened to yet another excellent podcast by the Fightworks Podcast. The conversation in mind was with Pedro Sauer black belt Keith Owen. It was a great interview and, as great interviews do, it inspired a few questions in me:

1. Apart from training at your gym/academy/school…etc., do you do any training on your own (attributes/technique)?
2. Do you watch BJJ / Grappling material analytically?
3. Do you read BJJ / Grappling material analytically?
4. Do you research ways to improve your diet and supplementation?

All these questions revolve around one central theme:

In what way(s) are you taking ownership of getting better at the sport/art/endeavour you love so much?

Those of you who have been following this blog may now that I'm no believer in "discipline" or "sacrifice" and that my Buddhist inspiration automatically makes me more "NOW" and "experience" driven than "plans" and "future" so I'm not asking what do you hope/wish/plan on doing, adding, incorporating or stopping...etc. in order to understand and play BJJ / Grappling better, but rather what ARE you doing now?

Rather than try to live in the what-could/should/ought to-be, live in the what-is.

Above is a picture I took of my little daily lab. Every day that I go to the gym, I play with these tools to understand more about BJJ / Grappling. I don't do it because I should or ought to or even because someone recommended it. I do it because it makes me happy and because I see my favourite hobby in a different light.

How about you? Play much?

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Acceptance: My First Bikram Yoga Session

I did my first ever Bikram yoga session this Friday gone. What an amazing yet hellish idea. I choose my words carefully.

Bikram yoga is a series of 26 yoga postures and 2 breathing exercises done in a room heated up to 105 degrees F (40 C). Prepare to sweat buckets and to see people of all shapes and sizes in very little clothing.

Your yoga mat is covered with a large towel which is dripping wet by the end. The postures themselves are not out of the yoga-ordinary nor are the breathing exercises. The major thing that strikes you from the moment you check out the website until the moment you say good bye to the smiley-faced staff behind the reception is the ultra professionalism at hand. From the expert headset-lead tuition to water bottles to the rentals (mats and towels) to the beautiful shower facilities. This is definitely Yoga for the 21st century.

Now to the session itself. The first hurdle is the heat. It is overwhelming. But thankfully, that's also the biggest hurdle. Once you are past the first 10 minutes or so (there's no direct way of knowing as there were no clocks on the walls!) you adjust a little to it. The exercises are challenging but not too challenging and, thankfully, the toughest ones come with levels and versions (if you've been here less than 9-10 times do this, but we are aiming to, over time, do that). It really was a hell of a session (all pun intended) and I warmly (last one I promise) recommend it to everyone.

One a personal note, as some of you who kindly follow this blog will know, I went there to:

1. Experience it first hand*
2. Pick up some notes on posture and positions for my own lunch-time practice sessions**

As I sat there in one of the postions, I looked in the mirror. I was covered in sweat. My arms and legs pretzeled in a crap rendition of Rickson and my belly was hanging out and I was happy. I accpeted myself.

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*so many people were offering their own personal views on why I should or shouldn't go. Many of whom had actually never been themselves. Experience is king!

**I also wanted to check this as a potential weekly activity for Sharon and I to do together but unfortunately due to last minute shift changes she couldn't make it. Next time hopefully.

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Free the Mahi Mahi: BJJ as a vehicle for enlightenment

How do you view your training? Is it a sport to you? Is it an Art? Is it perhaps both? I think the vast majority of BJJ / Grappling players are in it for reasons past the very obvious self-defence aspects. To me it’s a life style, but not just in the sense of the sport (gi, no gi, MMA...etc.), the auxiliary exercises (conditioning, yoga...etc) or even the friends I have made along the way. As grateful as I am for all the above, to me, BJJ / Grappling is more still.

I can’t stop thinking about BJJ. It’s in everything I do and the principles of the art have come to colour everything I do, touch or read. For many years I have toyed with many philosophies. In the nineties it was Taoism and earlier this century (how cool is that saying!) I was really into Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. At the moment, Buddhism is calling my name. Anyone who knows me will tell you, however, that I’m not really that hung up on the –ism itself. I strongly believe that someone could exemplify a principle perfectly without having ever heard of it. I'm into the ideas behind the -isms, not the trinkets.

I like to test ideas and BJJ / Grappling is my testing grounds. Let me give you a couple of examples: Marcelo Garcia talks about something that, to my ears, screams of Karma in his Fightworks Podcast interview. He talks about how he needs to test himself and better himself and how he sees sharing his knowledge with others as a way to do that.

At the same time, there is a lot of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism in BJJ / Grappling: An A is an A and it cannot be anything else at the same time. There is a right way to perform an armbar* and a wrong way.

How about the rest of you Part Time Grapplers out there? Do you see your BJJ / Grappling as a vehicle for personal development past the obvious physical side? I would love to hear your take on this.

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*Conceptually and fundamentally, not stylistically. Here is the best explanation I’ve seen of this idea.

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More on Yoga and BJJ / Grappling

At the request of fellow blogger and honorary Part Time Grappler Georgette Oden, here are some more thoughts on the Yoga-BJJ / Grappling connection.

Let me start by saying that Yoga will not make your BJJ / Grappling techniques better per se.

What it will do, is improve your body awareness and sensitivity. Please take the time to watch the following 6-minute video

The Alexis Brothers from the world famous Cirque Du Soleil

I saw the Alexis Brothers on a CDS dvd two years ago and again live when the show came to town and I could immediately see that what they were doing was not merely an act of extreme strength.

Don't get me wrong, they are very very strong but they more importantly:

1. Know exactly how to handle their own body weight
2. Know exactly how to handle each others body weight

And what is guard passing, indeed what is BJJ / Grappling, if not exactly these two points!
By putting your body into positions and angles that teach your hands, feet, knees, elbows, spine...etc. how to handle your weight you are half way there. The reasons I choose Yoga are:

1. The added benefit of breath control, Pranayama
2. The flexibility you gain in the muscles
3. The agility you gain in the joints

and a few, more personal reasons that fit in with the Part Time Grappler mentality:

1. Yoga is, or at least can be, low impact. This means I can do lots and lots of Yoga without overtaxing my body.
2. Unlike Pilates, Yoga is very low-maintenance. All you need is a small space and off you go!
3. You don't have to sweat when doing Yoga. You can definitely push yourself and get a cardio workout out of it, but I aim for approximately 19 sessions per month, and that would result in an impractical amount of laundry. I'm sure this just put a smile on your face but it is indeed a factor that you have to take into account. I do my 45min yoga sessions up to three times per day and never push so hard to break a sweat! I could, but that's not why I do it.
4. Yoga is old and well studied. There is an ocean of information on it online, in books, DVDs, YouTube and other sources. You can get all the basics with a few clicks.
5. Yoga is quite popular and well spread-out in the world, and hence finding a teacher for the odd technical session here or there is not difficult. Good luck finding a Ginastica Natural qualified instructor within a 20km radius (that's 12.4 US miles :) )
6. It's easier to sell Yoga to other family members. My wife would rather join me in a few stretches than in a jog or...God forbid...a BJJ / Grappling roll.
7. Weight distribution: The Holy Grail of Efficiency. Like the great Bruce Lee once said: You wanna learn how to punch? Punch! You wanna learn how to kick? Kick! I'd like to add: You wanna learn how to transfer your body weight from the right hand to the left foot when guard passing? Play around in Downward dog!

I intend to do more, fuller posts on Yoga-postures v BJJ / Grappling Positions soon. I'm just weary of the fact that I'm not an expert in either and don't want people to think that I'm claiming that. These are just my own ideas that I have played with and developed over time and bits and bobs I have stolen from my years in Karate and Taiji. Weight distribution and anchoring are my favourite areas of BJJ / Grappling (even more so than submissions).

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How Often Do You Train? BJJ Tips on The Part Time Approach

The picture above is off the monthly attendance sheets our work-gym posts up. It shows that yours truly did 19 sessions in the month of October. My focus for October was Yoga so that’s 19 x 45 min sessions of yoga (over 14hrs). This is on top of the usual 10-12 x 1.5 hr BJJ / Grappling sessions I get down per month (15-18hrs). That's 19-22 hrs per month where my body gets to experience gravity and motion in alternative ways. Doing a Yoga downward-dog not only stretches your muscles but also subjects your hands and feet to your entire body's weight in a way that will add leaps and bounds to your guard passing. More on the links between Yoga and BJJ / Grappling that in future articles.

This is the amount of time I can fit around full-time work, university assignments and having a wife and family. How do I manage? I plan and I never waste time. I get up at 6 everyday Monday-Friday and I'll on the yoga mat by 7.55 for my 1st session. I get my second session at lunch time most days and use the time between 5 and 7 (end of work and start of BJJ) to do some studying or reading.

Why am I telling you this? Because I'm sick and tired of hearing people making excuses. Yes it's getting really dark very early. Yes it's cold, miserable and rainy outside. Yes it takes some effort and planning to get to the gym/mat. But it's worth it.

I don't believe in sacrifices. I love the things that I do and don't care for the things I don't. I don't care who's on the X-factor and who isn't. I don't feel a light Yoga session is too much to ask of my body at 8 in the morning and neither does my body for that matter.

Look around you and examine your life and work situation. What can you be without and what can you use more efficiently? The Part Time Opportunities are there and plenty too if you look for them.

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