By RYAN TRARES Daily Journal staff writer
What’s your workout: Ross Corson (go to DJ article)
EDITOR’S NOTE — You know that a little exercise can go a long way in improving your physical and mental health. But summoning the motivation and finding the time to walk, run or ride a bike often get in the way. In our weekly What’s your workout, we talk to area residents about their workouts, what keeps them motivated and more.
Ross Corson said one of the benefits of yoga is increased flexibility. PHOTO BY RYAN TRARES
Name: Ross Corson
Age: 30
City of residence: Greenwood
Occupation: Yoga instructor and entrepreneur
Where do you practice? Evolutions@Yoga
How many hours a week? Five to 10 hours
What’s your daily or weekly routine? The routine varies — variety is the spice of life. My practice of yoga has taught me that nothing in this world is completely static and unchanged. An ancient saying goes, “You never step in the same river twice.” The breath, postures and routines have become the foundations for noticing the plethora of changes taking place in my body and mind every time I step on my mat to practice.
Why is it something you’ve stuck with? Yoga sticks to me. I have never been extremely motivated to “work out,” but yoga is different. The more I practice yoga, the more it gives back to me. I don’t merely get stronger or healthier; I feel better, rejuvenated and more connected to my body, mind and world. Plus, there is no goal to achieve. Hence, nothing to feel defeated about if it doesn’t happen in the expected time frame or not at all. It is merely a constant practice. And this practice doesn’t make perfect, just 1 percent better. I’ll take it.
How do you make time to practice? I consider myself to be extremely fortunate because my life is my practice. My workout never ends. Whether I am stretching an bending the physical body or flexing mental muscles, every moment is an opportunity to practice. I can take a moment out of a stressful day and just breathe with intention, and I am practicing. That’s the beauty of yoga; it provides useful tools for life, not just a good workout.
When and why did you get serious about fitness? Well, I got serious about yoga when Evolutions@Yoga was founded by Jenni Keith and myself in 2008. I had been studying the philosophical, scholastic versions of the science but had yet to experience it for myself. At first, I took myself and the practice a little too serious, leading to frustration and depression about my body and its lack of ability. However, after learning more and letting go of much anger and frustration, I am now able to do things I never thought possible. More importantly, because I had such a hard time learning and letting go, I am able to teach others how to begin a practice, have fun and not be too serious about yoga.
Have you lost weight or gained muscle mass through working out? This is a fun question in the context of yoga. In a yoga practice weight loss and increased muscle mass are like the tiny scrolling, fast-spoken sie effects mentioned at the end of a drug advertisement. The difference is that all the side effects of yoga are positive: weight loss, increased muscle mass and control, increased energy, decreased stress, improved circulation and respiration, increased mobility, relaxation — the list goes on and on. I am positive that my body is healthier than when I began, but I have no need to step on the scale to check. I feel better about my body and self and that’s enough for me.
Ross Corson, co-founder of Evolutions@Yoga, said yoga helps him feel more connected to his body. PHOTO BY RYAN TRARES
What’s your favorite exercise? In the context of yoga, I really enjoy the Ashtanga Primary Series, Yoga Chikitsa “Yoga Therapy.” The flow of postures is well over 2000 years old, handed down through generations of practitioners. It is a series of postures linked together with breath, lik a garland of beads linked with a strong cord.
Over the past two years, I have allowed this particular practice to reshape my body and mind and have noticed exponential changes and growth. This practice has blown open the doors of my yoga perceptions. I am now practicing postures that were laughable barely two years ago.
The Primary Series is the foundation on which anyone can build, over a lifetime if it takes that long, a serious yoga practice. It is the first of five flows that increase in difficulty, each one prepares the practitioner for the next. Only about four or five people in the world can do the fifth series.
Any exercises that you dread but do anyway? When I first began practicing yoga there were certain postures that I had a certain disdain for; but with time and practice, those postures became less aggravating and painful. I began to notice the benefits and changes in my body. Now, the dreaded postures are tackled with a playful attitude. I smile and give it my best. What’s the worst that could happen — change?
Do you listen to music when you work out? If so, what’s on your playlist? Absolutely. Some of the songs on my list are: “Be Here Now,” and “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison; “Could You Be Loved” and “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and the Wailers; “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin; “All You Need is Love” and “Come Together” by the Beatles; “We’re All in This Together” by Ben Lee; “Soulshine” by Gov’t Mule; “Dancin’ in the Streets” and “Touch of Grey” by the Grateful Dead; “Such Great Heights” by Iron & Wine; “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson; and “Send Me on My Way” by Rusted Root. There are many, many others.
Do you follow a special diet? Once I started practicing yoga, I noticed that my body was troubled, it was sluggish and gassy. After doing some research I found that this was due to eating meat. My body was working overtime to proces the meat I consumed, causing constant and painful acid-reflux. Plus, I found that most gastro-intestinal issues are caused by how slow meat moves through our bides, indicated by stinky gases.
Therefore, after much deliberation and contemplation — and a final prime rib dinner — I moved into exploring vegetarian eating habits. It has been nearly three years, and I have noticed nothing but positive changes from this alteration of my eating habits.
I still mis a big juicy steak from time to time, but my body has never felt better and is operating much more efficiently. The benefits outweigh the costs, and I’m making less of an impact on the world in the process.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start practicing? Begin right where you are. There always seems to be pressure from media and elsewhere that we have to look a certain way or be capable of doing certain things before we can even begin practicing or working out. With yoga, this is not the case.
Take my body as an example. I had sciatica flare up, lumbar spine compression, pulled back muscles, hip compression, knee pains, tight hamstrings, injured shoulders from swimming and a cracking neck. Had I not started because of these issues, they would still be present in my body and possibly causing more problems, leading to the eventual prescription of surgery.
However, I started practicing, pains and all, and was guided through a long journey into learning how to fix my own body from the inside out. We know what will happen if we do nothing, the question is, what is possible if we do something?
© September 29, 2011: DailyJournal.net
