Understanding body, finding happiness

By Rachel Lee

In today’s society, how to keep trim and maintain discipline has become essential regardless of age, gender and job.

Thus, a growing number of people have been imposing self-discipline on themselves to maintain their best state of mind and body, consistently exercising for their health and well-being.

Yoga and Pilates are among workout regimens pursued by these people. Numerous celebrities have released yoga DVDs with their high level of expertise and know-how. Moreover, what’s noticeable is that the number of men engaging in yoga and Pilates has soared over the years.

Inside a yoga studio in Sinsa-dong in southern Seoul, women and men pick up a mat and sit down getting ready for an hour-and-20-minutes class. The weather is sunny and soft music plays in the background, calming tensions and relaxing the body.

They have one thing in common _ a slim, toned and supple body, which gives an idea of the effects yoga has upon practitioners.

“Unlike weight lifting exercises that only develop muscles, yoga stretches them and maintains body balance,” said Jayeswari Jinhe Min, CEO of Jai Yoga in Seoul, Tuesday. Min, an expert with 13 years experience in the field, said it is about “reaching a balance between physical strength and flexibility in the ratio of 50:50.”

Originating in ancient India about 5,000 years ago, yoga is a Hindu discipline that uses meditation to attain spiritual insight and tranquility. The eastern practice incorporates proper breathing, posture and movement. Depending on methodology and philosophy, yoga is broken down into a number of different types_ including Mantra yoga, Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Hatha yoga.

Hot yoga, categorized as a form of Hatha yoga, is performed under hot and humid conditions and used to be hugely popular in Korea. But it has been on a downward trend.

“An increasing number of people are fed up with hot yoga since it heavily focuses on physical exercise and not so much on meditation,” the expert said.

“However, Vinyasa yoga has become one of the more popular disciplines in Korea and the world because it gives both physical and mental discipline.”

Derived from Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga differs from its predecessor in that it is faster paced and more emphasis is on breathing and the transition in and out of asana.

Generally speaking, yoga itself helps people lose weight and shape their body, but most importantly, it releases the stress coming from modern life, improves the ability to have an insight into mind and purifies the spirit. “Yoga is about finding happiness within yourself,” she said.

Those with bone/muscle problems often tend to seek chiropractors. The Hindu discipline can also be one of the ways to treat problems as it “affects muscles and fascia that surround the bones and eventually reposition them where they should be.” Min added. “It gives the best result when you combine yoga with chiropractic treatment.”

Given those health benefits, more men are knocking on the door of yoga classes.

“It is part of my life now,” said a 38-year-old man living in Ilsan in Gyeonggi province, who wished to remain anonymous. He said he has taken yoga classes for about 2 months to discipline himself, and now his body immediately feels lacking something when he misses even one class. “I have become sensitive and positive-minded since I started,” he added.

But there still exist quite a large number of female-only access studios in Korea. “It was men who created the movements and postures 5,000 years ago, meaning it was a totally a male thing. But when it spread to the Western countries, it was immensely favoured by women, which seems to be the case now,” says the CEO. “But the situation is changing. More male practitioners join our studio these days. About 20 percent are male now, compared to two years ago when there were none.”

Pilates

Make-up artist Kim Hwal-ran, who runs her own studio in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, takes Pilates session at least once a week. She took it up two years ago due to acute work-related illness_ her body slants to the right as she uses her right hand all the time. “Actress Um Ji-won, one of my customers, first recommended I take up Pilates and now I feel my strength and stamina have improved a lot,” said Kim, Tuesday. “I also came to realize I had so many unused inner and outer muscles around the body.”

Pilates is a form of exercise developed by German Joseph H. Pilates in the early 1990s. The system was initially designed for prisoners’ fitness and invented when he worked in a prison in the United Kingdom during the World War I.

“Pilates focuses on stretching and strengthening the body by contracting and relaxing different muscle groups,” said Jun Hong-jo, professor at Sunshin Women’s University, who runs “Art Pilates” in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul on Tuesday. “It eventually improves flexibility, posture, muscle strength and balance,” Jun added.

It’s true that quite a large number of people are still confused about the difference between yoga and Pilates. The former is held in a tranquil atmosphere with no mirrors in the room, which can be a distraction for practitioners from focusing on meditating. The latter is vibrant and requires people to check themselves out in the mirror when they carry out repetitive movements. “While yoga has a more spiritual side and emphasizes uniting body and mind, Pilates focuses more on movements to target specific parts of the body.” the professor said.

With these differences in mind, the exercise system has grown popular, captivating the souls of fitness fanatics all over the globe, proven by the proliferation of instructor licence programs and associations _ including the Korea Pilates Instructor Association and Korea Pilates Association.

Apparatus-based Pilates is available in both one to one and group sessions. It is suitable for people wanting to correct body type and those with pain in their knees, shoulders and lumbar region. It is also popular among sports players and dancers; ballerinas use it regularly combined with another exercise system, “Gyrotonic.”

Gyrotonic incorporates movement principles from yoga, gymnastics, swimming and t’ai chi and uses a wooden machine with rotational discs and weighted pulleys that allow the exerciser to strengthen their muscles using flowing, circular movements.

The professor said that a lot people say they learn how to work on their inner muscles that were never used before. "It’s about knowing your body,” she added.

Jai Yoga is located near Apgujeong station on underground line 3. For more information, visit www.jaiyoga.co.kr or call (02) 3443-9642/9667. Jai Yoga Bundang branch is located near Jeongja station on Bundang underground line. For more information, visit www.jaiyoga.co.kr or call (031) 713-9642.

Art Pilates is located near Apgujeong station on underground line 3. For more information, visit www.artpilates.com or call (02) 511-1127-8.