Stretching back 25m years

A few (again loose) thoughts on barefoot running - and its possible links to yoga.

In order to understand ourselves we have to know our evolutionary history.

Humans are not self-made creations dietarily, but rather have an evolutionary history as anthropoid primates stretching back more than 25 million years, a history that shaped their nutrient requirements and digestive physiology well before they were humans or even protohumans. In homonoids, features such as nutrient requirements and digestive physiology appear to be genetically conservative and probably were little affected by the hunter-gatherer phase of human existence. [Katharine Milton - Hunger-gatherer diets, a different perspective]

In terms of diet and nutrition, there's an increasing awareness that if we emulated the diet of our early ancestors, we'd be able we might be able to avoid "diseases of civilisation".

I would argue that an Ayurvedic diet, popular amongst yogis, needs to be cross-checked against our inborn (genetic) dietary preferences as well. (If it is compliant, an Ayurvedic approach to what and how we eat can be very beneficial, particularly because it works with the idea of doshas.)

A similar argument would apply to exercise.

It seems fair to say that strenuous physical effort was part of the everyday lives of our early ancestors.

In the book "Born to Run" it is argued that the human species survived because it was able to run long distances.

This obviously is in stark contrast with the Western sedentary lifestyle. And we all seem to agree on this point.

What fewer people argue, however, is that it is also going against the yogic idea that focused aerobic exercise is not needed to obtain physical health or well-being.

Perhaps it is no surprise then that India, where yoga originated thousands of years ago, bore few athletes.

Abhinav Bindra became the first ever individual Olympic champion of India. This took place as recent as 2008, at the Men's 10 metre air rifle event.

Lack of regular strenuous exercise increases the risks of civilisation (obesity, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes). A yoga practice alone offers insufficient cardio-vascular benefits.

The intensity of hatha yoga may be too low to provide a training stimulus for improving cardiovascular fitness. Although previous research suggests that hatha yoga is an acceptable form of physical activity for enhancing muscular fitness and flexibility, these data demonstrate that hatha yoga may have little, if any, cardiovascular benefit. [Clay et al]

The yogic counter argument that the heart is used "differently", and that the heart-rate should be kept as low as possible, seems to lack a scientific basis.

In other words, everyone needs exercise, yogis included.

Because barefoot running is part of our essential being, it is the ideal form of exercise for yogis.