I used to have a desk job. With my knees bent most of the day, it is no wonder my hamstrings were always tight.  Now that I am lucky enough to work as a professional gardener, I enjoy the daily benefits of fresh air and constant exercise. My guess is that gardeners have a good chance of living longer because of the healthy lifestyle. So here are some helpful yoga poses that anyone can use to get the most out of the gardening experience.

The Warrior pose comes in very handy when dealing with pests. Whether spraying yellow jacket nests or just aphids, the outstretched arm holds the pesticide away from the body.  Deep breaths that expand the diaphragm are essential to any garden yoga pose — just not if you are downwind of any residual spray.  Note the importance of maintaining balance in this pose in case you need a quick escape from angry hornets or a stray dog.

Speaking of dogs, the Upward Dog pose is very helpful when pruning the lowest branches of low-growing woody plants. This position allows the gardener to work into some tight spots such as under this dogwood. When finished with the low branch pruning, there should be enough room to assume the Downward Dog position in order to gather the trimmings and pull any stray weeds in the area.

The Lord of the Dance pose comes in handy when you have deep beds.  The weight of one outstretched leg balances the torso and allows a further reach for deadheading. This pose is not recommended on windy days especially when deadheading something thorny such as these Knockout roses.

Okay, so I’m having a little fun with my blog entry today.  But I do have firm convictions about the health benefits of gardening.  Sometimes a little humor helps get the message across.  And it is a fact that my hamstrings have never been looser!

Posted by Bob Rensel

Tags: Yoga

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Bob Rensel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.