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FEATURE
Junior Lin
BY
Jun Johns rushi first "T
were
pound, pound, we said.
"lust running the ball.
Ugh."
Game one had North Dakota running the ball 32 times as opposed to the 22 passes in the slow-
Can you run a marathon or lift your weight, but not reach your toes? You're not alone. Though it requires patience and commitment, more than 14 million Americans suit up each week in little more than swimwear to reach their edge in a yoga studio heated to 95 to 105 degrees and practice Hot Yoga.
As the Hot Yoga trend gains popularity, there is an increase in students practicing the fitness regimen. However, medical professionals have expressed concern about potential physiological damage. In 2007 more than 5,500 yoga-related injuries were treated nationwide, according to The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
The popular fitness fad is often confused with Bikram Yoga, which requires instructors to use specified verbal cues to guide a distinct series of 26 poses in intensely heated rooms. Hot Yoga allows instructors to provide individual attention to students performing traditional poses in the same high-heat environment.
The elevated temperature enables increased flexibility, which allows students to build strength by holding difficult poses for longer periods of time. It also increases sweating, allowing the body to release harmful toxins. However, the heat raises concern because of
the dangers it presents, including the potential for dehydration and overstretching.
Amber Long, fitness coordinator at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center, says whenever you're exercising in a high heat environment, the main concern becomes hydration and making sure you replenish the fluids you lose. Although Long says it can be beneficial to do yoga in a warmer environment because it allows the muscles to relax, there
cuff, collarbone and wrist injury after practicing Bikram Yoga, the practice similar to Hot Yoga. She suggests students familiarize themselves with traditional yoga first to understand their own body and avoid pushing too far in heated environments.
Brabender says heat warms the muscle for a deeper stretch, but depending on the person, stretching beyond 20% of the resting length can be damaging. She says heat can also elicit competitiveness, which is neither the intention nor healthy.
RESPECT PAIN AS A SIGNAL FROM YOUR BODY THAT SOME- THING ISN'T RIGHT.
TRISHA BRABENDER
PHYSICAL THERAPIST
LAWRENCE THERAPY SERVICES
are potential dangers. Besides dehydration, a main concern of hot yoga is overstretching.
Trisha Brabender, a physical therapist at Lawrence Therapy Services, suffered a rotator
"It's important for the student and the instructor to respect pain as a signal from your body that something isn't quite right," Brabender says.
The increase of yoga-related injuries might correlate with the proliferation of studios nationwide, Brabender says. She urged students to limit themselves to three or four times a week, hydrate sufficiently and not push beyond their own edge.
Doctors are not the only ones questioning the intensity of hot yoga. Kara Hudson, a graduate student from Wichita, started practicing traditional yoga at the University in January, but has no interest in attempting Hot Yoga.
"At first I wasn't even sure about regular
yoga because it didn't seem like a very good workout, but it is." Hudson says. "Hot Yoga just sounds too intense."
the practice of Hot Yoga, commonly mistaken for Bikram Yoga, emphasizes stretching and poses in high temperatures. This can lead to muscle injury and dehydration.
"You need to hydrate and listen to your body," she says. Breath work, pace and temperature of the class can all have an influence on a participant's level of heat exhaustion.
Horvatin says the American understanding of yoga as exercise is partly responsible for its association with injury because it disregards the promotion of body and breath consciousness. She says it's important to work to your ability and train to advance in your practice.
Mary Horvatin, owner of Yoga Fix Studio in Kansas City, Kan., says yoga, developed in India, was designed to be practiced in heat as a meditative discipline that promoted breath control, health and relaxation. She says both traditional and hot forms are helpful in promoting fitness, and Hot Yoga has the added benefit of detoxifying the body through sweat.
"If you're someone who is Type A and you're trying to compete with your neighbor or push yourself too hard, it's easy to hurt yourself because you're not working to your edge, you're working to a point of pain," Horvatin says. Jp
YOGA-RELATED INJURIES
PHOTOS BY | CHRIS BRONSON
Hamstring Strain
Torn Knee Cartilage
Ankle Sprain
Shoulder Impingement
Neck/Spinal Injuries
paced loss. Last week, Georgia Tech's triple option offense went ballistic with 52 rushing attempts
8.
Johnson
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It was a busy game for a defense that had its top three tacklers register 34 in the game. And somehow, they aren't tired at all, Johnson
said that he and Big 12 defensive player of the week Justin Springer never get tired on the field.
get harder than the games, Johnson said.
"If you want water," he said,
"you better get it on the run."
While the defensive line and linebackers are having all the fun, cornerback Chris Harris is waiting for something to come his way. He has six tackles on the season and has yet to break up or
season, the defensive backs will get some work. Led by receiver DeAndre Brown, who has 165 yards and two touchdowns this season, the Golden Eagles passing offense is ranked 28th in the nation.
Brown had 85 yards and a touchdown against the Jayhawks last season, but Harris has a
I can use to my advantage in the game," Harris said.
But even the defensive front is glad to be back to playing against a normal offense.
"We had to change a lot of things," Agostinho said, "but I'm glad we're back to our normal defense."
— Edited by Tim Dwyer
FOOTBALL
Reesing's book offers inside look
BY MIKE LAVIERI
mlavieri@kansan.com
Thousands of fans attend football games on Saturdays. Few, however, know what the game's like on the other side of the stands.
The first chapter of the book covers Kansas' 2008 Orange Bowl win. Reening vividly describes the day, as if he was writing moments after the final whistle blew.
Former Jayhawk quarterback Todd Reesing gives readers a peek into life as a Kansas football player in his new book "Rising to New Heights."
"It's a lot of insight," Reesing said. "I talk about what players think during a game."
Bob Snodgrass, CEO and publisher of Ascend Books, approached Reesing in the spring to write the book. Reesing said the book "came out of nowhere."
"It's a big part of our lives, so it really sticks with you," Reesing said.
About three months later, Reeing and Pulliam started meeting. Reeing said it went surprisingly fast.
Reeing started working with co-author, Kent Pulliam, and the two finished the first draft in about two months.
A lot of the detail Reesing gives
is based on his memory. He did not review game film, but he did double check box scores and the play-by-play for accuracy purposes.
Reeing did not write much about former coach Mark Mangino. Reeing said that the events took place during two games out of a four-year career. He briefly touches on how the team was affected by the Mangino investigation.
The book gave Reesing an opportunity to talk about the highs of the 2007 season and the lows of 2009.
"I have nothing negative to say," Reesing said. "He was the only one to give me a chance."
In the forward of the book, former Kansas All-American quarterback John Hadl said, "Todd is probably the greatest quarterback we have ever had at Kansas."
Reeing took even advantage of that opportunity.
Reesing did not just perform on the field; he also excelled in the classroom.
He was humbled by the praise he received from professors. Finance professor Lisa Bergeron, who Reesing was a TA for, spoke very highly of Reesing. In the book she said Reesing did a good job balancing everything, even
He was disappointed he did not get an opportunity at an NFL camp this summer. Of the 14 quarterbacks drafted, only Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, had more career passing yards. Reeing, however, was the shortest of those in this draft class.
with how busy he was.
"You can't help your size, speed or how far you throw the ball," Reesing said. "The NFL is looking at physical statures and potential."
"It takes effort to make good grades and do well on the field." Reeing said.
Reesing's effort on the field was not enough to land him a job in the NFL. He signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in May, but was released in June.
Reeing is currently going between Lawrence and Austin and was at the Jayhawks first game versus North Dakota State.
Reesing's emotions were running high, who watched as a fan for the first time.
He had to adjust his mindset from player to fan.
If Reesing cannot land a job in professional football, he said he hopes to use his finance and economics degree to stay in sports from a business standpoint.
Edited by Tim Dwyer
Chris Neal/Kansar
Former quarterback Todd Reesing signs autographs on the practice field before the game against North Dakota State. Reesing's new book details what players thinking about during a game.
piled into Arrowhead hoping for something great to happen so they could once again start their love-hate relationship with the team. But after their teams victory Monday night, fans' Facebook statuses were consistently filled with excited game updates, and students discussed the game on campus while wearing Chiefs gear proudly.
While fans may have no idea how the rest of the season will go for the Chiefs, they have hope that will stand at least until the next game. The same thing will happen here at Kansas. I do not want to say that fans are a fickle bunch, but there is a large group of people who will jump the bandwagon after a victory and hop off after a loss. In my book, this is pretty much unforgivable in sports. Someone recently told me that my game day rituals and yelling at the television does not affect how the team will play.
Really? Did you need to crush my dreams of contributing to the 2008 National Championship or 2007 Orange Bowl victory?
Okay, I know that all of that is true, but fans do make a difference. The coaches and athletes always thank the fans and call us the "greatest fans in college sports." At some base level I like to think they enjoy having us up in the stands, hearing our cheers, feeling the hope and love for our college team.
So dear readers, think about this the next time you are planning your weekend around whether or not to go to the games. Renew that hope that we start the season with and get to the games. Cleer until you lose your voice, don all sorts of Mardi Gras beads and other spirited apparel and proudly wear the awkward tan lines you get from morning games. Give the team a chance. No matter what happens this season, we are still Jayhawks and always will be. That is something to be proud of right there.
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Edited by Michael Bednni