The following is a re-print of an article produced for "Martial Arts Digest" Magazine.

Yoga and the Martial Artist

By Stephen F. Baker

Try being an accomplished martial artist who just found out he has to have an operation on his back to cure an otherwise chronic condition. What do you do when a second opinion yields the same results, but with a more pessimistic outlook for the future? Any self-respecting person would fly to Hawaii and enroll in a three-month intensive yoga workshop. And THAT is exactly what Mark Shuey Sr. did!

Owner of Cane Masters and a 7th Degree Hapkido Black Belt, Mark was faced with this scenario 8 years ago. As a result of the success he had with the practice of yoga, his back pain is now managed without an operation or drugs, and he has amassed 20 world and national titles on the NASKA, IMAC, KRANE, and Golden State karate tournament circuits. “It was all just a question of increasing my flexibility, strength, balance, and chi”, says Shuey. “And the best path to take me to that goal, as I found out, was yoga!”

Now we are not talking about the stick-your-finger-in-your-navel-and-chant-OOMMM type yoga. The discipline that Mark studied was more directed to physical fitness and health. His master, Narayane, instructed him not only in the proper positioning of the asanas or poses, but also in the significance of each one as it relates to the body. Shuey has been so impressed and taken with this style of yoga, that he has formed a company called Yoga Play to help spread the word about the benefits of this most ancient of exercise regimes.

Mark has produced a number of videos through Yoga Play that focus on many different aspects of yoga and their applications. One example would be “Yoga Your Back Will Love”: a video that shows a variety of poses designed to help strengthen and relax the muscles, tendons, and ligaments involved with the motion of the back. Another, and one that Shuey is very proud of, is “Yoga for the Martial Artist”. “People just don’t believe me when I tell them how much yoga has contributed to my world titles. So I decided to produce a video that will show other martial artists how to achieve the same benefits I did through this powerful tool. I guarantee that if you follow the routine presented on this tape, you will be able to take your art to a higher level! I have even started to incorporate yoga into my Cane Masters seminars.” Mark plans to continue to produce yoga videos for other athletic disciplines such as golf, tennis, and skiing. “I think that in creating this yoga series, I will not only be expanding the horizons of others, but will be contributing to my own education as well.”

Needless to say, with the enthusiasm Shuey exhibits, Yoga Play will be on the forefront of the exercise scene for many years to come.

Start with your feet about shoulder width apart. Take one deep breath, and on the exhale, raise your arms up from your sides with the palms facing upwards.

Take another breath, and again on the exhale raise your leg (either side) locked straight at the knee as high as you can. Take three to five more breathes, and with each one, raise your leg a little higher.

Slowly lower your leg, and with out it touching the ground, raise it as high as you can to the side once again on the exhale of your next breath. Remember to keep your arms parallel to the ground with the palms of your hands facing up!

Take another 3-5 breathes and raise that leg a little higher each time. Slowly turn your head into the direction of the raised leg.

Without dropping your leg, bring your hands into your body, and assume a side-kick position. Take 3-5 breathes and with each exhale, raise your leg a little bit higher. Slowly lower you leg, and, just so you don’t walk funny, repeat the pose on the other side.