Yoga.

[Tiberius]

I do yoga every day and did it all my life. It works out the whole body, so its great for keeping lean. The obvious benefit for martial arts would be flexibility and balance. I am by far the most flexible person in my judo class and I am the only guy.

However all my flexibility did for me so far was to amaze the black belts at how they could bend my body using their judo XD . I am a beginner still, so I dont know about the martial arts part. If I wouldnt be so flexible, some of the things they did to me would have really hurt me, but I guess they did them because they know by now it doesnt hurt me.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

By Yoga, you mean the fitness yoga classes that have become popular the world over. The physical poses are but one small aspect of yoga. Originally there were only a few poses being practised in yoga. Indians were inspired to compete with the more physical Western systems in their own country - i.e the British Military - so decided to add in many new postures and poses.

Stretching the mind and body is a regular part of my daily practice. At times, when asked, I have been known to refer to these exercises as yoga.

There are many good books on the anatomy of yoga which are useful and come in handy as reference materials.

Key Muscles of Yoga: Your Guide to Functional Anatomy by Ray Long
Key Poses of Hatha Yoga by Ray Long

If you want to learn more about Yoga and how it has developed over time, take a look below:

Let's Call it Danish Gymnastics: The Yoga Body - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

In the fall of last year, Al Mohler initiated a firestorm by suggesting that “yoga cannot be fully extricated from its spiritual roots in Hinduism and Buddhism.” In making his argument, Mohler was drawing on Stefanie Symen’s The Subtle Body. […]

mereorthodoxy.com

It has certain parallels to martial arts in the way different systems have absorbed ideas from other styles and practices. There is a great benefit to investigating different physical movement systems. Doing so means you can begin to see similarities and adapting your own practice to better suit you as an individual. People claim Bruce Lee was the first person to cross-train in the martial arts and this is clearly not the case. Just delve into the history of Okinawan karate and you will see how the martial arts teachers were all training with one another.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Just delve into the history of Okinawan karate and you will see how the martial arts teachers were all training with one another.

There is a relationship between most all Okinawan styles because of this. It can be seen in the many commonalities among the kata of the various styles. Early karate was MMA with grappling, locks and striking techniques from a variety of Chinese, Okinawan and even Japanese systems. There is likely even some SE Asian and SE Pacific Island influence.

Okinawa is a VERY small place, so even before the advent of modern transportation and communication, cross training among the different masters was common. For example, Itosu Anko was taught by both Higashionna (Naha te) and Matsumura (Shuri te), so had strong influences from both main early branches of Okinawan karate.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I do yoga on my days off, I find it helps with recovery. I work from 'yoga for men' by Dean Pohlman and 'yoga for you' by Tara Fraser. The best advice I'd give is not to wonder too far from old fashioned hatha yoga- incorporate a standing pose, a forward bend, a backbend, a twist, an inversion and a hip opener.
If it's online resources you're after I recommend yoga with adrienne:

Yoga with Adriene

Free Yoga Videos & Online Yoga Classes

yogawithadriene.com

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Although it's worth mentioning that I do it only for the health benefits. I vehemently disagree with the philosophy and religion surrounding it. Desires aren't meant to be transcended, they're meant to be satisfied. I agree that desire leads to suffering, but where I differ from yogi is that I don't think you can get free of them by waiting quietly in a corner until your life ends. In any case, I'm a practicing Christian and I believe that the way to live life is to get out there and suffer.