Yoga

[crazyforkate]

Not exactly a "sport", but does anyone here do it? I try to get between 20-60 minutes in each day, using routines I found online. It's a surprisingly strong workout! My goal is to learn at least one arm balance. Those things are hard! One of these days I definitely want to try hot yoga.

[Aerial312]

I love yoga. I've been doing it for almost 10 years now. I've tried a bunch of styles, but the one I really like is Ashtanga yoga, which is a very athletic version.

[wtylcf]

I'm glad you started this thread - I was thinking about starting a yoga thread but held back! I've been doing yoga for a little over 7 years, at times more intensely than others. I started with Iyengar yoga back in my early 20s, which I really like, but is very trying for the patience of a beginner, because sometimes it just feels like your instructor is picking on you for every stupid little thing. I learned in a really good environment because the class was small, only 4 people, and offered for free by a co-worker doing volunteer hours towards her teacher training. The teacher was able to give us all enough individual attention that we really progressed quite quickly, and if you can stand the constant adjustment, Iyengar gives you a great foundation for yoga, and a detailed understanding of what all the parts of your body should be doing in most poses.

I picked up a 2nd Iyengar class later in my 20s at a community center, and it was unfortunately super annoying. The instructor was condescending and we spent so long on going through the most basic beginner stuff that I felt I didn't really learn anything. It was filled with people much older than I was who were really cliquey, and I felt excluded, which probably coloured my experience. My goal was to progress to level 2 and 3 Iyengar after toughing it out through this introductory course, but I didn't enjoy the atmosphere created by this instructor so I didn't continue.

I've done power yoga which I find good in combination with other styles of yoga. It will really increase your strength and endurance because it's all super athletic sequences, ab work, and feeling like you are pushing your muscle strength to its limits. Also because you get so warm it's easier to stretch a little deeper.

I did Hatha yoga at my former workplace, and I love how it's a cycle of getting warm then cooling down - you don't have the same sweat-dripping-off-the-brow experience as power yoga and you know that for every ab-busting move you'll get a recovery pose. However, my teacher loved to put us in hip openers like Pigeon while we were still quite cold, which really was not kind to my messed-up leg ligaments. Right now I'm in a Vinyasa yoga class (the name seems redundant, doesn't it...like saying you're going to a yoga class to do a sequence of yoga poses!) and I really like it. A good combination of athleticism and long-held, deep poses.

I've done Anusara online (the style invented by the now-disgraced John Friend) and liked it as well. *edited to correct the name of the branch of yoga referenced.

The only style I really dislike is Kundalini. I've tried it several times and it always makes me feel completely dizzy and awful. Also, I have no interest in Bikram hot yoga. I hate being in hot and humid environments.

[Maggie Mae]

The only style I really dislike is Kundalini. I've tried it several times and it always makes me feel completely dizzy and awful. Also, I have no interest in Bikram hot yoga. I hate being in hot and humid environments.

My personal opinion is that Hot Yoga is "bro science" and is both disgusting and dangerous. Your liver and kidneys do all the "flushing out of toxins" and sweat is how your body cools down in a hot environment. Mostly though, my experience involved dizziness, bad smells, and numbness, which isn't safe. (Well, there is nothing dangerous about bad smells, it's just gross. But the dizziness & numbness should not be ignored, as I was told.)

[Aurora rising]

I just started with Hatha Yoga and I love it. I tried Hot Yoga once and it was okay for me. But the instructor told us to drink as less as possible which resulted in a headache from hell. I might try it again (at a different studio) but I´ll drink whenever I need to.

It´s surprising from me, normally I´m the sweat-and-blood-type, the tougher - the better. But I enjoy yoga so much and I feel so relaxed and focussed afterwards. :clap:

[Lynn18]

I've been doing yoga in a studio for 2 years now and it's the only "fitness" type exercise I've ever kept up steadily. I adore my teacher (and she's my age!!!) and I love all the aspects of yoga.

My weight is down, my stress is down, my health is up and so is my attitude.

The only Saturday class they offer is early and I have trouble with my feet (neuropathy) so early classes don't work well for me. I did my own routine late morning and yeah. I love, love, love yoga!

[Cran]

*peeks through the door*

You still there?

I do yoga regularly (at least three times a week for... hm, a year? Two?) at home with a Hatha-routine I made up myself. Don't want to go to a studio because I detest fixed times and group activities. I also have to admit that I'm not after any spiritual advancement or inner peace, but after progress in the way I can do the different asanas, and I know this style of doing yoga is often frowned upon as not doing yoga at all, but I like it - and I am on my way to be able to do a decent firefly :)

[wtylcf]

There's a great free class on yogatoday.com right now that is probably suitable for novice yogis. It's not too fast-paced or challenging. And it is particularly great if you have been doing a lot of running and cycling, and have tightened up your hamstrings and IT bands, as has yours truly ;). Lots of deep hip opening poses, quad and hamstring openers, and lunges. Adi Amar is not always my cup of tea because her classes tend to be extremely athletic, but this one's great.

[niagarahauls]

Thanks for the website recommendation! I have wanted to try yoga out but not in front of other people. This looks like a good place to start.

[Peas n carrots]

When I was injured last year I did a lot of hot yoga, and I loved it. I always felt great after a class...the heat enables your muscles to get deeper into stretches, and I felt like I got a lot of benefits from it other than "sweating out toxins." My instructor is fabulous as well and has great music taste :)

[Emkay]

There's a great free class on yogatoday.com right now that is probably suitable for novice yogis. It's not too fast-paced or challenging. And it is particularly great if you have been doing a lot of running and cycling, and have tightened up your hamstrings and IT bands, as has yours truly ;). Lots of deep hip opening poses, quad and hamstring openers, and lunges. Adi Amar is not always my cup of tea because her classes tend to be extremely athletic, but this one's great.

Do you know about how long the classes usually stay up on the website? That sounds like something I could use!

[wtylcf]

Do you know about how long the classes usually stay up on the website? That sounds like something I could use!

Each class is up for one week, so that class is no longer free. This week's class is kundalini, which I really dislike, unfortunately. I'll let you know if I find any good free classes online this week. My uni yoga course has ended for the summer and I'm trying to keep up some kind of practice routine.

[wtylcf]

Each class is up for one week, so that class is no longer free. This week's class is kundalini, which I really dislike, unfortunately. I'll let you know if I find any good free classes online this week. My uni yoga course has ended for the summer and I'm trying to keep up some kind of practice routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uItLmLRR2Xk This one is free on youtube, only 25 mins, a course on yoga basics. I have not done it, but I have followed a lot of Neesha's videos and I really like her as a teacher. She's kind of hippy-dippy and talkative, but I find it entertaining and I like that style of teaching. It could be great if you're just starting out or if you want to give yourself a refresher on the basics.

ETA: there's also this hourlong video intro to the Ashtanga series with Adi. I'll probably do it this week if I don't find anything else. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaHx5qsqhY

[Emkay]

Thanks for the reply! I've been doing yoga once a week off and on since June, so I'm just getting into it- and within the next couple of months, my instructor is going on maternity leave. I've been trying to get back into the working out mode, and the gym I just joined offers yoga classes a few times a week- I'm actually trying one tonight.

I like adding yoga to the other workouts I've been doing, both for the flexibility/strength aspect and for the relaxation. I also agree with whoever said earlier in this thread (or another one I read) that a class in person is completely different than following a video- so much better!

[Cran]

Long sessions are nothing for me. I could perhaps muster the energy to do them once a week if I took classes, but if I made the resolution to practice one hour or longer three times a week, I'd never do it, it would seem far too daunting and my couch would look so comfortable!

Instead, I started to do 30 min. each day recently, and have been good at keeping it up pretty much since the first post I made in this thread (17th July).

On youtube, I like Kino Yoga, probably because I like her way of talking, not so mushy. I don't know who put it into the heads of so many yoga instructors on youtube that they have to sound vaguely mystical, esoteric and murmur-ly? And she mostly does videos on one asana or a short sequence, so it is easy for me to incorporate or find the advice I'm looking for on a certain pose.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KinoYoga?feature=watch

I'm quite advanced in some areas, but much lacking in others (great flexibility in all areas but backward bends, but very little core strength), so I do not profit much from many ready-made online classes, because they do not strike the right balance for me, either too easy or too advanced.

For general information, http://www.yogajournal.com/ is great, imho.

[BlackSheep]

Yoga is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Challenging and calming at the same time. The non-competitive nature of it is also great for me because I want to compete against myself, my abilities, and my pre-conceived notions of what I can and can't do.

[Lynn18]

Bumping this thread because  I signed up for a 4 week Boot Camp at the yoga studio. Yeah. I'm nuts.

(FYI - In November I passed my 200 hour training and am a certified Yin Yoga Instructor)

Since I started on my path to teaching and now teaching, I've been trying to be more mindful about my (bad) eating habits. I'm a classic comfort eater. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm mad. I eat when I'm upset. I eat when I'm stressed. When I'm happy? I don't eat so much.

I've been doing really well since going back to work/school started (in August - I work in an elementary school) and I've lost about 15lbs. To me, the weight loss is the bonus. The big payoff is that my feet hurt less (moving keeps them happy and I can move easier if I'm lighter), my bp is normal, my cholesterol is down (borderline here) and my heart is healthy. That is my ultimate goal. The fact that my pants need a belt is the big bonus. Unfortunately, it's what everyone "sees". Even the doctors. They worry so much about the number, how can we help but think of it as well.

There is so much conflicting information out there about dieting (I personally don't believe in "going on a diet" because, ultimately, you go "off" the diet). There is just as much conflicting information about exercise and weighing your self. I hate the scale. Hate. It. When it stays the same, I'm depressed and want to eat. When it shows a loss, I want to celebrate and eat! When it shows a gain, I get angry AND depressed and get an acute case of the 'fuck it's' and...want to eat. So for me, weighing once a week is about all I can handle.

What this Boot Camp is all about, for me, is accountability. I KNOW I need to exercise. I KNOW I need to not eat so much. I KNOW I need to be mindful. Knowing and doing and two very different things. So.

We spent the first half hour going over what the boot camp was all about. We got some paperwork with goals for Daily, Weekly, End of Boot Camp, June, and 2016. I have to think about those. We got 'homework' to go to calorieking and figure out how many calories we should be eating. We got tips on mindful eating. We got a sheet showing how many calories are in fast food/restaurant food (it's a lot...a whole lot). Honestly? All stuff I know.

Then for the next 90 minutes we did yoga. All level one postures. Uh huh. We started with sun salutation. 4 rounds of the top half, 4 rounds of the bottom half. Put them together 3 times slowly and then 5 rounds on our own. Sun Salutations can wear your ass out with the level changes. But that was just our warm up. Next we did a Warrior Flow. I don't even know how many times we did it...a lot. We did Warrior II, then flowed between WII, Reverse Warrior and Extended Side Angle. Then we moved to crescent and wide legged forward bend to move to the other side. Back and forth and back and forth. So tired. So sweaty. There are 12 of us in the class. I was right by the lobby, closest to the door. I never felt such relief when she opened the door. Mercy. Then we did balancing poses (did I mention we were focused on legs today? Yeah). Chair pose. Looks easy. Stay in it for 3 minutes. After doing the other stuff. Then we did Warrior 3. I'm surprised I didn't fall over on my nose.

Finally we went to our backs and some ab work then cool down, then meditation. I was completely wrung out. Mind you, I haven't done any real vinyasa type yoga since Christmas. Yin, yes, but I couldn't make my schedule match up with the limited one at the studio and was too preoccupied with other stuff to do it at home. My bad. I'ma be a sore puppy tomorrow.

Next week we focus on abs, then arms and the last week we 'put it all together'. Oy. I think this is just the kick in the hind end I need to propel me forward with my health. Doesn't mean I'm not nuts though.