Yoga Is Magic!

[Topaz]

I highly recommend any DVDs by Kari Anderson and Rodney Yee.

[HunterST]

I've heard Yoga is the fountain of youth. Flexibility + Strength = Vitality.

[Fedace]

Is this a good way to meet hot looking women >??

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Fedace

Is this a good way to meet hot looking women >??

That is why men go to Yoga classes

[sureshs]

I don't have the time for Yoga. I do 10 minutes of stretching daily, and that is all.

[autumn_leaf]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

I thought you were supposed to focus on your own deal in yoga. Don't judge me!

haha, i couldn't help but imagine you squeeing like a teenage girl saying that lol.

i rarely do yoga now, but i loved playing tennis right afterwards when i did. the body is so warm and relaxed and everything feels great after a session.

in one p.e. intensive semester at college i had jazz dance and yoga back to back in the morning. at this point i could barely touch my ankles. after 2 months i could touch the floor no problem, in fact i somehow retained much of the flexibility now (over 1 year later), can still touch the floor magically, usually the flexibility goes away a few months later if you don't practice at it.

if you have a good instructor, and it sounds like you do, they won't push you into doing the full stances, they will show you modified stances and sometimes use different equipment and build you up to the full stance over time.

as for the people thinking yoga isn't tough, drop by any p90x threads and i'm sure they'll tell you otherwise.

[Cindysphinx]

Good lord.

Whoever heard of someone getting an injury from Yoga?

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

[Fedace]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Good lord.

Whoever heard of someone getting an injury from Yoga?

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

did Yoga originate in India ?

[Talker]

The club I went to had yoga classes, forget which form it was.
But I went once a week and it wasn't much help, also I was lifting heavy weights so that also didn't help with flexibility.

I would say 2 times a week minimum, anything less is very slow in making progress.

About my class:
I went to the back of the class for my first time because I knew how inflexible I was and didn't want to be looked at.
However as we went through the forms I found out the back of the class turns into the front of the class.
Oh well...

[Posture Guy]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Good lord.

Whoever heard of someone getting an injury from Yoga?

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

I've actually had a number of clients who came in to see me after suffering an injury in a yoga class. It's like any group fitness class, the instructor can only closely watch so many people, and it's impossible in that setting to assess each person individually and prescribe for them unique exercises and poses best suited to their issues and abilities. And it's difficult to correct form on 20 people in the same room at the same time.

in any given fitness class, no matter how good the basic material or instructor, about a third of the class will derive great benefit from it, a third will get so-so results, and a third will have an average to negative experience. Just the nature of a bell curve.

If you really want to utilize yoga as a tool to get better, I'd recommend finding a great instructor and taking individual lessons, and ask them to construct a routine specifically for YOU, then teach you how to do it correctly to insure your form is good and that you're not hurting yourself doing any of the exercises. Then do it at home on your own on a regular basis, going back in for re-checks and exercise routine adjustments.

[autumn_leaf]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Good lord.

Whoever heard of someone getting an injury from Yoga?

I've now done three yoga classes over the last 10 days, and I seem to have messed up my foot. See, you have to do all of this stuff barefoot. And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes). I seem to have sprained my big toe -- must have been too aggressive with my down dog.

Sheez.

i think injury would be quite common because of the way people hold the postures. one of the biggest issues is with the shoulder stands, many people actually put weight on their necks and end up with horrible neck pain down the line.

as for me, i get really sore wrists from all the downward/upward dogs and planks. i don't know how you messed up your foot though.

Originally Posted by Fedace

did Yoga originate in India ?

i'm pretty sure it did. i believe my yoga instructor told me that it was a daily routine in india to begin the day.

[origmarm]

What do people think of Bikram Yoga? Anyone have any experience of this?

A centre has opened near my house and I'm tempted to try it but somewhat concerned at the high temperatures.

[Jeebs]

Originally Posted by origmarm

What do people think of Bikram Yoga? Anyone have any experience of this?

A centre has opened near my house and I'm tempted to try it but somewhat concerned at the high temperatures.

I went to a studio in Canary Wharf and enjoyed it but I was playing more golf than tennis at the time. Just staying in the room for that long was a challenge never mind doing yoga at the same time.

Some places do good introductory deals so maybe give them a call and see if you can try it out on a promo because it can be very expensive otherwise.

[Cindysphinx]

I hurt my toe because I am not nearly flexible enough to have my entire foot on the floor if I am in a down dog.

You know what? Posture guy makes a good point. Rather than attending a bunch of classes and doing everything wrong, maybe better would be a private lesson as suggested, or finding a yogi and doing semi-privates with a friend.

Now I gotta figure out how to find a great instructor. I did like this one instructor I met at the gym. I think I am biased in her favor because she looks like I would look if I would exercise like I know I should.

[Posture Guy]

Cindy....I would go to yelp and search for something like "private yoga instructor mytown,mystate" and see what comes up. Find the highest rated studio in your area, then call them up and tell them you'd like to find someone with whom to book a private session. Tell them your preferences (male/female), your goals, etc...., and let them match you with the person they think is the best fit given your criteria.

Then when you meet the person, I would stress that you want a routine that is not just a generic routine they give everyone, but you want something designed for YOUR specific issues, challenges, capabilities and goals. In fact, tell that to the person up front who is recommending the instructor. Maybe they do or don't do that. You want a very personalized, optimized (for you) experience.

[catfish]

That seems like a good idea, but in reality most people can't afford something like that. And I would hate to see people not get the benefits of Yoga because they can't afford private instruction.

Personally, I've had a very good experience with classes. I have taken classes from several different instructors and they have all emphasized that there are different options for all poses. They show the different poses/options for each level. They spend time with beginners, and always point out that poses should not hurt. The class participants have always been different levels and it always seems to work out fine for everyone.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

And you have to do things like down dog (palms on floor, butt in air, feet on toes)

Got any pics?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Fedace

did Yoga originate in India ?

Yes............

[origmarm]

Originally Posted by Jeebs

Just staying in the room for that long was a challenge never mind doing yoga at the same time

Yeah this is what worries me. Apparently it can be very nauseating but I'm not sure if this is just hyperbole. I'm intrigued so I may just book a session, you can pay per session at this centre though it is (I think) expensive at £15 (about $23 for an hour) if you pay that way.

It doesn't seem to be a very popular form of yoga, at least not in the USA

[Bud]

Yoga is awesome, Cindy. Be patient with it and you'll be amazed at how fast your flexibility increases.