Yoga enthusiasts

eatmindfully

Hi there! I love yoga and take classes a couple times a week. I'm working hard on cultivating my own home practice-hopefully at least once a day. I'm looking for other yogis who are at any stage of their practice and desire to deepen it.

I would love to support each other and help with resources, motivation, and accountability. Hopefully there are some takers!

eatmindfully

No takers?

logg1e

I love yoga, but am a recent convert and participant rather than "leader"!

greenminimalist

I love yoga myself and try to practice daily.

eatmindfully

Great! If anyone has any tips for what helps them get down on the mat to practice regularly I would love to know. If you practice at home do you have a dedicated space? Do you try to do same time of day? I practice in my living room currently and trying to carve out a more private spot in my den

azwen

Can any of you experienced yogis recommend some good beginner videos? I've done yoga before, but it's been awhile. I'm doing a lot of strength training and various forms of cardio, and I know that I need to work on my flexibility. I also think it could help me with stress relief. So I'm looking for something that is not intense power yoga, but something to help the beginner become more flexible, stretch regularly, and relieve stress. Any suggestions? I do have access to classes through my gym, but the times are not terribly convenient, so in order to do this regularly, I'd like to find a video.

eatmindfully

I don't really know the answer to that Azwen because I haven't done yoga videos but I do know there are some free and some paid websites that allow you to stream videos. One free one I have heard of is doyogawithme.com. The most well know paid one (free trial) is yogaglo. I'm sure you could look on Amazon too. I would try hard to do one or two class with a good instructor so that you can get feedback on your form before you commit to a home based practice. A good teacher is the only reason I really "discovered" yoga as a too for my well being and as a remedy to chronic back pain. Not that videos are bad! I'm sure there are some great ones. They just can't replace a good teacher!

Chandler330

I would love some yoga friends having someone to check in and geek out a bit over yoga would be wonderful .

GI_John_RN

I started several years ago with a DVD by Budokon, which is yoga and martial arts. My wife had been doing yoga longer than that. My wife has several DVDs that we have used. Lately, I have been finding videos on Youtube. I have been trying to do yoga for about 15 minutes or so before going to bed and have found several Youtube videos helpful. I have also been trying to do yoga after running as a cool down.

yoginimary

There's an entire group on MFP for yoga enthusiasts, open and welcoming to all:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1484-generic-yoga-group

As far as starting a regular home practice, here's my advice:
1. Yes, have a dedicated space. Leave your mat out. It will remind you.
2. Do something everyday, even if it is just 1 pose, or 5 minutes. This is the most important as it will develop the habit.
3. Many people work best doing something at the same time everyday.
4. Find a way to mix it up. Some people work well with the same practice everyday; I'm not one of them. I sometimes use audio classes (ihanuman.com) if I'm feeling brain dead. Or I'll work on something I've learned in class. Or I'll work on all the poses that need a lot of work. Or I'll do my favorites. You get the idea.
5. Find someone you can talk to about your practice. Like anything else you do, you'll enjoy it more when you share it.

I haven't done videos in a long time. I was never crazy about looking at the screen, but if you don't know what the poses are supposed to look like, then there are some good ones out there. Rodney Yee has some popular ones.

vanessa40

I love yoga. It has really helped me stay injury free with all the running and lifting. I have a space in my workout room. My favorite routines are on a couple of free sites and one app. the free sites are

Grokker~~ http://grokker.com/yoga
Do Yoga With Me ~~ http://www.doyogawithme.com

The app is called
Yoga Studio~~~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yoga-studio/id567767430?mt=8
It's 3.99 but well worht it..you can make your ouw routines and add your music

eatmindfully

Wow thanks for the posts! I'm join to check out he MFP yoga group. I like the idea about leaving my matt out-need to find a spot for that!

lisapaul9

These are short video clips for free. I have also found their full classes on Vimeo (which can be downloaded and saved). http://kripalu.org/blog/thrive/category/kripalu-video/