Questions for Those Who are into Yoga

Thewatcher_66

Hi everyone,

I have worked really hard the past year and a half to improve my upper body strength and have seen great results. However, I am still not quite satisfied with my overall core strength and I feel as though there's more that I can do. Many friends, particularly females, strongly recommend yoga and I think I'll give it a shot. I'm a total beginner and wanted to get some feedback on the best approach for those who are just starting yoga. I don't want to do the more difficult exercises, get frustrated and then give up. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

awtume9

Hi everyone,

I have worked really hard the past year and a half to improve my upper body strength and have seen great results. However, I am still not quite satisfied with my overall core strength and I feel as though there's more that I can do. Many friends, particularly females, strongly recommend yoga and I think I'll give it a shot. I'm a total beginner and wanted to get some feedback on the best approach for those who are just starting yoga. I don't want to do the more difficult exercises, get frustrated and then give up. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Are you a member of a gym? If you are, check to see if they offer yoga classes. My gym does a gentle yoga and hot yoga. Try it out and see if you like it! I have only been to hot yoga once, it wasn't bad but yoga isn't really my thing. Never been to gentle yoga.

Edited to fix typos.

Thewatcher_66

Thanks Awtume9. Quick question. Difference between gentle and hot yoga? Does hot yoga mean that they actually have you doing yoga in a toasty environment?

TheGymGypsy

I LOVE yoga. It is great for balance, strength, and flexibility. Holding many of the poses requires you to really engage your core. I have noticed drastic improvements in my abs since doing yoga, personally. I wouldn't recommend hot yoga. It's easy to get dehydrated and it's much less enjoyable.

Alassonde

I really like yoga. When I started, I just got some DVDs of yoga workouts that are meant for beginners. They don't go into the really hard exercises. I know some people prefer live classes to videos, but the videos work for me. I'm not very flexible and would feel self conscious in a room full of other people doing yoga.

Kate_Brown_123

gentle yoga will quite often be peaceful, with some meditation at the start or finish of the class and you will be expected to hold the positions for a few breaths, then move into the next one - it tends to be a favorite of the more mature or the inflexible.

Hot yoga does take place in a heated room - somewhere between 25-35oC. it is normally in a vinyasa style/flow style where you move from one position to another - this is my favorite type of yoga! It's challenging and the heat helps your muscles edge into the stretch.

Try both and see what you like. Yoga also varies on the style and the teacher, so if you don't like one - try another!

lilRicki

I go to the drop-in classes at my local leisure center. She's there to introduce you to different positions. I love it, and it's great for stretching on my "in between lifting" days.

RinnyLush

Hurray for yoga! ^_^ In addition to running and strength training, I also practice yoga for core strengthening and meditation. I love it!

My suggestion to you would be to drop-in on a local gym or yoga studios hatha or beginner class. You can usually rent the mat there for $1 (or free at some). Try it out, see if you like it, and if you do buy your own mat and towel. Most of the time the class will supply anything else you need (blocks, straps, etc.)

From there, explore the different types of yoga and figure out which ones are the best fit for you. Most places will have descriptions of each class on their website or pamphlet.

I personally really enjoy hot yoga - especially vinyasa flow classes. Bikram is a little too intense for me, but keep in mind that you can try out almost ANY kind of yoga at any level by simply indicating that you are a beginner and would like to use the easier pose variations.

Also, if you'd like to try it in the privacy of your home first, check out http://www.doyogawithme.com/ - they have a HUGE database of yoga videos that you can stream at home. It's a wonderful site.

Best wishes!! :flowerforyou:

Briargrey

I do yoga 3-4 days a week now, but I started at less. I was 291 pounds when I started and really weak, but fairly flexible. However, there were lots of moves I couldn't do, simply because of my bulk or my strength level. One thing I would suggest -- don't judge yourself against others. Unless you have a prat in the class, other participants aren't judging whether or not you can do a particular move. And don't worry about it! As you do it more, you will get better and better, and everyone starts from somewhere.

Example: Lying on my back hurt my lower back/hip area because of what I jokingly called 'my shelf' -- aka major fat roll/sensitive tissue - just resting on it hurt tons, legs straight up, trying to gently roll back and forth? Horrific pain. 100 pounds later, not a problem at all. I just kept trying, adapting the move for my special needs and slowly trying to do more.

It helped too that one of the 2 instructors for my yoga classes is very into walking around the class and helping correct movements. Both instructors are great at giving modifications for all levels.

You may need to try different instructors and types of classes to find a good fit. I like having the 2 different teachers because they each bring slightly different methods to the table, and I learn more.

My biggest piece of advice: don't quit. Yoga is amazing.

bl1nk6

I use yoga to support my joints as i'm naturally flexible with hyperextensive joints.. If your not supple I would recommend you get a dvd and take it slow before joining a gym class.. like a warm up to going to a class,just so you have a better knowledge of the stretches and positions too.

I like to do it in my own space and privacy, its very relaxing when your stressed too.

awtume9

Thanks Awtume9. Quick question. Difference between gentle and hot yoga? Does hot yoga mean that they actually have you doing yoga in a toasty environment?

I think other people already answered this for me but I didn't read the responses. Hot yoga is in a heated room (I believe at my gym it was just about 90 degrees) and I'm actually not sure what gentle yoga is. Probably just less intense and definitely not in a heated room. I am definitely open to try it again as I felt pretty good after and it was actually pretty challenging (I was really sore though from lifting the previous day, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it).

krawhitham

Yoga is my saving grace. Whenever I feel a knee pain or old hip injury coming back, I do hot yoga for a few days and it's completely gone. I definitely have to start fitting it into my weekly workout schedule.

ashenriver

Something else to try is Pilates,


I did a series of classes last year that combine yoga and Pilates.

A family friend who is big into yoga recommended to me to stay away from hot yoga, there are no benefits over traditional yoga when I asked her

Thewatcher_66

Hey, thanks ladies. This information is great. I appreciate the feedback. I think I'm going to use my friend's DVD at work, it's a Bob Harper DVD called Yoga Warriors. I'll give it a shot sometime tomorrow evening.

sshintaku

I think it's also important to know that with yoga, you'll probably hate it the first 3-5 times you try it because it makes your body work in ways you're not used to, even if you're already fit. It's definitely something to do a few times before you really make a judgement about whether or not it's for you.