How did you start?
yoginimary
Posts: 6,788 Member
What first drew you to yoga?
I had hurt my elbow and received physical therapy. I think my PT recommended yoga, and I talked a group of my friends to sign up for an informal class. My teacher was great, and I've studied with her for the past 13 years.
I had hurt my elbow and received physical therapy. I think my PT recommended yoga, and I talked a group of my friends to sign up for an informal class. My teacher was great, and I've studied with her for the past 13 years.
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Wow,
Now that I think about it I'm not 100% sure on how I really and truly started. I think it may have been in college. I was out of the house on my own and experimenting with different classes. I was an exercise and sports science major in school so we were required to take a fairly large number of physical activity credits and I loved the yoga course that I took. After that semester I purchased a home kit that came with a mat, block, strap, and video tape (yes before EVERYONE had dvd players LOL) and I have been taking classes and practicing at home off and on ever since. That was about 11 years ago and this is the first time in about 3 years that I have really picked back up and began to regularly practice again. I have fallen in love with this practice all over again.0 -
It's been such a slow progress I really have to think about this. It is such a good question. I think I just intuitively knew that my body needed it....and then I discovered a couple of years later that my mind and spirit also need it. Yoga has been a true blessing. The most amazing thing about Yoga for me is that you never, ever stop learning and experiencing. It just keeps getting deeper and deeper.0
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Good question! I was drawn to yoga mostly because I was stressed and angry a lot of the time and wanted to try yoga as something to help me get to a better mental state. Once I started, I also really liked the physical benefits of it, getting more flexible and having a stronger body. I have noticed that on the days that I do a sweaty, challenging yoga session, I really find it a lot harder to be in a bad mood.0
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The first time I tried it, it was the fad but I was really into high impact and young so I abandoned it.
Second go around, I liked the relaxation part of it. I took really easy relaxing classes. Then we had a couple of subs that were usually Ashtanga teachers and I loved those classes. I started taking those and dropped the "relaxing, easy" classes.0 -
My daughter was working at Kripalu in Mass. before deciding to become a certified yoga instructor ....... she asked me to come spend a weekend with her ...... I met wonderful people, ate delicious food & took several yoga classes ...... and realized that "yoga does a body good" !0
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After a recent shoulder and chest injury, one of my soldiers recommended it to help build up my strength and flexibility. been doing it about 3-4 times a week for almost a month. My shoulder and chest are still a wreck but I do seem to be less stressed. And that is always a good thing.0
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I started with hot classes to get in shape mostly. I've always been very flexible so I figured many of the poses would be easy for me. I discovered, however, that my balance and strength needed work in order practice yoga fully. I've improved on all three fronts and am finding a lot of muscle definition which is very exciting. There are few things more exciting than finally getting into a challenging pose and holding it after weeks or months of trying and thinking it an impossible feat.
I also love that yoga does not usually aggravate--and can even help--injuries. I have been able to regularly practice yoga despite problems with my knee and toe (which seem to finally be getting better, thankfully!). Some poses are difficult and can put strain on these joints but I am still able to benefit from practice. I haven't been able to run or even bike for a few months so yoga has kept me from falling out of shape and getting depressed over these issues.
Surprisingly for me, I've stayed with yoga more because of the mental and spiritual benefits. I struggle with anxiety and it's helped me relax immensly. It also grounds me and makes me feel like I am part of something bigger. Practicing yoga and meditation make me feel the way people have expressed religion makes them feel.0 -
In my 20s while in grad school I did aerobics, but I didn't like it that much. When I started working, I almost completely gave up on aerobics.Then I saw that a local PBS station aired a yoga program I could record. I figured that I stood a much better chance of sliding off of my sofa evenings to do yoga than I did of jumping around doing aerobics after working all day and a long commute.
That was over a decade ago. I practice in fits and starts, but I still practice! :-)0 -
I was always interested in yoga, but never seemed to commit to actually trying it. About a year and a half ago, I had a knee injury and had surgery. Some of the things we did in PT were yoga based. After I healed from that injury, I had ANOTHER injury in my OTHER knee... I was able to avoid surgery, but still had extensive PT. Again, my therapists were giving me exercises that were essentially yoga balance poses. So once I was done with PT, I started practicing yoga.
The thing is, I had always been active in the outdoors - lots of hiking, climbing, etc. In the year I was down, so to speak, I started gaining weight and just lost my fitness level I had taken for granted. I couldn't do anything high impact, but I knew I had to get back in shape somehow until I could resume my normal activities.
When I first started, I was still stiff and couldn't do many of the poses: I could only do Tree in kickstand, could not do child's pose AT ALL, and lunges/warrior poses were extremely uncomfortable. Yoga really helped to deepen my flexibility in my knees and now the only one I struggle with is child's and hero poses - however, I can bend MUCH more than I could at first so I'm hopeful that I will eventually be able to sit on my heels again.
Another benefit is just the hip openers - I've always had problematic hips, even before my knee issues. (Snapping hip syndrome, apparently) Since practicing yoga regularly, I rarely have discomfort in my hips.
I keep up with it now because it reduces my joint pain, builds strength, and generally just improves my state of mind.0 -
About a year ago I did the P90X DVD program. On "Yoga-X" day I noticed the trainer, Tony Horton, would walk around the gym adjusting the exercise models' poses. He never came into my living room to adjust my poses, so I thought it might be a good idea to take some classes. It was a smart move. Now I go to yoga four or more times per week and I love the way I feel.0
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I took an course when I was in college (one of those mandatory 1 credit PE classes- not sure if they even do that anymore) with an amazing instructor. I felt so great after that I really planned on keeping up but classes were far from me and pricey for a college student. I've tried at home through the years but nothing ever stuck. I ended up body building and doing all sorts of physical activity but never again really practiced Yoga.
These last few months I was noticing a lot of places locally were offering classes that I could attend late at night (works with my work schedule) so after asking around to see if anyone would try it with me and nobody would I just went by myself.
I have to say that even doing warm beginner yoga, I am nowhere near where I was back in college but I still feel amazing and even if I can't hold the poses or even get in to some of them, I am going to keep trying until I can. I find that the practice goes along with my personal spiritual growth and I feel fantastic after. This is something I do not want to stop this time.
Unfortunately I only practiced for 2 weeks before an illness but will be starting up again Monday. I can't wait.0 -
I was looking for something new to try and the local community center was offering a hatha yoga series. Used to strenuous cardio like running, it was like swimming through molasses. But I liked it! I am so glad I started this way-- the class went super slow and the teacher would not move on until everyone understood the posture and was in it (or modified it) the right way.
After the 8 sessions I was ready for more than hip openers and stretching so I was thrilled to see Groupon for a power yoga, vinyasa style (Baron Baptiste was the teacher of the teachers) class. I LOVED IT. After my ten sessions were gone I immediately signed up for unlimited and went 5-6 times a week. I have never been in better shape. If you're ever in Eugene, Oregon - go to HardCore Yoga in Crescent Village.
Unfortunately, we moved, and though we're in a much larger city I have not been able to find anything like it here. I tried a few studios before a friend asked me to try (again with Groupon) Bikram. It's just as challenging as Hardcore Yoga was- mentally and physically. Unfortunately though it doesn't do a lot for my belly or upper body and that's a shame.0 -
"Surprisingly for me, I've stayed with yoga more because of the mental and spiritual benefits. I struggle with anxiety and it's helped me relax immensly. It also grounds me and makes me feel like I am part of something bigger. Practicing yoga and meditation make me feel the way people have expressed religion makes them feel.
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Ama5044, Me too! I have never felt more peaceful and meditative - even after years of going to church.0 -
my youngest daughter was about to turn three. i was planning her birthday party, a big affair with a theme, and my mother-in-law was going to come stay with us for at least a week. accompanying her would be her two untrained dogs, a heavy alcohol habit, and the hands-off approach to helping out around the house. i was really stressed out. i talked to a friend at work, who gave me some amazing advice that changed my life.
she told me that this is my mother-in-law, and unless i divorced my husband, she would always be my mother-in-law, and it would be up to me to find a way to accept her. to deal with the stress, my friend suggested i join a gym or yoga classes or something. i didn't think i could find time for the gym with little kids at home, but i had always wanted to try yoga, so i walked in to a studio one day to "get some information" and the teacher had me come in and join the class that day. i sweated, and shook, and felt really out of my league, but the people in the class were really nice, and when i got home i realized i wasn't as stressed out. i started attending class once every two weeks.
six years later, and i am attending 2-3 classes a week, practice at home, and attend local workshops whenever the family schedule allows. i am calmer. yoga led me to healthier food choices. i am happy in my own body, and happy in my own soul.0 -
I'm enjoying everyone's stories, keep them coming.0
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these are all great stories! :flowerforyou:
I've always heard that yoga is excellent and have always wanted to try it but couldn't tell you what one actually did in yoga...
then some beginner classes were being offered at a local community centre and it was one of the "exercises" I signed-up for in an attempt to get fit and lose weight. up until that point, I have to say that I held all my stress in my shoulders and neck & had to go to PT one time for an injury and even got prescribed muscle relaxants. work was killing me and I thought I've always had bad circulation. but this gentle yoga I did only once, maybe twice a week felt amazing... like getting a head-to-toe massage. and I was all warm and relaxed afterwards. I was sold!
Then a great studio opened up in my neighbourhood. I was ready to move on to more challenging classes and got my butt kicked in my first power class. but I LOVED it. yoga started as a way to keep my sanity but now it's just part of my life...and I hope it stays that way. Oh, and no more neck/shoulder pains since and my circulation has improved, along with my posture and many, many other things!0 -
my aunt. She started doing it, as it is supposed to aid in surfing skills, plus the whole meditation and lifestyle she very much liked. So probably back in... 2004? whenever I'd visit her, or she'd visit us, we would do some short routines just by looking at poses out of a book. That progressed to using DVDs, which led to venturing out into yoga studios in the community. I love it so much, and am very glad it's a part of my life. I'm quite thankful to my aunt for opening my yogi door
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I moved in with a friend's family when I was in college, back in the early 1980s. They were a fascinating family. Mom was Mexican, from Mexico City. Dad was Belgian, He spoke eight languages fluently and traveled all over the world setting up hospitals and national health programs.
Mom was practicing yoga. And, we, my friend and I, were in alcohol/drug abuse recovery, so we were open to spiritual things.
This was in Minnesota, and back in those days, there were no yoga studios. There were books, and there were occasional lectures and classes at various locations.
We were very intimidated by many of the poses we saw in the books, understandably, and did not even try them. I think we didn't quite realize you could work toward achieving those, or we did not believe it. So, we mostly stuck to meditating and kundalini kriyas and the like.0
