Gotta love yoga!!

Options
2

Replies

  • amberlykay1014
    amberlykay1014 Posts: 608 Member
    Options
    I don't care for yoga. It makes me hurt, and it doesn't feel good to me. My boss is from India, and he gave me some really good tips, that have helped a lot. But, still, I don't really like it that much. I am not a flexible person at all. I'm just not. So, some of those poses are very uncomfortable for me. I do, however, like simple stretching.

    Me too! My (soon-to-be) sister in-law is a yoga instructer and I've done several private sessions with her and even went with another friend to a class and I've found there are just soooooo many other things I'd rather do with my time. I too felt uncomfortable and bored (and I'm even pretty flexible). Lame-o. Sorry, OP. :(
  • mrsbmccaw
    mrsbmccaw Posts: 43 Member
    Options
    Love warrior poses. A few teacher in my building do yoga with me every Friday. It is wonderful way to end the work week and start a weekend.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
    Options
    I hate yoga, its the top of my list of hated exercise. I have tried it, with different teachers, but no good for me.
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
    Options
    LOVE yoga! At this point in my life I think I've tried a good dose of many styles and types. Currently, I'm addicted to hot yoga. I really like the bikram sequence even though it doesn't have any true inversions.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Options
    I don't care for yoga. It makes me hurt, and it doesn't feel good to me. My boss is from India, and he gave me some really good tips, that have helped a lot. But, still, I don't really like it that much. I am not a flexible person at all. I'm just not. So, some of those poses are very uncomfortable for me. I do, however, like simple stretching.

    perhaps a case of too much too soon?

    It's possible, which is why I keep doing it. My boss is from India and told me to sloooowwwww wayyyy down when I told him what I was doing. He said it should never hurt or even be hard at all. He said it can take years just to do simple poses if you do it right. So, I've backed way off and it is better, but I still don't like it. I'm not bendy at all.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    Options
    Oh man I was sooo sore yoga just really streches me in all the right places. My favorite pose is transition from cat to cow simple and great for the back. What about you :)

    I love yoga and cat to cow is great! I love tree pose too because you can constantly make it more challenging and the balance poses work so many muscles. I love vinyasa flow but I'm really starting to realize the benefits of yin yoga as a counterpoint to vigorous exercise. I even do yin at home sometimes for 30 minutes before bed to the tune of Soundscapes on the Music Choice channel on my television LOL.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,786 Member
    Options
    The simple downward dog kills me!! My arms burn and my calf muscles hurt!!

    Is it just one of those "suck it up and keep going" things, or am I doing it wrong?? Even during Pilates, those are the moves I dread!!

    That's the work of the pose. Where do your arms hurt?
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,786 Member
    Options

    Although I love Yoga.... I do not always love my Yoga teachers... I have had EXCELLENT ones.... when I leave the class I cant help but smile because it was SUCH a good workout (endorphins) and I have had teachers go through the poses like they are a dance routine (quick quick quick). Personally, I like to stay in a pose for an extended period of time... it makes my muscles work harder... and it makes me loosen up faster so that I can stretch deeper.
    HAVE YOU GUYS EXPERIENCED THIS? What do you prefer?

    Style of yoga matters. Vinyasa or Flow, as the name suggests, moves fairly quickly from one pose to another. I prefer, and do, Iyengar yoga where the poses are held for usually long periods of time.
  • pamcuster
    pamcuster Posts: 770 Member
    Options
    Yes...I *LOVE* Yoga!!! The last several weeks, I have been walking 5-6 days/week and doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred about 5 days/week, so time-wise I haven't done any yoga until last week...I did a 65-minute Sean Corne DVD, and I was waaayyy more sore the next day than I have been doing my other workouts! It feels...effective!
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
    Options
    I LOVE yoga!!! It helps my body re-set every week (if that makes sense). If my back is hurting, I know that by the end of yoga.... everything will feel good again.

    Although I love Yoga.... I do not always love my Yoga teachers... I have had EXCELLENT ones.... when I leave the class I cant help but smile because it was SUCH a good workout (endorphins) and I have had teachers go through the poses like they are a dance routine (quick quick quick). Personally, I like to stay in a pose for an extended period of time... it makes my muscles work harder... and it makes me loosen up faster so that I can stretch deeper.
    HAVE YOU GUYS EXPERIENCED THIS? What do you prefer?

    My favorite yoga poses are: Tree Pose, Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose, Cat and Calf, and last but NOT least... Childs Pose.

    That usually has more to do with style than yoga teacher. So you want to stay away from vinyasa and ashtanga styles and any class that has "flow" in it. Stick to hatha try restorative and yin (if you haven't already). Yoga coming from SIvinanda lineage is usually pretty straight forward hatha too (but depending on the teacher this could be fast or slow). The SIvinanda sequence is as you would expect starting with Sun Salutations and ending with Savasana. I've done plenty of this style and it is fairly easy but still demanding enough to be a good workout. I don't think I've ever done Iyengar (lineage from teacher B.K.S. Iyengar he is still alive too) while this kind of yoga is considerably demanding I believe they stay in the poses for a long time and they use hanging props to help get them there (maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong about that). So you might want to look into that. At the moment I recommend hot yoga because the bikram sequence is interesting, fun, and just demanding enough to be "mastered" fairly quickly. It is also a ginormous calorie burn (I log it at almost 1/2 of what calculators say---- if that is any indication). Bikram the man, was kind of a jerk. I hate that he tried to copyright yoga <--- this was the reason I wasn't in a hurray to try it earlier. But boy is it good and you don't have to go to a Bikram certified studio you can go to any hot studio and they are more or less doing the Bikram sequence.

    ETA:
    Style of yoga matters. Vinyasa or Flow, as the name suggests, moves fairly quickly from one pose to another. I prefer, and do, Iyengar yoga where the poses are held for usually long periods of time.
    You beat me to it! Can you tell me about the props used in Iyengar. I believe I have seen hanging straps from the ceiling in Iyengar classes, is this typical? And I believe Iyengar does start out quite slow for the student (as far as advancing poses) because it is about form, form, form almost more than any other style correct? I don't have an Iyengar studio near me but it is a workshop I'd like to attend in the future.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    Options
    I'm also trying hot vinyasa flow Thanksgiving morning since I will be traveling for the holiday and a studio near my family's house will be open in the morning. I'm terrified but I wanted to get a workout in! Feel free to share any tips or experiences- I'm so scared of the higher temperature and how I will do in that environment!
  • WinwillLose
    WinwillLose Posts: 101
    Options
    A friend talked me into the Yoga classes at local YMCA. In the past I have not enjoyed it, but this time was a different experience.
    I think the one thing lacking from all my classes is good stretching, so I'm hoping the yoga will help keep me out of the Chiropractors office.

    Tried a pose the instructor said she learned for Halloween " witch riding broom" wish I could find the true name I would really like to work on it. I will ask, as I want to master that pose. Just a yoga newbie.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    Options
    The simple downward dog kills me!! My arms burn and my calf muscles hurt!!

    Is it just one of those "suck it up and keep going" things, or am I doing it wrong?? Even during Pilates, those are the moves I dread!!

    That's the work of the pose. Where do your arms hurt?

    Shoulders!! Just got to get the muscles to work maybe?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Options
    Nothing wrong with stretching. I've just never called it yoga. That came in with the Beatles and a western discovery and manipulation of eastern practices.
    It's a little older than the Beatles. :smile:

    I love any backbends (my favourite's the wheel), hate anything that stretches my hamstrings.
  • lhergenr
    lhergenr Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    Yeah the Beatles had nothing to do with popularizing yoga in the west. If anyone was responsible for that it was Pierre Bernard in the early 20th century
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,786 Member
    Options

    You beat me to it! Can you tell me about the props used in Iyengar. I believe I have seen hanging straps from the ceiling in Iyengar classes, is this typical? And I believe Iyengar does start out quite slow for the student (as far as advancing poses) because it is about form, form, form almost more than any other style correct? I don't have an Iyengar studio near me but it is a workshop I'd like to attend in the future.

    Some studios have straps from the ceiling, but most have what is called a "yoga wall" - which is basically a wall with straps attached to it. BKS Iyengar pioneered the use of props to help students in poses. He also pioneered medicinal yoga - almost all scientific studies done on yoga are in the Iyengar form - he had TB as a child and used yoga to overcome his condition. He'll be 94 next month.
    It does start out pretty basic for beginners, and there is extreme attention to detail.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,786 Member
    Options
    Yeah the Beatles had nothing to do with popularizing yoga in the west. If anyone was responsible for that it was Pierre Bernard in the early 20th century

    I have to disagree here. I believe the people who brought asana (the postures, what you do in class) to the west are BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Nidra Devi.
  • lhergenr
    lhergenr Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    well at least we can agree the Beatles had nothing to do with it :)
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    Options
    For stretching Pigeon Pose and Half Forward Bend are two of my favorites. Standing poses Warrior III is one of my favorites, mostly because it is super hard for me. My balance is so much better than it used to be, but this one is still hard. Whenever I can do it I am super proud of myself.
  • lhergenr
    lhergenr Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    i guess i should post on topic while i'm here..
    i really love pigeon pose too. it's very helpful to me as my glutes and hips get really tight. i like crow pose because it's challenging and i still have yet to get in it and STAY in it. it's something for me to work towards

Categories