Why is yoga so....

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  • transgeek
    transgeek Posts: 5 Member
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    If you want to try a style of yoga that is relaxing, try a restorative class. Many of the poses are supported by using props (i.e. blocks, blankets, bolsters).

    I started yoga 5 years ago for back issues and started with Bikram. Bikram is very good for beginners, since you do the same 26 poses in the same order. After a while, it will become more meditative, because you know what's coming next. I find the heated room (105 degrees) helps to warm the muscles, which helps you get and stay in the poses.

    If I want more vigor, than I will go to a vinyasa class (or power yoga). Some people find it relaxing since your breath is linked to your movement.

    Remember to honor your body and do what you can and modify when needed. After all, yoga is a practice.

    A good yoga instructor should be more than willing to show you modifications to difficult poses. If not, find a new studio.

    Hope this helps!
  • terrappyn
    terrappyn Posts: 324 Member
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    I do love yoga but my FUPA keeps getting in the way.
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
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    Lol I keep trying to get into yoga but I seriously have no idea how they are able to get into those positions...I even started on the easy level and Im falling over and stuff!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    If it's actually "painful," you're doing it wrong. Slight discomfort, sure, but not painful. Never overextend yourself.

    QFT. start with beginners, probably hatha. work your way into ashtanga and vinyasa, but only if you like it.

    this is the path that virtually ensured i would hate yoga for 15 years. i accidentally found a power yoga dvd and gave it a try. Hatha makes me want to kill....everything
  • MayaSPapaya
    MayaSPapaya Posts: 735 Member
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    I've been doing it for the past year and a half, and it always has some difficulty to it, but your endurance for it definitley gets bigger. And after the end when you lay down, you feel so relaxed. Yoga isn't easy, but you will find your body getting more used to it and LOVING it.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
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    It is painful for me because I have fibromyalgia but as everyone has said you only should do the positions to the point of pain. The nice thing about Yoga is that it is non competitive and everyone is different so you only do what you can comfortably do. The more important benefits for me are improved balance, strength and concentration. I can't say that I find it all that relaxing and if I try to focus too much on the breathing I get more stressed trying to follow the breathing and holding instructions so I just try to relax into each pose and don't worry about the breath.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
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    Do a gentle yoga class, hatha or Iyengar. No reason to stick with a class you don't like, or an exercise you don't like. You can get yoga benefits from Pilates as well or just a good stretch workout. If you stick with whatever class you're in, ask for modifications if something hurts. A good instructor will know how to modify the exercise so it works for you.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    It shouldn't be painful or stressful. If it is you aren't doing it right.

    Breathing is the most important thing while doing yoga. You inhale through the nose and then when you exhale you just let your body relax and usually your body will sink a little deeper into the pose. But if it's painful you need to adjust. Don't try to force yourself into the poses and stretches. You only need to go as far as you can while staying on the outer edge of "uncomfortable" and if you take the slow, deep breaths the pose should become more comfortable within a few seconds. If it's painful, ease up.
  • MrsWitt01
    MrsWitt01 Posts: 10 Member
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    I was in a HORRIBLE mood until I went to yoga this afternoon, it helps me focus, stretch, release tension, and regroup/refocus. I feel the stretch and any tension I am holding on to but it is a good thing, not a painful thing. I do gentle yoga and restorative yoga. Maybe you could try a few different classes to see where you fit at. I did a level one class and struggled a bit with it and then tried a few others until I found the ones that I liked. But, I wouldn't do any exercise if I was miserable at it, maybe it just isn't your thing :)
  • carriempls
    carriempls Posts: 326 Member
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    If it's that painful you're doing something wrong - pushing too hard. When stretching you should reach a comfortable edge - enough to feel it, but not so much that you feel pain or your muscles shake.

    Are you in a class or doing it at home w/a book or video? If in class, I'd ask the teacher, (if at home, look it up online) for modifications. Almost every position has an easier modification.
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
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    I love Yoga.

    Great overall body (and mind) workout.

    Calm within the storm!

    I love 45 - 60 minutes of hard yoga. Sweating like hell while clearing my mind.

    I like P90X Yoga video.

    Good luck!
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Yoga bores me to Death! I've never tried the more advanced versions, mainly because I can't even get through 20 min of the basics.
  • hubcap321
    hubcap321 Posts: 1
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    That's why it is important to always ask an instructor proper form-- or if you can't do the move, ask for it to be modified.
  • MrsK20141004
    MrsK20141004 Posts: 489 Member
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    If it's actually "painful," you're doing it wrong. Slight discomfort, sure, but not painful. Never overextend yourself.

    This.
  • rob1976
    rob1976 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    try the HOT YOGA.
    That would be Bikram Yoga.
  • ElleM0
    ElleM0 Posts: 105 Member
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    try the HOT YOGA.

    ^^ I found yoga to be a little difficult and uncomfortable. I tired Bikram Yoga this morning and I :heart: it!! I dont know if it was the heat helping my muscles to relax but it was semi-easy and NO after-effects!
  • Gangwolf
    Gangwolf Posts: 40
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    I do hot yoga (moksha) and it is not painful at all, not even a little bit, even though as a workout it is about as intense as anything I've ever done in my life. The heat loosens up the muscles and tendons and makes the poses pain-free if still hard as hell. I'm 40 and have tight hamstrings, and if I did "cold" yoga I'd probably snap like a freaking rubber band...but this hot stuff works.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    try the HOT YOGA.
    That would be Bikram Yoga.

    And whoever tells you that isn't painful is lying through their teeth,

    Don't get me wrong.

    I feel GREAT afterwards.

    But I'm not enjoying it while I'm doing it.
  • mittens6395
    mittens6395 Posts: 53
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    Hatha yoga is gentle and relaxing. I love it. Bikram yoga is spun off Hatha but is heated and the humidity elevated. Bikram is miserable to me. Once you start something like Hatha and learn all the poses you get better. When I first started yoga years ago I could barely do one regular pushup. After a few months I could rep out about 10 full plyo pushups in a row just from doing the regular poses! Its not just for flexibility and relaxation...it builds a lot of strength also.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I keep hearing people say it's all about the breathing, but I have to hold my breath while in poses. Same thing with planks. I can't breathe while holding planks so I have to get out of it to breathe.

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