Starting yoga

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miniging
miniging Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm going to to be starting yoga on Monday. And I'm just wondering, what improvements has anyone seen from doing yoga? (This of course goes to people that do yoga.) I've heard various things about it, and I just wanna see what others have to say.

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  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
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    I just really like it :) One instructor I had was very fit and athletic, but her body only started changing shape-wise once she started doing yoga. I found that pretty interesting - however i haven't done it regularly enough to test such a theory.

    Good luck! If you've never done it before it might feel awkward at first but once you know the moves it becomes more fluent.
  • KariBear7
    KariBear7 Posts: 26 Member
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    Hi! I recently started taking a weekly yoga class at my gym. I have noticed that it drastically helps me learn to how stretch, for one...but when you get the breathing just right, it feels AMAZING! I have become more flexible (which is amazing as I weigh 255 lbs and am by no means small!) It also help strengthen some muscles that could be not as strong as others. My trainer told me I had weak ankles, and the yoga helps with that, so it is really an all around amazing, low impact workout! I highly doubt you will be disappointed! But, I would just say, if you're a newbie to it, it WILL probably take some time to get some of the moves down, as it also teaches you how to balance :) Have fun!
  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member
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    Increased strength and flexibility, better balance, and better emotional balance too. I should start doing it again. <3
  • aleggett321
    aleggett321 Posts: 186 Member
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    There are so many styles of yoga that you may get widely varied answers. Personally, I love a very meditative, gentle, stretching class. Although there is definitely strength and core work, my classes focus on slow, deep, full breathing. Staying very much in the moment and listening to your body. I want to keep my flexibility and I love the way it calms down my very busy brain. I find it a wonderful balance to my cardio/strength days. I hope you find a class you love!
  • 1pandabear
    1pandabear Posts: 336 Member
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    Sometimes with the right teacher after yoga you feel like you've had a massage (very relaxed, loose, soothed, and accepted).
    In addition to that, regular practice of yoga will teach you that being flexible feels marvelous throughout the day.
    It helps you know your body. And if you apply yourself it can help you quiet your mind. Many of the postures will improve your balance (physical), as has been mentioned.
  • djg216
    djg216 Posts: 1
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    Yoga is wonderful. Yoga helps with mindfulness which then helps with becoming more aware of so much more in your daily life. You really can learn how to stay present and focus on how you're feeling in the moment. This then can translate into helping you understand your actions in other ways.
    Of course there are many different forms of yoga which all focus on different techniques, but at the core it's about breathing/mindfulness and meditation. As you go deeper into your practice, other benefits arise.
    For example, yoga helps stretch, strengthen, tone and increase endurance. There are so many benefits. It's important to keep an open mind when starting yoga and to keep an open heart.
    And, ENJOY!
  • tooposh4u
    tooposh4u Posts: 5
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    I have been doing yoga for more than 2 years now.

    Mental wise: it keeps u calm, it makes you mindful of your body. it makes u understand more about how your body works and ur mind reacts when doing certain poses.

    Strength wise: my stamina has improved. my core has improved and may arms are much more stronger now. as compared to my old sedentary life.

    Weight Wise: Personally, if you eat the same way you are eating and do yoga like 2-3x a week, you wont see any major weight loss. The weight loss will come after you have been doing yoga for sometime and think to yourself that " hey, had i had a smaller tummy i couldve twister further. or had i weight less, i wouldn't have a hard time doing this plank" so you get more conscious of what you eat and start cutting down on things that makes you feel heavy afterwards. ( that's what happened to me)

    Body wise: yoga together with cutting down on junk foods made ma tone. with all the upward facing dong and chaturungga that the teacher made us to my tummy looks smaller and firmer. same goes for my arms.


    personally, i lost around 20 lbs on my first year of yoga. but of course that includes cutting down on carbs and sweets. but aside from yoga, i didn't do any other sport.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    I have spent much of my life starting yoga along with other things but have been practising daily for the past seven years.

    In those years where I am now far more focussed on daily practise, I have noticed an increase in strength though muscle mass has not increased significantly, more definition as I lose excess fat, improved balance both physical and emotional, improved sleep and recuperation and more confidence in myself and in social settings, increased stamina and cardio.

    As someone else earlier touched on, yoga doesn't only help you lose weight in calorie burn, it changes the way you look at your body and in food. You have a new incentive to improve your physique so that you can continue to pursue deeper and more challenging posture work and this in turn improves your health and physique - its a circular and progressive process.

    I have tried other things and always come back to the mat.

    I wish you a long yoga life and hope you come to love it as I do.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
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    All the things everyone else said. Plus, after I spend 75 minutes working on my body at yoga, I am not going to go home and eat pizza and a beer. I'm much more inclined to want a smoothie and tea.
  • epazia
    epazia Posts: 126 Member
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    I was at about 270 lbs when I started Yoga and to my surprise I could do a lot more then I thought I could with practice. This did wonderful things for my self confidence. Yoga has changed the way that I see myself and the way that I understand my body.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    I started over a year ago, because our pastor's offered to lead free sessions at our church. I found it greatly increased my flexibility, balance and core strength. I directly credit yoga to me being able to complete physical therapy for rotator cuff repair 4 weeks early!!!! I really suffer the first few classes back when I don't make it for a while (eg. on a trip, ill etc) because I stiffen up so quickly (I am arthritic).

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