will yoga help my training?

Couldn't hurt. Try it out and see if you like it. You can always add balance and stretching without yoga if you end up not liking it.

Yes.

Yoga is brilliant! Just don't overdo it right from the start.... I know it sounds weird (overdoing the stretchy kind of yoga) but I managed to get bursitis cause I was kneeling so much

Yes, yoga will help your training -- whatever your training is. It's actually known for that.

However, DO NOT try to learn yoga any way but from a qaulified instructor in a class. Once you've been doing it a while and you know what you're doing, it's OK to do on your own. But it's a lot more complicated and difficult than it looks and you can injure yourself or simply not get the benefits if you don't learn it properly with guidance.

I'm relatively certain that yoga isn't that complicated and scary. Let's not manufacture more barriers to entry than are needed

My balance is improving as I get stronger, so you don't have to do yoga for that. But if you want to, and you enjoy it, go for it. It can be really really tough (I just finished a fitnessblender yoga routine this morning and I was shaking after) or really relaxing, or both. And it feels good mentally too.

Yes, yoga will help your training -- whatever your training is. It's actually known for that.

However, DO NOT try to learn yoga any way but from a qaulified instructor in a class. Once you've been doing it a while and you know what you're doing, it's OK to do on your own. But it's a lot more complicated and difficult than it looks and you can injure yourself or simply not get the benefits if you don't learn it properly with guidance.

I'm relatively certain that yoga isn't that complicated and scary. Let's not manufacture more barriers to entry than are needed

I'd have to say that certain yoga poses are best learned in a classroom setting. A couple of weeks ago in my yoga class we started learning shoulder stands and inversions. Not something I think a novice may want to try out on their lonesome.

Even the less complex ones need guidance. It's extremely difficult to "feel" your way into correct form, especially when you're new. So while you think you're doing it right, you're not and so you're not getting the benefits. And even something as simple as bridge or modified fish pose can cause injury if you do it wrong.

It isn't scary, but it also isn't as easy as people think it is. And if you are doing it and think it's easy and simple, you aren't doing it correctly.

Yes, yoga will help your training -- whatever your training is. It's actually known for that.

However, DO NOT try to learn yoga any way but from a qaulified instructor in a class. Once you've been doing it a while and you know what you're doing, it's OK to do on your own. But it's a lot more complicated and difficult than it looks and you can injure yourself or simply not get the benefits if you don't learn it properly with guidance.

I'm relatively certain that yoga isn't that complicated and scary. Let's not manufacture more barriers to entry than are needed

Then I'm relatively certain you aren't doing it correctly.

I'm relatively certain that you're correct. But also relatively certain that I got huge benefits from it, especially since my main reason to take it up was to increase flexibility. If I wanted something far beyond that, or wanted to try the cool *kitten* complex balancing positions, sure it would help to have an instructor.

But most beginners aren't looking for something that advanced. The OP certainly didn't indicate it. Many people don't have time or money or confidence to start a basic practice in a class setting. Telling them that NO WAY NO HOW should they start a simple routine is borderline criminal, imo. Fitness is for everyone of every budget and capability, and there's usually a low barrier to entry.

QFT

Yes. Yoga will help your training.

No. You don't have to suck at the left teat of I.B.S. Iyengar in an ashram to learn it.

doyogawithme.com. They've got lots of beginners classes (all free) from a variety of instructors with differing styles. I'm sure there a plenty of other, good, free yoga resources online too.

Yes, yoga will help your training -- whatever your training is. It's actually known for that.

However, DO NOT try to learn yoga any way but from a qaulified instructor in a class. Once you've been doing it a while and you know what you're doing, it's OK to do on your own. But it's a lot more complicated and difficult than it looks and you can injure yourself or simply not get the benefits if you don't learn it properly with guidance.

I'm relatively certain that yoga isn't that complicated and scary. Let's not manufacture more barriers to entry than are needed

I'd have to say that certain yoga poses are best learned in a classroom setting. A couple of weeks ago in my yoga class we started learning shoulder stands and inversions. Not something I think a novice may want to try out on their lonesome.

I'm pretty sure I was playing around with shoulder stands all by myself in my bedroom when I was 10.

Classes are great and a good instructor is worth their weight in gold, but getting a DVD and trying it out has benefits too. I doubt that any of them would show the more complicated things.

With everything that has been said in this thread, I have to agree that there is no real substitute for practicing yoga with a certified instructor in a studio. However, if you can not afford it or it doesn't fit your schedule, there is no reason why you can't practice at home with videos. A couple of bits of advice if you are new to yoga and are using videos for instruction:

1. If it hurts or doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Some poses may be uncomfortable, but don't push yourself too far into a pose if it really hurts because you may not be doing it correctly.

2. Use a variety of different videos. After years of doing yoga with many different instructors, I can tell you that each one has his or her own way of describing how a pose should be done. There are some poses I had been doing for years and a new instructor said something that gave me that "aha" moment that just made it click. You will probably learn something new from each different video you do.