Do you really like YOGA!!!!!!!!

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  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Try BodyBalance. Or setting yourself a goal like to do a headstand by August. Or find a different teacher.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
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    Try a few different class styles. I really love Hatha yoga, its slow, relaxing, and I get a great stretch from it. Its like going to the Chiro for me, I do it on Mondays and boy can I tell when I skip a week! It helps with all the tension that builds in my shoulders and back from sitting all day at my office job. I also do Ashtanga yoga sometimes and they are nothing alike. Ashtanga is flow yoga and its an intense sweaty workout. Sometimes I get really sore afterwards. I don't love Ashtanga but I like the workout effects so I have stuck with it when I have the time. I prefer classes to at-home/online videos.

    But its like anything- you have to enjoy an exercise to want to do it as part of your regular lifestyle. Try the various kinds and if its still not for you, find something else that it.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    I like it, but I have to force myself to do it because generally I prefer quite fast paced work-outs or ones that involve more cardio.

    You might get on a bit better with pilates, which is similar, or just do half an hour at home a couple of times a week. there are some really good apps and things on You Tube which give good little workouts.
  • lbetancourt
    lbetancourt Posts: 522 Member
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    i didn't care for yoga at first. thought it was boooooooring & slow. but, i was a place in my life that i needed to slow things down a bit. yoga opened a whole new world for me. reminds me i NEED to get back to mat.

    anyway, try out small sessions of yoga practice. it doesn't have to be an hour long. also, learn more about yoga, you will find that yoga goes beyond the bendy pretty poses. check out this site.

    http://www.yogajournal.com/

    namaste.
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
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    I really enjoy yoga- I've been doing it at home for years after coming upon a dvd that I really liked. I guess the thing I really liked about this particular sequence was I could do pretty much everything, despite the knee/leg issues I had (and still have, to a degree). I've only taken two classes; I've wanted to do so for a while, but was nervous because there are many poses that are difficult for me because of my knee, and I've come across many a sequence that I simply cannot do. But- thus far I've enjoyed the classes I've taken.

    I'm actually trying a hot yoga class tonight at my gym. I'm nervous about it, because I have no idea the level of difficulty I'm going to encounter, but I figure why not?

    You don't need to do yoga in order to increase flexibility, if you don't like the practice. Just stretch; you'll get many of the same benefits by stretching just as you would have done back in gym class :flowerforyou:

    ETA: stretching will certainly help with your flexibility- but there's a lot to be said for the mind-body connection that's made when doing yoga. I personally find that I feel like a much nicer person after doing a full sequence :smile:
  • julietufo
    julietufo Posts: 1
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    Yoga is not just a physical practice, chances are if you are taking time for it at a gym or with a video you are missing out on so much of what makes it special. I live in a town (100,000 population) that has about 25 different yoga studios so I have been lucky to "shop around." It takes time to feel comfortable in an uncomfortable space, situation or pose so give yourself that time. Also it is called a practice because the point is it is something to practice for a lifetime. Took me a while to understand that I would never master any pose or intention-there would always be room for improvement.
    Here is a little tip for hot yoga until you get through it without it-I roll a few ice cubes into my towel so that every time I wipe my face I get a tiny bit of relief. Also set your mat up near the door, that is almost always the coolest spot in the room. Eventually you will embrace the sweat and the discomfort, but it takes a long time.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    I love yoga, BUT I've been to classes that are horribly boring. Depending on your own level, look for "fitness yoga," or "athletic yoga" classes. Or as someone else suggested, you could try pilates or a class that blends yoga and pilates. The instructor can also make a huge difference in terms of how demanding it is. I don't enjoy the super-mellow/meditative, slow-paced classes either, but when it's physically challenging, it's probably my favorite thing to do!

    my thoughts exactly... I dont even do yoga these days, but, there are many kinds. I found the p90X yoga entertaining. I find calm yoga soothing. Using the word "yoga" as a blanket description is pretty inaccurate. The pace and difficulty varies wildly.

    I like it, but, I dont do it. My training schedule is packed.
  • richardositosanchez
    richardositosanchez Posts: 260 Member
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    I loved it when I first tried it. It's much harder than it looks and I can see why it gets people in shape.
  • LearnFromTheRed
    LearnFromTheRed Posts: 294 Member
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    I persisted and persisted but I just couldn't get on with it. I'm not terribly flexible (and didn't seem to be improving in the slightest), I overpronate really badly and found some of the moves very difficult to do 'correctly', and never looked forward to it however much I tried. I took up running instead and was far more enthused!
  • AbFabKat
    AbFabKat Posts: 16 Member
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    The instructor makes a huge difference for me. I was lucky. My first instructor was really keen at adjusting the challenge level to the level of her audience. If she saw someone was struggling she would go to them and help them modify their pose. Likewise, if someone was obviously not being challenged she would go to that person and suggest a more challenging addition to a pose. She is the reason I love yoga!

    I love challenging my body to do more difficult and advance positions. And when I truly focus on quieting my mind and my breathing it's even more challenging.

    If you're being physically and mentally challenged it's amazing. If the instructor just stands in front of the class doing the poses with you instead of interacting and assisting participants to make sure each student is getting what they need, it's a bore.
  • ThatSoundsHard
    ThatSoundsHard Posts: 475 Member
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    I disliked yoga at first because I was bad at it. No one likes doing things they're bad at.

    Once I gained some balance, and flexibility I started enjoying it a lot more. Now, almost a decade later yoga is an extremely important part of my day.

    It took me a long time to gain the patience to really benifit from my practice both spiritually and physically.

    If you don't like it, though, don't force yourself to do it.
    If you're going to force yourself to do it you might want to look into "power yoga".
  • tavenne323
    tavenne323 Posts: 332 Member
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    I love yoga!! I know someone mentioned it, but you have to find the right instructor and right class. The studio I went to recently revamped their classes and they turned into more "stretchy" classes. I like the ones that are more fast paced, like a vinyasa flow. And I love when teachers throw in a couple poses that I can't do, because then I go home and want to practice that pose!
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    It's fun to do the Y-O-G-A

    ymca-o.gif
  • marleyskye05
    marleyskye05 Posts: 138
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    I find for a lot of people that yoga gets more and more enjoyable as you do it more and get better at it. Try doing shorter sessions to start out with and just dedicate to doing 10 minutes of yoga everyday or something small. It is amazing for the body and feels great! If you're like me, once you start doing it more you will really feel the difference in your body and you will actually look forward to it because of that. Also once you get better at it and more comfortable, instead of being boring, I find it becomes "relaxing" instead.
  • Asherah29
    Asherah29 Posts: 354 Member
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    I absolutely love Yoga, but I think its a matter of taste and personality if you like it or not. I'm a person who enjoys calm and quiet. The fluid motions of Yoga manage to soothe me as I exercise, while I am not a fan of fast paced exercises like Zumba which I imagine someone with a more upbeat and excitable personality than me would really enjoy.

    That said, I think you can get hold of some awful instructors/dvd's that just make any workout awful for you.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Most men do not like yoga for the same reason you stated. They are not very flexible so it is uncomfortable.
    I started doing yoga back when yoga studios were few and far between. We had to practice from books. But, all the books showed older, emaciated, Indian guys in diapers twisting themselves into impossible positions. We kinda figured we could never get there -- and, without advice, weren't really sure where to begin to get there. So, we just focused on practicing breathing kriyas, and relaxation, and the meditative aspects at first, with very little physical posing or routines.
    Yoga is like anything physical. You don't start at the top of the mountain. You start at the bottom and work your way up. I wish I had understood that when I started. I might not have been so tentative.
    That was a gradual way to start. I recommend it. I got a lot out of just breathing exercises and simple meditation.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    They're are different types of yoga. You can have yoga classes that have you moving as quickly as an aerobic class (is it Hatha or Vinyasa?). Maybe that type of yoga would appeal to you more?
  • anothermop
    anothermop Posts: 187 Member
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    The only yoga I know is the 90 minute P90X version--for the most part, it's only once/week. I didn't like it at all until about the 3rd month. I was finally flexible enough to do all the moves. That was almost 2 years ago and now it's one of my favorites workouts.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I like the type of yoga that has a continuous flow of graceful movement like Adagio in dancing and that works with balance. Flow, Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa. It's helpful for my dance training. It's movement and also physically and mentally relaxing. I also am not into hot yoga. Some types of yoga are boring. I use weights for strength training. Yoga is for a different purpose for me. I am very flexible.
  • Nuccia2012
    Nuccia2012 Posts: 122 Member
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    Yoga was one of the first exercise routines I attempted, and I am hooked! I normally practice vinyasa, although I also follow a recovery routine for runners from time to time. Being mindful of my breath and form helps me unwind and gives me something to look forward to on stressful days. Physically, the strength and flexibility I’ve developed is a pleasant reminder that I am blessed to have a body that supports me, even though I insist on beating it up by running and working.

    All that stated, you have to find what works for you, be it a different instructor, more challenging practice, etc. Good luck!

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