How to start yoga without taking classes?

lauraspberry
lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I wanna turn yoga into a lifestyle. I tried it a couple of times before and I really liked it but now, I dont have the time to go to classes. Can anybody please help me? Feel free to add me :) have a nice day :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • WilyFish
    WilyFish Posts: 2
    There are some "classes" on Amazon Prime, YouTube, I haven't checked Netflix, but possibly on there, too.

    I'd love to take classes, but also find myself pressed for time/money/ability to leave the house. :smile:
  • VoodooAborisha
    VoodooAborisha Posts: 147 Member
    What kind of yoga are you interested in?

    I love Kundalini yoga but that is mainly a spiritual practice. There are so many kinds - Hatha, Ashtanga, Power yoga, and others. Some focus on poses, some also do breathing and chanting, and there are also some kinds where you move the whole time, through poses, some more vigorously than others and it is a real cardio workout.

    As mentioned above, there are classes on youtube, or get yourself a DVD. If you have tried it a few times, you could also do some series from books if you are already pretty body-conscious through other fitness practices.
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
    Thanks you guys :) The one I tried before was Hatha which I really liked because it's relaxing. But I am looking into doing something that is relaxing + calorie burning. If there is such thing.
  • Glossysweets
    Glossysweets Posts: 69
    If you have an iphone I use the application called Yoga Studio http://yogastudioapp.com/

    I find it is quite relaxing but fairly tough. I like the voice of the instructor.
  • JessieSky
    JessieSky Posts: 79
    Nothing wrong with some of these options and DIY to some extent, but it might be helpful starting out with any type of Yoga to do a class or two. It's important to know you have the kinds of movements and stretching down just right, and while you can mimic a video or something off of an app, it can't tell you if you're doing it properly or risking injury.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    if you have an iOS device, you can download EA's app Yogify.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    Yoga Zone has some good beginner DVD's. They teach you everything from the proper way to breathe right down to the proper way to execute the move.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Or buy a $10 Rodney Yee power yoga video at Target or Walmart. That's a good, safe place to start, and they are usually fairly physically challenging.
    Good luck!
  • itodd4019
    itodd4019 Posts: 340 Member
    Youtube

    any style, any length of routine, all free
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
    Thanks you guys :) still confused about what type of yoga should I go with
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    If you don't have time to go to classes, how do you have time to do it at all?

    It isn't a good idea to try to do yoga as a beginner on your own. Please take a few classes to make sure your form is correct before attempting it on your own.

    That said, Gaiam's Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss is a good DVD. It has several levels from beginner to intermediate, so you can start small and work your way up.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    In to listen to the advice since I'm about to start yoga classes and not sure which to do.
  • SergeantNarwhal
    SergeantNarwhal Posts: 116 Member
    I personally would get your bum to a class before you do online/app stuff. You just benefit a lot from getting a teacher there to make sure you have proper alignment and aren't injuring yourself.

    My suggestion would be this: Start with hatha classes. Do 5-10 until you feel like you have the basics down.

    Then try, hot, ashtanga, power, or bikram classes if you're looking for a good burn.

    <3 Good luck lil' yogi!
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    If you want to try out a few different styles, doyogawithme.com has a variety of free practices and you can choose by style and level. There's also a bunch of stuff on youtube.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    Best bet to figure what kind you like, is to go to a studio and try out the different kinds available. And talk to the instructor. They'll be glad to point you in the right direction.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    I wanna turn yoga into a lifestyle.

    - with love and not meant to be a criticism at all - if you wanna turn yoga into a lifestyle, sooner or later a yoga class or style will come into your life whether you plan it or not, so I would say try a few different classes to find a teacher and style you like and make time for yoga.

    - you may think you haven't time for yoga but if you make time for it, you will be surprised how other things take a shorter time to do, or you become more efficient with your available time or some other things already taking time up simply stop being so important and step aside so the yoga lifestyle can take place.

    I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in your yoga path. :flowerforyou:
  • prestigio
    prestigio Posts: 181 Member
    Thanks you guys :) The one I tried before was Hatha which I really liked because it's relaxing. But I am looking into doing something that is relaxing + calorie burning. If there is such thing.

    Nope...
    Relaxing: Heart rate is low, muscles relaxed
    Calorie burning: Elevated heart rate, muscles used

    As said before: watch some YouTube video's or buy a DVD.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Thanks you guys :) The one I tried before was Hatha which I really liked because it's relaxing. But I am looking into doing something that is relaxing + calorie burning. If there is such thing.

    Nope...
    Relaxing: Heart rate is low, muscles relaxed
    Calorie burning: Elevated heart rate, muscles used

    As said before: watch some YouTube video's or buy a DVD.
    You're correct technically. But even the more rigorous yoga is also relaxing in a mental way. After an hour of power yoga, moving quickly through poses, I end up just wanting to sleep.

    Pretty much any type of yoga is relaxing mentally. OP -- If you want to burn more calories (and that is relative, since yoga really does not burn a lot -- about 200-250 in an hour if you're really working it), do vinyasa flow yoga.
  • SergeantNarwhal
    SergeantNarwhal Posts: 116 Member
    Thanks you guys :) The one I tried before was Hatha which I really liked because it's relaxing. But I am looking into doing something that is relaxing + calorie burning. If there is such thing.

    Nope...
    Relaxing: Heart rate is low, muscles relaxed
    Calorie burning: Elevated heart rate, muscles used

    As said before: watch some YouTube video's or buy a DVD.

    I don't mean to be argumentative but I'm not entirely convinced by this comment. Ashtanga is the "original" hot yoga practice and is incredibly vigorous AND spiritual and to me mentally relaxing. Practicing ashtanga mysore becomes a ritual of asana that allows the mind to relax and the body to move. I've burned upward of 600 calories during ashtanga.

    Is it physically relaxing? Hmmm no. But if you get your mind in the right place it is so mentally relaxing and clarifying. Thing is though, I think it would be difficult to get in that place without having a teacher there to take the stress away of, "am I doing this right?" If you want to do a few online things to see if you like it before ponying up the cash for a class then perhaps that's wise but really, I cannot emphasize how incredible taking yoga in a class with like-minded people and a well-instructed teacher is. THAT to me is relaxing.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Thanks you guys :) The one I tried before was Hatha which I really liked because it's relaxing. But I am looking into doing something that is relaxing + calorie burning. If there is such thing.

    Nope...
    Relaxing: Heart rate is low, muscles relaxed
    Calorie burning: Elevated heart rate, muscles used

    As said before: watch some YouTube video's or buy a DVD.

    I don't mean to be argumentative but I'm not entirely convinced by this comment. Ashtanga is the "original" hot yoga practice and is incredibly vigorous AND spiritual and to me mentally relaxing. Practicing ashtanga mysore becomes a ritual of asana that allows the mind to relax and the body to move. I've burned upward of 600 calories during ashtanga.

    Is it physically relaxing? Hmmm no. But if you get your mind in the right place it is so mentally relaxing and clarifying. Thing is though, I think it would be difficult to get in that place without having a teacher there to take the stress away of, "am I doing this right?" If you want to do a few online things to see if you like it before ponying up the cash for a class then perhaps that's wise but really, I cannot emphasize how incredible taking yoga in a class with like-minded people and a well-instructed teacher is. THAT to me is relaxing.

    I would agree and just add - yoga postures can often put our body and therefore our mind into a position which challenges our balance, strength and mindset. Learning to relax in these times helps us to remain relaxed in times off the mat in our daily lives and so a challenging, more rigorous style of yoga can be relaxing in the long term bigger picture.
  • JJplus6
    JJplus6 Posts: 11 Member
    I wanna turn yoga into a lifestyle. I tried it a couple of times before and I really liked it but now, I dont have the time to go to classes. Can anybody please help me? Feel free to add me :) have a nice day :flowerforyou:

    I've been doing a yoga DVD that says it's for weight loss -- search Amazon for Rodney Lee + Mariel Hemingway + 15 minute results. It includes four 15-minute sessions. The first couple times I did this workout, I had to keep watching them a lot, and I know I wasn't doing the poses 100% correctly. But they use a lot of the same poses in various rotations, so now that I know the routine, I can focus more on maximizing what I'm getting out of each pose. They also throw in some unconventional moves (like some arm-swinging that seems silly at first) but the more I do them, I can feel their purpose and believe it adds to the calorie-burning part of the workout.

    I started by doing the "whole body" session, then have worked on adding more to each workout. I'm up to 45 min. (3 sessions) now. I definitely sweat and breathe heavily by the end. But at the same time, I always end the workout feeling refreshed and centered. Just be sure to do the relaxation poses.

    There are lots of yoga DVDs out there, and if you have cable/dish, you can probably get some workouts On Demand. I've also heard good things about Seane Corn and was thinking about buying one of her DVDs next. I even found free On Demand kids' yoga for my preschoolers, which is a lot of fun, but not so calorie-burning. :)

    Hope that helps a little!

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