Clumsy Man Attempting Yoga

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Replies

  • nikki_dw
    nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
    GO TO A STUDIO!

    Seriously. Find a beginner level class or workshop in your area, take a deep breath, and GO!

    Good yoga instructors are kind, understanding people. I was never able to really get anything from yoga when I did it at home with a DVD. There's something about being in a class that is inspiring. It's also super helpful. I was probably "intermediate" at one point, but I've backslid lately. I need instructors to correct me and tell me when I'm doing a pose incorrectly. Every instructor I've had has done it in a way that feels motivating, not in a way that makes me feel embarrassed. Another poster said there isn't a right way to do yoga... And that's true to an extent. Sometimes you can do something incorrectly and cause an injury. But another benefit of going to a studio is that an instructor can help you modify a pose to fit your level. Tell the instructor beforehand that it's your first class, and they'll make sure to give you modifications on more difficult poses. You put your legs behind your head? Me neither. An instructor can show you what to do so that one day you'll get there.

    Another awesome benefit for me of going to a yoga class is realizing that while there are several people who can hold insane poses, there are just as many people who can't!
  • kellyskitties
    kellyskitties Posts: 475 Member
    This guy eventually managed: http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448

    I'm sure you'll get there with enough practice.

    I love this guy. He's my go to every time I think I can't. If he can, almost anybody can.

    It's not about perfection - it is called "practicing yoga"

    I understand (from somebody that was trained in India) that the poses are not exact - they are in fact quite vague so there is no truly wrong. Allow yourself modifications to make things easier and harder as you feel necessary.
  • willowbrooke1
    willowbrooke1 Posts: 24 Member
    My son`s Army unit, all coordinated, athletic, bad *kitten* soldiers who did Crossfit, decided to try yoga. He told me it was the most challenging fitness regimen they had done (this was when they were all deployed in Iraq). He said they sweated, cursed, stumbled, fell, couldn`t hold the poses, laughed themselves silly...and applauded me for sticking to it for a year plus. It DOES get easier..don`t give up!!!
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I swear I was not there .. ;-)

    Tried it once .. never again.
  • Shalaurise
    Shalaurise Posts: 707 Member
    Challenge yourself to continue until you get it. It will happen. There is a great success story I saw once. If he can do it, you can too.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448



    Disclaimer: I am not a yoga person.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    You should not be embarrased to go to a yoga studio, you will not be judged, everyone needs to start somewhere. Plus the instructor will be able to give you some modifications to use until you are able to develop the strength for some of the more difficult poses.

    ^This^

    And, as someone else mentioned, it also helps to focus on something on the wall during balance poses.
  • Thewatcher_66
    Thewatcher_66 Posts: 1,643 Member
    Guys, these are all great suggestions. The one about the bada$$ army soldiers had me rolling and I can empathize with them. Yoga is tougher than any weightlifting regiment I've ever done. I was sweating like crazy my first attempt at it. I sweat so much, I had to pause my tape, get a cloth and wipe all of the sweat from my mat because I was slipping on it.
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
    Agreed with previous posters that there is no right or wrong in yoga, there's just where you are. I just got my yoga teacher cert, and that's really the number one thing you take to each class. I highly recommend the OP go to a studio, where he can have a teacher give him modifications with belts, blocks, blankets or the wall, and get instant feedback on how things are going.

    And it really does take time and effort, a few years ago I couldn't stand on one leg for any length of time. Today I just did a class demo in front of 200+ people in Bryant park. It's all in time, practice and accepting your body for where it is right now.
  • vha2
    vha2 Posts: 64 Member
    This thread has made my day.

    Go on, be that clumsy guy that everyone tells stories about! :bigsmile:
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
    I regularly tip over when trying new poses. And balance poses? Depends on the day. Sometimes I get find my center and stand on one foot forever. Other days...it's just embarrassing.

    Or it would be if anyone in the class cared. Here's the thing: we've all face-planted a time or two, so we understand. Try a class and I think you'll be pleased by the support and by how much easier it is to progress with an instructor to give you pointers, props, and modifications.
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    In my experience people are encouraged not to even pay attention to other people in the classes - the point is often to look inward and experience it in your own body. So if you are in a class that welcomes beginners I would not feel self conscious. I find classes to be a WAY better experience - especially hot yoga. that way its not only a full body exercise, but also relaxing. Where I find DVDs aren't really relaxing or meditative. Just go for it - a lot of yoga studios will have a class thats cheaper to try it out either called "community" class or "karma" class. Just try it once and see if you like it any better.
  • roadmapmaker
    roadmapmaker Posts: 120 Member
    I have bad issues with balance and after a couple of years at physical therapy, I have trained my brain. Start off with simple balancing on one leg focusing with your eyes open and then close your eyes while lightly touching a rail or table, counter top. You can train your brain and also helps with holding your core strong. They always told me to hold my kegel. I thought they said bagel....

    Best of luck!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Thanks everyone for the encouragement. There are a few really good yoga studios in my area that I'm going to look into. Hopefully, I can get started within a few weeks. I'm more of weight lifter and occasional runner but people tell me that yoga is good because our muscles can get tight when doing a lot of power lifting and I need to stretch them out more. I hurt my back pretty bad a few months ago and I have a feeling I would not have been that bad off had I been doing yoga consistently.
    Yoga on its own doesn't burn a ton of calories. but it improves posture, balance, strength, endurance and flexibility. It will do nothing but improve your other workouts, but ONLY if you do it right! Good luck finding a class. I prefer classes, but it's cheaper for me to do it at home on my own. :-( But I've been practicing for more than a decade and started with classes.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    In many cities, if you look around, there is a free yoga class taught by professionals once or week or month. In Houston, TX, it's Luke's Locker and my neighborhood grocery store, HEB. If you do nothing but sit in on the class, you will lose your fear of attending.

    Also, we had a yoga instructor at a client recently. She taught us a quick yoga break - and to remember, balance, invert, balance, twist. All in a standing on two feet pose. don't think you have to do yoga for "x" amount of time each day. You can just do a sun saluation and feel great. The point is, like the other posters have said, it is a very individualized activity.

    Enjoy!
  • BelliDancer
    BelliDancer Posts: 25 Member
    Good for you for doing it. So many (strong) men refuse to do it because they're intimidated by the stretching so I applaud you for taking up the challenge. I would also encourage you to be brave and go to a class. A good teacher will help you improve your postures and then you'll get more out of it. It sounds to me like yours is not a problem of co-ordination anyway but of balance. They can give you tips and tricks and adjustments that will make a huge difference and the more you do it the better you will get. And then it gets totally addictive. I sometimes have to go lock myself in the bathroom in the middle of the day, just to do downward dog!
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
    I did Bikram for about 10 months and I still had balance problems after all that time. It's like riding a bike, your bad at first but you get a little better each time and if you work really hard at it you get up to competition level. Don't worry about looking uncoordinated or off-balance, everybody else started at roughly the same place and there are new people starting all the time. I only know of one woman who laughed a little at me during my first class and I never saw her again - I really didn't care what she thought, it was what I thought and felt in my body that counted.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    I did a beginner 4 week class a few yrs ago with my wife. It was a little challenging but not too bad. My problem was at the end of the class when you laid down with the lights down and your legs relaxed I tended to break wind loudly and unexpectedly for two weeks in a row. Needless to say i was embarrassed and refuse to go back. :cry:

    Chances are you ate before class. This happens a lot. I think it happens in other fitness classes too, but you can't hear it because of the loud music. Try not eating 3-4 hours before class. It will help.

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