Beginner yoga

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cynthiabickham
cynthiabickham Posts: 1,009 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I wanted to start doing Yoga, but I don’t know exactly how to get started.

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  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Starting yoga depends a lot on your teachers, so you may need to take a few classes around town to find a fit.

    Alternatively, you can start at home, with something like Yoga with Adrienne on youtube. I like her so much I donated: the only youtuber that has gotten my money.

    If you are overweight, especially towards the obese category, be aware that any teachers may not be aware of your what your actual challenges are. There are some useful videos online that can help if you get stuck on something and the recommendations you are getting don't seem to fit with your body shape. For me, it was initially as simple as they didn't understand that I couldn't stand with my toes together without doing something really funky to my knees, just because I had thighs in the way!
  • tara_mcconnell
    tara_mcconnell Posts: 16 Member
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    I would like to do yoga as well; however I am scared to start to do my balance and movement. I think yoga is flawless and well my movements are not flawless lol
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    tara_mcconnell wrote: »
    I would like to do yoga as well; however I am scared to start to do my balance and movement. I think yoga is flawless and well my movements are not flawless lol

    Yoga is a learning process. It starts from the premise that nobody is flawless and builds from there.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    we all start someplace and even though i've done 6 years of aerial yoga. i'm still a hot mess on the ground. and it's ok. it's just about you. not about any one else

    I strongly suggest trying to go to a studio when you first start. this allows the instructor to coach you on posture and alignment to avoid injury. also, when i started, i ended up making friends.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    tara_mcconnell wrote: »
    I would like to do yoga as well; however I am scared to start to do my balance and movement. I think yoga is flawless and well my movements are not flawless lol

    That’s what I love about yoga. My balance was really, really bad, improved to just bad. Lol.
  • Samantharavenclaw84
    Samantharavenclaw84 Posts: 161 Member
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    I was terrified at my first class as I had only half-heartedly followed along with Yoga with Adrienne, but the instructor was amazing. Very patient and understanding and helped me a lot in finding proper modifications for things I couldn't do- in the begining, there was alot of if your body doesn't feel like doing X try Y. I've been going 2-3 times a week since winter and have seen so much progress. I've also made a lot of friends in class as it's normally the same 10-20 of us every class. You won't know how it goes until you try it!

  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I would highly recommend a class if you're an absolute beginner. While videos can be appealing, a video cannot check your form to prevent injury, or tell you how to modify poses to fit your needs. Many yoga studios have free or discounted classes for new students to try, and they would also be able to recommend classes that are best for newbies.
    tara_mcconnell wrote: »
    I would like to do yoga as well; however I am scared to start to do my balance and movement. I think yoga is flawless and well my movements are not flawless lol

    Why would you think yoga is flawless? The reason why people call yoga a "practice" is because no one is ever perfect at it, nor is perfection the goal. Yoga is just about becoming more aware of your own body in its current state. If you keep practicing, you might notice subtle changes in your body over time, and you might become more connected to your physical and mental state.
  • mochapygmy
    mochapygmy Posts: 2,123 Member
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    tara_mcconnell wrote: »
    I would like to do yoga as well; however I am scared to start to do my balance and movement. I think yoga is flawless and well my movements are not flawless lol

    Yoga is not flawless. Yoga is a practise. There are modifications for almost all poses. There are tools like blocks, straps, chairs, towels and bolsters to help you. Yoga helps build balance and movement.

    Yoga is for real people, every one of us. Give it a shot.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,473 Member
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    Yoga shouldn’t be flawless. It would be incredibly boring if it were.

    It is the practice of yoga. Practice. In another life I was a musician. Even if I were perfect, I’d still practice some more. The more you practice, the more you add to your fund of knowledge and learn even more about something you may already think you’re expert at.

    I stagger many times a class, and I’m pretty experienced. I also go out of poses- a lot- when my hip or groin grab. I have no shame in standing in front of a class and wiggling my *kitten* til something releases.

    I also fall on my butt and face a lot when trying new poses. “Trying” is the operative word here. You should always try, even when you know you don’t have a snowball’s because one day you’ll surprise yourself.

    What worked well for me for a long time was to close my eyes during class. As long as I couldn’t see others, I couldn’t compare myself, and couldn’t see them “looking at me” (though I realize now classmates are too wrapped up in their own practice to look or care). Closing eyes also helped me focus on breath. Controlling breath has helped me so much in other areas of my life: other exercise, anxiety, frustration, anger.

    Please, don’t be so wrapped up in how you look to others, that you never move past the most basic poses.

    Teach yourself to laugh at yourself. You’d be amazed how freeing it is, and once one person laughs, the whole mood of the room can change, and then people are more willing to try new things, too.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited August 2019
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    stevensben000 wrote: »
    The easiest way to get started is to just go to a class. Most classes accept beginners and it's a good idea to learn from a professional because they can fix your stances/poses in person. However, when I started doing yoga I was too nervous to do it in public so I just watched youtube videos for a few months before I went out and possibly embarrassed myself.

    [Edited by MFP Mods]

    There wouldn't be any point to taking classes if you had to know what you were doing before you went to class. The entire purpose of any class at all is to learn. Besides, it's easy to accidentally teach yourself incorrect things that you will then need to un-learn later.

    In my classes, I'm not looking at anyone other than the teacher. I don't think anyone other than the teacher is looking at me. I often have my eyes closed, since there can be a meditative component to yoga if you want to include it. Otherwise, I'm usually looking at a fixed point on the wall or floor, because that helps with balance. If I happen to be facing someone, I try to look away from them and not make them feel uncomfortable.

    If a pose goes *really* wrong (i.e., you're in tree and you fall right on your face), you can laugh it off if you want to, and then just get up and try again.

    If you're doing something that's not remotely close to the pose being practiced, or if you're doing something that might cause injury, a good teacher will come over and help you. If you're doing something that's not quite right but isn't a big deal, some teachers will come help you; others will comment to the entire class on things that everyone should be aware of, without singling you out.

    You can also ask the teacher for help either during the class or after savasana. If your question needs to be answered immediately, then you should signal for help. Otherwise, just try to read the culture of the class. Some classes are very conversational and people speak up during the class, while others are quieter and it's more appropriate to have a conversation afterward.

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