What IS yoga really?

[BarefootBetsy]

Originally Posted by believer

This thread has made me want to take a yoga class.
Now if I only had the time and the money.

I know the feeling

I loved the yoga class I went to for a while when I was pg with ds. I miss it But yeah, time and money are the keys and I don't have them right now.

[flowermama]

Originally Posted by librarianjojo

I'm so glad it has helped you with your hip! I can tell when I haven't been to a class in a while - my hips start getting really tight, really fast. Those hip openers are no joke!

I go to the chiropractor, and that has helped a whole lot, too, but my hip really started to feel *so* much better when I started doing yoga. The stretches are wonderful!

The teacher makes all the difference...there are some teachers who just have to smile at me and I start feeling more relaxed.

I think so, too! There are two teachers whose class I've taken, and I feel so much more relaxed in one teacher's class than I do the other's. I'm not sure, but I think one may be DYT type 2 and the other DYT type 3, and for me, well, the type 2 teacher is more calming. They are both nice, though!

Originally Posted by Zooey

The thing that always has amazwed me, is that you don't use up energy; you seem to increase it.
I think that we sometimes have no idea that so much energy is drained from us by the pain & tension in our bodies. Sometimes, when I have an ache or pain, I just stand in a pose that stretches that spot, & I feel all the tension being pulled out of the area.

Yes, it does seem to work that way! It's so nice. I love how I feel warm after doing yoga, a nice pleasant, energized, warmth.

Originally Posted by believer

This thread has made me want to take a yoga class.
Now if I only had the time and the money.

I don't know if you'd want to do it at home, but this website has free video workouts.

I like to do this one (for my hip):
http://www.doyogawithme.com/content/...and-lower-back

[hollybells]

Has anyone tried any of the Christian dvds? I'm wondering about the music and "chatter" (for lack of a better word ). I'm good with instrumental music and minimal chatter beyond explaining what I'm supposed to be doing.

If anyone has tried any that are similar to and can recommend something, I'd appreciate it. I've found a few online through Indigo / Chapters but am not sure where to start.

I know that when I was doing yoga regularly, my body felt much better and this year, self care is a (slow) priority, so now that physio is making a difference, I'm ready to add in something new.

A bit of a derail:

My self-care plan - a new habit a month:

January ~ Drink 64 oz of non-caffeinated liquid / day
February ~ Sleep Get influenza / pneumonia and be bed ridden for most of the month
March ~ Sleep
April ~ Physio 2 - 3 x / week and massage once / two weeks
May ~ Regular fitness - start with walking 3 - 4x / week + ??? something for stretching / pain management - yoga would be a good fit

[saturnfire16]

I don't know too much about the types of exercises PTs recommend, but most stretches I've seen outside of yoga classes seem to me to have obvious yoga roots. So I guess I'm confused about how much of a difference there really is.

For example, in high school, I suggested to my then bf (now dh) that he might like doing yoga with me. He balked at the idea, and I pointed out that he was already doing yoga poses when he stretched before football. He said NO WAY! so I had him show me some of his stretches, and said, "Yep, that's down dog. And that's cobra. And that's triangle.... just because you don't know you're doing yoga, doesn't mean the stretches aren't the exact.same.thing."

Of course, there isn't usually the emphasis on breathing in other stretching programs, and no spiritual element (but there doesn't have to be with yoga either), usually lack the flow (but not all yoga is flow yoga, either) but for the most part, the body can only move so many different ways.

Do you have specific examples of stretches in yoga that are recommended against by PTs? And why?

[MrsDuck]

Originally Posted by hollybells

Has anyone tried any of the Christian dvds? I'm wondering about the music and "chatter" (for lack of a better word ). I'm good with instrumental music and minimal chatter beyond explaining what I'm supposed to be doing.

If anyone has tried any that are similar to and can recommend something, I'd appreciate it. I've found a few online through Indigo / Chapters but am not sure where to start.

I got one from the library once that was so very awful. I don't remember what it was called, but it was terrible beyond words. Christoga maybe? The leaders were so unprofessional and one of them could barely do the poses herself and they would. Not. Be. Quiet.

[hollybells]

Originally Posted by MrsDuck

I got one from the library once that was so very awful. I don't remember what it was called, but it was terrible beyond words. Christoga maybe? The leaders were so unprofessional and one of them could barely do the poses herself and they would. Not. Be. Quiet.

That's what I was afraid of ...

[Johns_Gal]

"Christoga"? Oh my goodness.

[Punkie]

For online classes, yogaglo has some really fantastic ones. None of them have music, and the room is well lit and simple, so there are no distractions. They have some of the best instructors in the world, so you can try a few and find one that works for you.

My husband and I are both athletes, and my husband competes in his sport. He wanted yoga that would prevent injuries but wasn't too out there or spiritual. One of the instructors on yogaglo worked at Nike headquarters, leading their yoga program. Her classes focus much more on cross training for individual sports and injury prevention, as opposed to the more woowoo teachers. I think they have something for everyone.

[twoplustwo]

Originally Posted by Punkie

For online classes, yogaglo has some really fantastic ones.

Hey - look at this:

www.yoga glo.com/yoga_for_cyclists (broke link bt yoga & glo)

Sooo . . . .I see the 15 free trial, but are you will to let me know what the monthly rate is? Generally, I think - wow! Id do that & then the price is so far out of my budget. Id rather know upfront than be all disappointed.

I know that the point is to try it & see how awesomely wonderful it is & then you are suddenly willing to pay double what you thought. But its either in the budget or not, no amount of wonderful can change that.

[Punkie]

My husband is a cyclist, and he really likes the classes for cyclists. The cross-training classes for runners are also fantastic. I credit them with helping to keep me injury-free throughout my marathon training.

The price is $18/month. I live in a place with outrageous cost of living, and a single class at a studio here costs me that, so it is a good deal for me. I know pricing for local classes varies greatly depending on where you live, though.

[twoplustwo]

Oh yea - thats not bad at all. Classes start here at $10/class & thats generally if you commit to a punch card or a pay for a month's worth. Drop in rates usually start at $12 & go up (way up sometimes) from there. And thats at the park district. Those private places are more.

I may try the 15 day trial for cyclists & maybe the cross training for runners too. My hip has been hurting when Ive been running lately.

Thanks for the info.

[Punkie]

With the membership you get access to all of the classes, so I can do cycling, running, surfing, or any other cross training classes as well as all of the "regular" yoga classes.

It really is a good deal for me, and it is easier to find time to do it in my house than if I had to go to a studio.

[satin.mama]

www.do yogawithme.com (link broken between do and yoga) is free forever if you do it on your computer - you only have to pay if you want the large-screen versions or sound-only files, etc.

I've found some good videos on there.

[2TMama]

I got my Bryan Kest (Power Yoga) dvd on ebay, I believe. I discovered him via a new/wrapped VHS I stumbled onto at a Goodwill. Once we phased out our vcr, I was on the lookout for a dvd replacement

(I just took a peek & there are some auctions right now for the same dvd)

[sara1215]

I took an outdoor yoga class last summer. It was held at a park by a lake in the evening. I had never done yoga before and I loved it! I have scoliosis and the yoga really helped with my back pain. I found it very relaxing and I plan to do it again this summer.