Yoga - The Beginning

Totally Judy

Totally Judy

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
4,347
Okay, so I'm going to start taking a Ashtanga Fusion Yoga class on Mondays. I took beginning classses 4 years ago, but never continued after those. Tonight on my way home from work I stopped and bought me a new mat, headband, strap, and a PURPLE towel!

I really don't remember much about yoga, so I'll pretty much be starting over.

Any suggestions for easing into Yoga? Does and don't? How to not look like an idiot? :eek:

TJ
 
As in most physical holisitc disciplines , this is from someone who has done different martial arts since childhood and have friends who teach Tai Chi Chuan ("old-school" martial art and the "wellness" kind) and into Ashtanga and Bikram Yoga, allow me to share some important rules of thumb (your instructor will deal with the specifics):

1. Breathing - EVERYTHING emanates from here. The more efficient and "deep" the breathing cycle is, the more loose and relaxed the movements become and the more you are able to execute them.
2. Pliability - Never force any movement, limb or joint. Take it nice and slow. Very much related to the above.
3. Re-hydrate well after each session.
4. BREATHING <---really need to reiterate that ;)

Good luck!
 
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I have a chart I use to keep the different names straight.


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yoga is a serious workout and its benefits are not yet fully understood by the West. check out a bikram class and it will beat your ass. i would get literally high all day after an hour and a half of that torture.

i have no advice other than to keep an open mind. most yoga is too intense for my fatness, but all yoga is beneficial.
 
I all seriousness, you can find a wealth of information by searching you-tube. There are many great videos on there for the beginner on up to advanced.
Tai-Chi is also a great thing to learn.
 
Just don't hurt yourself.:eek:

Tai Chi is a lot easier on the body and if you like, you can use a sword.

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Thanks for all of the advice. I live rurally, and there are not a lot of options when it comes to yoga and other similar types of classes. This Ashtanga Fusion Yoga class has just started a month or so ago, and it is just a block away from where I work, and starts 30 minutes after I get off work - it can't get much more convenient than that. The upcoming Monday night class was just added, and is the only one I am able to attend due to my work schedule.

I know the instructor well, and probably will know many of the other attendees.

I understand my limitations, and the instructor accommodates all the various limitations people might have. I think breathing is going to be my challenge.

And I love my purple towel, Gollnick! Where I live, we are lucky to have any type of organized exercise class available. No one is a poser who is at these classes - we're all there because we want to do something good for ourselves.
 
UffDa said:
Just don't hurt yourself.:eek:

Tai Chi is a lot easier on the body and if you like, you can use a sword.

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Wow, she's GOOD!

I have a set of 6 VHS tapes for Tai Chi. My home is very small, and there isn't a lot of room to move about, which discourages me to use the tapes. I have always been fascinated by Tai Chi, and would really like to learn it. There are no Tai Chi classes in the rural area where I live.
 
Totally Judy said:
I have a set of 6 VHS tapes for Tai Chi. My home is very small, and there isn't a lot of room to move about, which discourages me to use the tapes. I have always been fascinated by Tai Chi, and would really like to learn it. There are no Tai Chi classes in the rural area where I live.
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That's unfortunate. Not a a knock on Yoga, but I myself prefer TCC over it. It is more "anthropomorphic" in its approach, not making the body into "challenging positions."

I was fortunate enough to learn from 2nd and 3rd generation Filipino-Chinese folks who learned it from their mainland forebears. I was indeed lucky to glimpse the TCC not openly taught or explained to most outsiders not so much because of the "secrets of the orient" pretext, but because they are quite difficult to impart to casual observers/learners without years of applied dedication to it. Hence, VERY few learn the real reasoning behind the movements (there's even an inside joke that says: "Among 10 Tai Chi practitioners, only 2 know what they're actually doing and just 1 will know how to transmit his knowledge").

The TCC you see in "wellness spas" is literally just a tip of the iceberg.
 
Totally Judy said:
And I love my purple towel, Gollnick! Where I live, we are lucky to have any type of organized exercise class available. No one is a poser who is at these classes - we're all there because we want to do something good for ourselves.
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Oh... you know (I hope) that I's just givin' ya a hard time. We all love ya' here at bf.c, Judy.

Exercise is good and yoga promotes flexibility. I hope you enjoy -- and benefit from -- your classes.
 
Gollnick said:
Oh... you know (I hope) that I's just givin' ya a hard time. We all love ya' here at bf.c, Judy.

Exercise is good and yoga promotes flexibility. I hope you enjoy -- and benefit from -- your classes.
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Yeah, I know you were ragging on me! I'm hoping that I can remain motivated to continue the classes. It is so easy to talk oneself out of any type of exercise program with a myriad of excuses.

The instructor happens to also be the guy who cuts my hair, and is a genuine nice guy. I know I will enjoy his classes simply because of his enthusiasm for them. He was just recently certified as an instructor, so his classes are just taking off.

Thanks for your encouragement, Gollnick. :)
 
Judy, a friend of mine recently started Yoga classes about 3-4 months ago. The hardest part for her was the first 2-3 weeks, pains in areas she never knew existed . . . :)
But she has stuck with it and everyone who knew her before can see a difference in her demeanor and attitude . . . Coincedence ??? Maybe, but she was and is still excited about it, so good for her. Second hardest part from her own lips were the breathing techniques as untamed stated. Good luck to you and your muscles . . . :thumbup:
Be safe.
 
The breathing techniques are gonna be my biggest challenge - remembering to breathe! Even though I am a "fluffy" person, I'm pretty limber. I'm not worried about the muscle pain - that just means I'm working the yoga!

Thanks for the encouragement!
 
Slow, steady, progress don't overdo it, main thing is to be consistant, daily practice as much as possible..

& Make it fun to do- :)
 
awh said:
yoga is a serious workout and its benefits are not yet fully understood by the West. check out a bikram class and it will beat your ass. i would get literally high all day after an hour and a half of that torture.

i have no advice other than to keep an open mind. most yoga is too intense for my fatness, but all yoga is beneficial.
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Ixnay on Bikram for beginners, unless you're fine with a trip to the emergency room.

Bikram is extremely dangerous for beginners and older practitioners. The hot, humid environment makes your muscles much more pliable than they should be and a less "tuned-in" practitioner can seriously hyperextend their joints and tear their muscles.

Don't let its popularity fool you, the Bikram method is very dangerous for anyone with predisposition for heart problems, back herniations and knee problems.
 
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