Advice needed on yoga...

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Advice needed on yoga...
13
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 9:13am
DH and I decided that are going to start taking yoga together. There's a studio near our house and the first class is free so we're going on Friday. I know there's been a lot of talk about yoga snobs, etc., and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to know if we've picked a good studio. I am pretty clueless about yoga and have only done yoga at my gym. Any thoughts are much appreciated... :)

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Avatar for tkd_jo
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 9:25am

I go to a very good and well respected yoga studio. Based on my experience, I would check out the training that the teachers have. Where were they trained, how long ago, how many years have they been teaching, do they have their certificates on the wall where you can see them or do they have a website that you can check out and read about their qualifications. Yoga taught badly can actually hurt you in my opinion because if you are not doing the poses correctly, you could be straining muscles. At the very least you won't be getting all the benefits that you should if it is not taught correctly.

Yoga is all about form. I would see how attentive the teacher is in the first class to teaching you the proper form rather than trying to just move the class along quickly. A first class should not be fast as there is too much that new people have to learn first.

What type of yoga is being taught at the school? I take ashtanga yoga which is a form of hatha yoga. I have been doing it for about 4 years now.

Jody

Avatar for soleilune
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 9:28am

You pick a good yoga studio the same way you would a gym or P.T.. Find out how long they've been in business, what their instructors credentials are; what type(s) of yoga they offer; talk to people who attend classes there and elsewhere. Come early to speak to the instructor beforehand, so you can address any question or concerns you may have and hopefully gain some degree of comfort w/ the instructor as this person may need to touch you to help you adjust your poses.

Remember, if you don't like this class its like any other - don't judge on the one experience. A class is only as good as its instructor and there are wildy varying types of yoga. I've been practicing for more than 2 decades and there are some forms I love & some that would've turned me off if I'd been exposed to them first.

Jen may have some good feedback for you here. Although I've been practicing a lot longer I seldom attend classes anymore (prefer to do my own practice) and she's a self-professed yoga snob that, I believe, attends classes regularly.

Soleilune
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 9:31am

Okay, so I should use the same criteria if I were picking a personal trainer? That's good to know. The class we're doing is this:

Yin Yoga - Open up the deepest tensions of your body with a slow deep stretch in the Yin/Taoist yoga tradition. Attain new levels of flexibility in a serene setting. All levels welcome!

Never heard of this and have no idea what it is.

Avatar for tkd_jo
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 10:40am

Interesting. I have never heard of it before either. I looked it up on the Yoga Journal website, which is wonderful for information by the way, and this is what I found. I think there are other articles about it as well if you do a search.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/580_1.cfm

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 10:50am
Well, when I was looking up different studios online yesterday, I noticed pretty much all of them had classes that were bastardizations of traditional yoga. Yoga Flow, Yoga Beat, Yoga Dance... And I'm thinking, what about hatha yoga? Or Kundellini yoga? NONE of the studios I looked at had what I would consider a regular yoga class. One of the studios even had a Kaballah class and DH flat out refused to go there for that reason. :P
Avatar for tkd_jo
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 11:12am

That is annoying. Yoga Flow might not be too bad if it is a combination of ashtanga and other interdisciplinary poses and taught by a good teacher. I take a new class at our studio which is a yoga flow class and it keeps you moving like ashtanga but has more flexbility in terms of poses. Ashtanga is a prescribed flow of movements so you are doing the same thing each class. Which I also like sometimes.

Yoga Beat and Dance just sound so wrong in terms of traditional yoga. I know I sound like a yoga snob and I will admit that I am, haha.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 11:16am
What are your "gym rats" thoughts on YOGA? I have been doing the hot Bikram yoga. I really like it, but sometimes I don't get the same feeling from doing cardio etc. You should see the women in these classes, some have bodies better than anyone I have ever seen in the gym. I have been injured (both knees) so I need to find other ways to achieve the drip pouring sweat I did from kickboxing, running etc. I am still running, doing classes but on a much scaled back level. I guess I just wanted other gym rats thoughts on YOGA.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 11:22am

I could probably answer this better after Friday. It's been a couple of years since I've done yoga.

I've never done bikram although I'd like to give it a try sometime (and the studio where we're going doesn't offer it).

I generally don't count yoga as a workout and unless this class on Friday is really tough, my current workout schedule won't change. I am doing this for stress/relaxation/meditation reasons versus exercise/work out reasons. I NEED to do more in the way of meditation and it's becoming quite clear that I won't do it on my own and need a structured environment like a class. (Or perhaps, maybe doing a class will inspire me to do mini-yoga sessions during the week?)

It's odd that I can somehow motivate myself to workout with a gym, but I can't seem to motivate myself to do something relaxing. :P How messed up is that!?!?!

Avatar for tkd_jo
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 09-21-2005 - 12:45pm

I definitely see Bikram and Ashtanga yoga as workouts. I think there are also types of yoga which are more meditative and relaxing. But you cannot classify all types of yoga the same way.

The vinyasa classes, such as the first two I mentioned, work your muscles as well as most workouts with weights in my opinion and if you are doing a high level of yoga, the cardio benefits are just as good as using an elliptical or stairmaster in my opinion. I also do taekwondo which gives me a different type of workout but my body is starting to really feel the effects of such an aggressive type of workout. I have decided that in a couple of years I will probably do a lot more yoga, in the vinyasa style, and a lot less tkd. I really believe that at the least it is a great addition to any type of fitness program, whether you are looking for the meditative benefits or a great weight bearing workout.

Jody

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 09-23-2005 - 10:08am

i agree, depending on the style of yoga you are doing it can be a good muscular endurance and strength workout and a cardiovascular workout. my muscles

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