Is yoga part of your routine?

[Matilda08]

What has your experience been with yoga if any? I plan on adding these classes to my workouts, Ive never done it before and just curious to know what affect it has had on you.

[mandalinn82]

In incorporate 1 yoga session per week into my routine. It's not enough of a calorie burn, for me, to replace my regular cardio (per heart rate monitor, at least) and it doesn't provide me with the same muscle gains that lifting does. That said, it's a nice alternative and I stand straighter after doing it, and it's additional calories burned on top of my regular plan. And I enjoy it.

[patchworkpenguin]

I practice power yoga, where the poses flow together. I find is strengthens my muscles, works on my poor balance, and adds to my flexiblity. My knees really appreciate the yoga and I can tell when I haven't done enough because I start feeling stiff and creaky.

I like to add yoga after my weight workouts, to help stretch the muscles after the workout. But also like to do one day of just Pilates followed by yoga or a fusion workout that combines the two. HTH

[kiramira]

YUP! Hot Yoga (Bikram's) at least 4 times a week. I do it for the flexibility (cause I'm not very flexible), for the core strength (cause mine is weak), and the balance (cause my balance sucks!). I personally believe that working out in an extreme environment is challenging and has positive cardiovascular effects, too.

Since I started, my lower back has stopped hurting, I can touch my toes, and my balance is way better. In fact, I was carrying a big platter of ribs to the basement fridge and I missed a step with my left foot. NORMALLY, when this happens, I drop the platter and strain something trying to not fall down the stairs. THIS time, I just hit the next step and automatically re-balanced! No strains/muscle pulls, and nothing spilled! Not a drop!!! Sounds like a cheezy NSV but from someone who fell down some stairs after a mis-step and broke BOTH feet when I was at my largest, this is a HUGE. BIG. DEAL.

I love it!

Kira

[JulieJ08]

Yoga does several things for me:

(1) I was creaky and stiff, and I thought that was ridiculous for a healthy 39 year-old. Yoga fixed that right up.

(2) I was so inflexible and tight. I several times had painful neck or chest strains from turning around in my car or pulling on/off tight tops. Again, ridiculous.

(3) Made a big difference in my posture, especially when sitting.

(4) Not last or least - it really changes your relationship to your body. Worth every minute just for this. Excellent therapy for learning to love your body and yourself.

(5) Get physically, mentally and spiritually fit all at once! Way cool.

(6) Another biggie - it has been excellent for my joints. It made a big difference in my tennis elbow - this was huge for me. It really strengthened my ankles. It helps my knees too.

(7) I can do it anywhere.

(8) I sleep better. This is, of course, due to many things. But yoga I think is responsible for my leg muscles not being tense and uncomfortable anymore when I'm in bed. It wasn't exactly cramps or restless legs, but it was uncomfortable and kept me up, and now it rarely happens.

(9) My back pains went away.

(10) I am now seriously comfortable flat on my back with no pillow. I *lurve* me some Corpse Pose.

[time2lose]

Can any of you recommend a DVD?

[kiramira]

I THOUGHT about using DVDs, but I chose to go to a studio instead. You might just want to take an introductory course first, because you'll have corrections and someone trained to check out your form to make sure you are doing it right. THEN you'll be able to assess the videos out there and choose a style of yoga that appeals to you.

JMHO

Kira

[jay41]

http://www.peacefulweightloss.com/index.php/store/book/

I follow this yoga plan about 3 days a week...more when I need it. I find that it helps with the stress of the day and calms my mind and gets me focused on how my body and mind work together. There is a book to explain everything, a DVD to show everything, and a CD with 2 routines and deep relaxation.

And it is geared for heavier folks who can't do headstands or splits or shoulder stands...

[kiramira]

Jay makes a good point -- there are so many yoga disciplines and some are really "advanced" -- I started Hot Yoga at 192 lbs and there are larger people than me in the class. That's why I like Bikram's -- it is for beginners, and there are no inverted poses that are agonizing for many of us.

Kira

[TJFitnessDiva]

It is part of my daily routine. I'll do it right before bed and it calms me....I've been sleeping better because of it. I have a friend that is a yoga instructor that taught me what I needed to know....plus sometimes for fun I'll do the wii fit yoga section

[CountingDown]

Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss - has beginner through advanced camera angles and participants. A GREAT video to start with!

[valpal23]

I do 15 minutes of yoga after I run, to stretch. and I do a couple poses before bed to relax.

[JustSharing83]

I don't know if Wii Fit is just like real yoga because it's the first time I've been exposed to it... I love to do it with the Wii though, even though I've terrible, I can see my scores slowly improving.

[Charbar]

I do yoga once a week... and like an earlier poster said, yoga is not a huge calorie burner for me - on my yoga day I start with 20 minutes of cardio before to get me warmed up. When I do cardio first I get a better yoga workout then without it.

[JulieJ08]

Originally Posted by Charbar

I do yoga once a week... and like an earlier poster said, yoga is not a huge calorie burner for me - on my yoga day I start with 20 minutes of cardio before to get me warmed up. When I do cardio first I get a better yoga workout then without it.

Have you tried 10-20 minutes of Sun Salutations? Good stuff.