Exercise! - Yoga

First let me start this by admitting that I have never done anything significant with yoga..I would start a session (DVD) and decide right when it started that I would be bored to tears and then I would turn it off.


That out of the way, I noticed on My Fitness Coach they have yoga as one of the options for workouts. On my days "off" from working out, would yoga be an option of something to do those days or what? :|


Sorry if this seems confusing or..lame..but I really don't know much about yoga or it's benefits but I would like to learn and incorporate it into my lifestyle if I think it is for me.

I'm new here, so I don't really know what "counts" and what doesn't, but I do Iron Yoga as part of my workout regularly. It's a DVD & book combo put out by Rodale, and I think you can probably get it from them. It incorporates using light weights while doing yoga, and it is really a challenge. Regular yoga bores me, too, but I love my Iron Yoga. It's an hour long, and targets core and major muscles while including plenty of stretching and range-of-motion movements. It's also something that I can actually do as a "fat chick"! lol

Look it up, and give it a try.

Oooers, taniquelasse, you now have my interest piqued and I must learn more about this Iron Yoga. Thank you :hug:

I've been doing yoga for a little over a year now and take the classes offered at 24 hour fitness. I think this question you are asking is difficult to answer because there are so many different styles of yoga and even within the same style the type of teacher you have makes a big difference too. I have various teachers throughout the week and one workout might be nothing more than an elaborate stretching session (great for an "off" day) and the next could be what I deem hard core, including advanced poses and quick movements in which I am red in the face and sweating like crazy! (not great for an "off" day) I personally really enjoy yoga and found it to be something relaxing and energizing at the same time. It's increased my flexibility and helped me to feel more in tune with my body. It's also helped with my weight loss. I'd say if you are bored at first, try different yoga styles, but more importantly, try different teachers.

Hi Chubkychic! I'd really recommend you try yoga first in a studio. Depending on where you live (not sure where "constant state of confusion" is haha), you might have several options for classes. I've found that yoga dvd's do NOTHING for me, but actually taking a class in person is really motivating, you learn more, use proper form with the help of a teacher, and classes will change day to day.

If you'd rather stick with a dvd format, be choosy about what you use. If you are looking for an off day workout and want to stretch or relax, look for things like: yoga for relaxation, yoga for flexibility, gentle or restorative yoga.

If you are looking for a bit more of a workout, but not too tough, look for a beginner yoga video that is vinyasa, flow or hatha.

If you want to be more challenged try out power yoga, or yoga for strength video.

I love yoga!

First, definitely try some yoga classes at a studio, not a gym. The teacher should have either 200 hours or 500 hours of training, not just a weekend course. The studio folks are more likely to have this.

A teacher can be great, and if you've never done it be sure to attend a beginner class (also called "gentle") and get there a little early to let the teacher know you are new.

A teacher can help you work on your alignment and modifying the poses for your body, which you can then carry over when you do it at home.

If you don't click with a teacher or a studio, check around for others. Everyone has a different style, so don't give up if the first one isn't right.

I've been increasing my yoga, not even on purpose but I started out doing 20 minute podcasts and now I find myself craving hour long self-guided practices. I've done it off and on for over 10 years, and the changes I'm noticing in my body as I really get into it now are just amazing.

There's also a book and dvd called MegaYoga that you might really like.

I have noticed that since I've been doing it, I sleep so much better and my anxiety has really lessened as well. I do it at night with just some candles lit, and I just about fall asleep during the final relaxation.

I absolutely agree with those above. You need to start at a studio with a qualified instructor (a yoga teacher and not a fitness pro who has taken a weekend course) in order to make sure that your form is correct and that you are doing it properly and to guide you through the more spiritual aspects of this practice.

You also should consider WHY you want to do yoga! Yoga traditionally is a combination of the body (with the movements) and the mind (with meditation). Some people find the meditative aspects well, boring! Others absolutely love the peace of mind they find there.

IF you are looking for the physical benefits and not the "spiritual ones" so to speak, then Pilates would be a great alternative for you as you will get similar results without the meditative aspect.

JMHO

Kira

I've taken yoga weekly for about two & a half years now. Sometimes twice a week.

It's a nice change to roll around on the floor & strike poses that work particular groups of muscles, but [whispering] I'm finding its benefits are, uh, a bit exaggerated. For me, it hasn't done nearly half of the things I've heard people claim that it does about peace of mind, concentration, appetite, sleep, posture, back issues, etc. Nowhere near. I mean, it's good, and the relaxation is nice, and sometimes it's like a slow-motion modern dance class. But no other exercise I've ever done has seemed as overrated to me as yoga.

(But I fear that admitting this could get you beaten up by very strong, thuggish yoga devotees, or bring down bad karma, so beware of ever admitting it.)

I've never done yoga. My exercises usually consists of sprinting 3-4 times a week for 3-5 miles and I play soccer 2-3 times a week on top of that. I am pretty flexible now, although...I was wondering what kind of flexibility gains I might experience if I started practicing yoga. I mean, it seems like an interesting form of exercise I just have not been too exposed to it. How about it, anyone in for convincing me to try it out? What are the benefits I am missing out on by only running and playing sports that yoga could anchor?

Ms saef is right in that there are ALOT of claims about yoga out there. I hear them every day at my studio -- yoga will rebalance your entire endocrine system. Yoga will heal your diseases. Yoga will make you reach your ideal weight effortlessly. Mehhh....

I do yoga for the flexibility training, balance training, endurance and strength. I've lost weight cause I'm eating right and moving through yoga -- IMHO it isn't really the yoga that is making the changes.

Yoga DOES help me in the sense that I have to focus during the class and this is what my form of yoga teaches -- if you focus on the task, you can't let your mind wander, and this is the meditative aspect, NOT sitting in lotus position OHMMMMing away...

My only advice is: IF you want to take yoga, do a beginners' course first to get your form down, then go to the videos/Wii stuff. If the mind/meditative aspect is annoying, think about Pilates or Core training instead. And take the good stuff and discard the rest! Gotta have a sense of humor!

Kira

Lots of people make huge claims about the benefits of yoga, this is true. It's best not to expect all of these to happen over night, if it all. If I may Saef, I don't think practicing once or twice a week is enough to make huge, miraculous changes. Just like pro athletes don't see their body or performance improve from just one or two training days a week. But keep in mind every body is different, yoga might just be that missing link for you. You'll never know until you try.

weightlossxprt - yoga can help runners a lot especially. Runners typically have overworked leg muscles and can get very tight hamstrings. Yoga, done on a regular basis will definitely help your flexibility and range of motion. Keep in mind you don't have to do long sessions to begin to see benefits, but if you do it at least 3 times a week, you'll see the benefits a lot faster.

Yes, saying yoga didn't work with weekly classes is exactly like saying following South Beach on Saturdays didn't work :D Yoga is a daily practice.

No reason you can't do it weekly if that does something for you. Just like you could do South Beach once weekly if it helped you in some way. But your results will have *nothing* to do with the claims made by the program.

But I don't think that makes me a yoga thug! :D

Yo YO! Yoga THUG LIFE...(flips hand sign in the air)!!

Yoga should be done at LEAST 4 times a week to get the benefits.

Goin' out now to get me some INK...

Kira

My Dear SIL -God Love Her, claims that she has done yoga for the past 20 years and isn't any more flexible. It turns out that she took a once-a-week course for 8 weeks in 1989, then took another course in 2000, and now tries to do yoga at her gym once a month or so.

NO effects! With 20 years of practice! According to her! Go figure...

Kira

Yo YO! Yoga THUG LIFE...(flips hand sign in the air)!!

Yoga should be done at LEAST 4 times a week to get the benefits.

Goin' out now to get me some INK...

Kira

Yeah! I love it! Yo! Ink! Handsign back at ya.

I OWN my yoga thugness :D

:rofl:

Yes, saying yoga didn't work with weekly classes is exactly like saying following South Beach on Saturdays didn't work Yoga is a daily practice.

With all due respect, I'm not sure this analogy works. With the South Beach Diet, you have The Word to consult, a near-biblical text, with all the phases laid out for you, and the forbidden foods listed, and menus all over the place, and devotees to help you interpret the Word. And it's clear that this is a 24-hour a day, seven-day-a-week practice.

With yoga, it's not so easy. This is why OP & others come to this board. Someone in this thread said you have to practice three days a week. Someone else said four. You say daily. Okay ... which is it? With other forms of exercise, someone will say you can do cardio daily, you should do ... oh, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes ... and they will tell you about strength training, alternating days.

But what does one do with yoga? For how long? If you practice daily, is it 15 minutes? 45 minutes? Which asanas? In what sequence? Which sect of yoga do you want to follow? Hell, what temperature should the room be? Cool, lukewarm, hot?

My issue is that saying "yoga" is as general as saying "dieting," rather than "South Beach Diet" specifically. The instructions aren't clear. There's no mathematics, like heart rate, or calories in, calories out. And yet the promised benefits seem absolutely limitless.

One thing I can say for yoga: It is not a joyless endeavor. It's far from boring, like some daily cardio drills on machines. But the claims for it can seem a little outsized, particularly when it's hard to find anyone being specific about how you realize those benefits.

Like dieting, it all seems to have splintered into sectarianism.

Last week I took a hatha yoga class. (for the first time in 15 years)

Honest, at the end of the class I felt as though I had been to a massage therapist. So, that was cool. But then, I was expecting nothing.

This probably will explain the issues that you bring up, Ms Saef:
http://workofheartyoga.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-often-should-i-do-yoga.html

I think that it terms of gaining the benefits, it is helpful to view yoga as one form of exercise that improves flexibility and balance. If you want to improve your performance in ANY activity, you need to do it more than once a week.

The exact asanas, form of yoga, and length of practice time are all personal choices, of course, because it depends on what you want to get out of Yoga. If you are looking for a nice wake-up, 3 or 4 Sun Salutations every morning may do the trick. If you love the meditative aspects, you may prefer to do a short routine during stressful times. If you want to calm down before bed, then a short nightly routine would work. If your goal is weight loss, or improved flexibility/balance, like ANY weight loss/stretching/flexibility training program, you won't improve if you don't regularly practice. Lots of stretching programs recommend that you stretch DAILY; others suggest at least 3 times a week. But NONE of them suggest that you will see improvement in your flexibility if you stretch once a week for 10 minutes.

Just the same as if you run once a week for 10 minutes. Don't expect your 5k time to improve!

And if you want to lose weight, but eat in accordance with South Beach principles one day a week, you won't get the results you want.

IMHO, analogy stands!

Kira

I just came back from a 2.5 hour yoga work shop on back bends. My hour long home practices had sort of, but barely, prepared me for this. I thought I might throw up at one point so I just came out of the pose, and the instructor was really great about modifying and making sure we honored our bodies. But I learned so many new skills to bring to my practice, and was so grateful for the opportunity to learn from an amazing teacher.

I will say that what I learn from yoga (and what running and rock climbing and other things that test your endurance probably teach you, too) is that your mind will try to convince you of all sorts of things about your body (or about life) that aren't necessarily true. And you learn that if you breathe a little (or a lot) and relax into something instead of trying to force yourself there, it's much easier. Same with life and losing weight and loving and all kinds of stuff.

It's funny that there are so many strong feelings against yoga, that it "doesn't work" as though its some kind of majik pill. It's like anything, it works if you work it. And it feels so friggin' good (to me. your results may vary. yoga is not intended to treat or cure any disease, illness or other issues. check with your doctor before embarking on your yoga journey to nirvana.)

RE: YOGA NEGATIVITY ;)


**My disclaimer: I am a dance instructor, but I teach classes at BOTH a yoga studio, and a regular athletic club/gym.**

The first thing I want to say, is that if someone is going to take yoga, I recommend that they take yoga with an actual yoga instructor...someone who lives the yogi lifestyle, and not from a personal trainer who took a weekend course in yoga, and teaches it inbetween their kickboxing and Zumba classes. :D

Secondly...I think that if you are going to get the benefits from yoga, that you have to be going into the class for the right reasons...and be open to the experience. If you are wanting to take yoga for a specific benefit...(flexibility, stress relief, digestive issues, etc.) then you need to do some research on yoga classes/styles or speak to the instructor...and choose a class or dvd that is going after the specific need/want that you have. If you are taking a power yoga class, meant to strengthen and tone your muscles...but you are wanting to improve your flexibility or relieve stress...then you aren't taking the right class for your particular goals. There are so many styles of yoga, and so many combinations of movements that can be put together...that you have to know your goals...and then do the yoga workout that is geared towards those particular goals.

Thirdly...attitude is a HUGE factor. If you are BORED in a yoga class...it means that you are only half there, and you aren't doing YOUR part in the class. You can't be half there and get the results you want. When I take a yoga class of any style, I cannot be thinking about my to do list, or what I need to pick up at the store. You have to have your body, mind, and spirit all there at the same time. During a downward dog, you should be running an inventory of your body, and listening to your instructor-making sure that your hands, legs, back, head...EVERYTHING is in proper alignment. The small adjustments they are telling you to do have a PURPOSE. If you are just going to absentmindedly bend over onto your hands and feet and think about stopping off at the car wash after class...then you are not doing it correctly. :)

You have to pay attention to your breath. You have to clear your mind of your regular thoughts, and only have your practice there at that particular time. There is so much more to it than just "rolling around on the floor and striking poses". If you go into the class thinking that is all you are doing, and with an attitude of negativity...then the mind is getting in the way of you progressing in yoga.

When I first started yoga, I had troubles with keeping my mind from wandering. After a while, with commitment and regular practice, I was actually able to "let go" during the Corpse Pose one day at the end of a session. Literally-I came to a few minutes later...and it was like I had lost 5-10 minutes of my life! :dizzy: I finally achieved reaching that state that yogis often talk about! It was an amazing feeling...and I felt so stress free, so enlightened afterwards.

aphil, those are great points.

during class last night the teacher was saying "if you don't like a pose, or you're bored by it, or you find yourself avoiding it - there's probably something there for you." Which is why I went to the backbend class in the first place, I realized I'd been avoiding them in my practice.

With yoga, it's not so easy. This is why OP & others come to this board. Someone in this thread said you have to practice three days a week. Someone else said four. You say daily. Okay ... which is it? With other forms of exercise, someone will say you can do cardio daily, you should do ... oh, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes ... and they will tell you about strength training, alternating days.

But what does one do with yoga? For how long? If you practice daily, is it 15 minutes? 45 minutes? Which asanas? In what sequence? Which sect of yoga do you want to follow? Hell, what temperature should the room be? Cool, lukewarm, hot?

FWIW, all your questions about yoga DO apply to cardio and weight training. You will find every bit as much disagreement about cardio and weight training. Every bit. If not, you are sure in a different world than me!

Honestly I do not think you will find any established yoga school recommending less that 3-4 days, and really, any yoga based in the real millenia-old tradition of yoga (and not in American commercialized yoga) will say daily, with perhaps a day off a week.

Can't tell you how long, which asanas, in which sequence any more than I can tell a walker/runner whether to train for a marathon, just walk 3 miles a day, train to race 5Ks, etc, etc.

But no one well-trained and experienced in yoga will make any claims about yoga practiced once or twice weekly, and perhaps inconsistently at that, beyond limited and short-term effects. Now, people jumping on a trend - who knows what the heck they will claim.

Now, I have no problem with yoga not suiting someone. Or someone not getting out of it what I do. But your frame of reference is not yoga, it's dabbling. That's not a criticism, it's just what it is. Dabbling is fine if that's what suits you. No yoga at all is fine if it suits someone.