Hi!
So I started taking this beginner's yoga class at church on Tuesday nights and I really really enjoy it! I love how it's all flexible (the poses, not the people, lol) and you just push yourself to your stretch and not your pain limit. And the poses are adaptable to your particular abilities.

I've been trying to do yoga at home, and it's really frustrating without a teacher there to guide me. I just end up doing a bunch of random poses - the ones I can remember - and there's no real structure to my personal yoga sessions. I don't really want to do a video, because I sometimes leave the tv on and my cats get in my way a lot (yes... it's pretty bad), and sometimes I like to hold a pose longer than others and sometimes shorter.

What are your particular yoga routines? Do you go to a class? Do you have a set routine? I'd kindof like to keep a list of poses that do what I want to do. I need to strenthen my core, and I have to be careful with my back because I have a herniated disc and all sorts of back problems. I'm super flexible in my hips (I can do the feet-together thing and rest my face *in* my feet - no they do not smell), but I'm not flexible in my legs (I have to hold myself up when my legs are straight out in front of me). I'd like to stretch my legs and lower back and strengthen my core and my arms and neck.

Any suggestions from those of you with more advanced practices?

yogatoday.com is a site that everyday has a yoga session that they do and you dont even have to sign-up or anything. they guide you thru the poses and they plan it out so you dont have to worry about remembering anything. i like it, or netflix has the trainers edge baron baptiste dvd you could view online too. but yogatoday is free.

My best suggestion is to find some way to practice at least 3-4 days a week. That makes a huge difference.

I second the yogatoday suggestion. Additionally, yogajournal has a sequence builder where you can drag and drop poses into a sequence. They also give suggestions. I seem to remember that you have to sign up for it, but it's free.

When I started out about a year ago, I had the same problem with home practice, but with time you'll find you remember some sequences you like from class or be able to build your own. I do have two videos to pop in when I don't feel too inspired myself (Rodney Yee, Power Yoga Total Body Workout and Yoga for Beginners by Barbara Benagh), but often I also put in some variations into these workouts.

Most days I just pop in some music and start with a warm-up sequence I learned in class, followed by about ten minutes of sun salutation variations. That usually gets me into a rhythm because you don't have to think too much about what to do next. Then I usually move on to some standing balance and strength poses (tree, warriors, triangle), then down to the mat for the rest of the workout. Some flows and resting poses in between. I don't have a set routine in the sense of pose-by-pose though, just building blocks. Some poses I do every time, some only when I feel like it (or remember them ).

That said, I'm still very much a beginner and kind of play it by ear. My best experiences are still in class - and I never do poses at home that are potentially damaging and that I don't have down yet, like headstand.

Hope this helps!

I've been practicing yoga for several years now and find that every teacher is different. Even some of the ways they have you do the various poses can be very different. I am currently taking a "beginner's class" with my SIL, who didn't want to go by herself, and I am very frustrated there for several reasons, one being that the instructor doesn't ever come around and correct anyone, and another being that her version of "Sun Salutation" leaves out a lot of components that I am used to and is so slow that I find myself thinking "Just get on with it!" OTOH, some instructors go way too fast or are up there showing off for themselves and not paying any attention to the students, and others do everything just right. I don't do a lot at home but plan to start, now that I am so much more familiar with everything.