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 is has had on the 20 something age group!

i've never done a class, but i have am and pm yoga home videos. they're only 10 minutes each but i LOVE them. on days i do them i feel so much better physically and mentally. when i do it at night it calms me down and centers me so i sleep better, not to mention i am so much more flexible and find daily tasks easier!

As Amy said, it really helps to calm me. I don't use it as primary exercise, but it does help "center" you and make you a bit more flexible.

I use the biggest loser weight loss yoga as a compliment to my 30DS. Someone on these forums suggested it and I love it! It doesn't make you sweat as much as the shred but it feels nice when you're done.

I've always wanted to try it, seeing as I'm very into Eastern philosophies and what have you. I like the meditative properties, but I don't like how it's become the cool thing for rich women to do. That sounds discriminatory in so many ways, I understand, but it seems like all these tapes and classes have seriously lost touch with the actual goal and spirituality. Just me, though.

Ooh, you might enjoy the book Yoga Inc. by John Philip. He details the somewhat sketchy history of yoga. It's a fun read.

I first did yoga when I lived in India for six months... a woman who lived nearby would come over twice a week and take us through her morning routine. When I came back to Canada and took yoga classes here I was stunned at the difference and somewhat annoyed by what I saw as a certain pretentiousness about yoga over here (like the special clothes people wear).

Still though, under all the stuff that can, and often is, piled on top of it, at its core, yoga is healthy on many levels and definitely worth checking out. Like many other things, you don't have to buy into all of what you get in a class in order to get at the good in it.

And the stretching just feels so good.

Yoga is great for overall well-being. It makes me happy. It helps the immune system and enhances vitality so you're not always dragging! I especially like the deep breathing, and the guided relaxation at the end of class. I agree that it makes you sleep like a baby!

Thanks for the reccomendation, and I'm so jealous of your past living in India! Where abouts?

Not in my 20's , but doing yoga makes me feel like I am!

It is my primary form of exercise, supplemented by a weekly hike and daily walks with a slow dog.

I do a lot with Shiva Rea dvds & cd's, she's quite woo-woo and uses the sanskrit names a lot if you like that stuff.

I also do the free podcasts from YogaJournal.com and YogaDownload.com .

And then I sometimes just do my own thing depending on what my body wants that day.

I'm taking a back-bend workshop next week that I'm very excited about. I really need to work on those.

It changes me much more than just "calories burned." It makes me sleep like a rock, it tones my body, it makes me more mindful and less stressed in everything I do. It makes me see what my body can do and appreciate it much more. It teaches me that even if my mind is uncomfortable about something, i can sit with it and not flee.

Rather than getting distracted by the "rich woman" side of yoga (should rich people not do yoga? are rich people bad?), or worrying about what other people are wearing, just seek out the teachers and studios that speak to you and give you what you want in a practice.

My understanding is that yoga is good for overall health, but is not intense enough to burn significant calories for weight loss.

That said, living on a calorie deficit can be a bit draining after a while, so the mental centering might be really helpful. Hmm....

I wanted to wait to post on this thread until lots of other people had posted since I know I'm in the minority. I first did yoga in high school, but then figured I should try it for real (not taught by a gym teacher, lol) so I took some classes. I don't particularly like it. It definitely helps improve flexibility, and strength depending on the type, but I just couldn't get past the spiritual aspect. I tried to ignore it, but it just annoyed me, and I left classes LESS relaxed than before.

So, if you're not an especially spiritual person (or are an almost obnoxiously scientific and skeptical person like me) you may not enjoy formal yoga instruction. And not liking yoga doesn't make you a bad person... despite the things that people have said to me over the years. I've been tempted to start incorporating some of the poses into my usual stretching routines, but have been too lazy so far.

I find yoga tremendously helpful. Since injuring my shoulder 4 months ago, it's helped with posture, impingements, and muscle tension. I've incorperated it into my physical therapy and it's done wonders in relieving pain and getting my muscle strength back.

Also, there are days when I don't feel like doing cardio and 30-45 minutes of yoga makes me feel like I've gotten a workout in

I don't go to classes often, although I think they are beneficial in that I work harder and focus very closely on my form, moreso than when I'm on my own.

On the other hand, there is a lot in yoga that is about testing and seeing for yourself, and not taking anyone else's word for things. If a class is opposite to that, it's probably "pop" yoga

If my yoga class was like that, I would HATE it. The ones at my gym are a combo of yoga-pilates-tae bo. The only "spiritual" aspect of it is that instead of a cool down, we have meditation at the end, but its not like guided. They just put calm music on and you lay there for 5 minutes. Some fall asleep.