Yoga

[daedreamer]

Do any of you practice Yoga? I have recently discovered a yoga studio in my area with very reasonable rates with beginner classes. As evident from my stats - I am still 100lb over weight - I guess I am just wondering if Yoga is strictly for the thin and fit or if it I could still do it with some slight pose modifications?

I am a very spiritual person, I meditate daily and would love to start incorporating this into my fitness routine. I think by connecting more with my physical self, it might help me get over some of the hurdles I still face.

I am not hoping to boost my weight loss so much, as just becoming more in tune with my body.

Anyone have any experience with this??

Thanks! :)

[avocado]

It should not matter what size you are, nor your starting fitness, not even your flexibility. No doubt there are studios out there catering to pretending to do yoga while looking damn cute. But yoga is a spiritual discipline. It's about your internal experience, not the external appearance of your poses (and only in the U.S. is yoga *all* about poses). Meditation is a big part of yoga. Go for it!

A good instructor will adjust the poses to different person's needs.

[shopjunkie]

I totally agree with 'avocado' (love your name btw!) :)

I need to lose about 117 more pounds, and I've been getting more and more into yoga. I'm even attending the Toronto Yoga Conference in March.

Lately, I've been doing Moksha (hot) Yoga, but I first started with 2 great beginner DVDs in my home:

Classical Hatha:
http://acaciacatalog.com/yoga-for-beginners-with-desi-bartlett/p/51614/

(actually Acacia makes A LOT of great fitness DVDS; I bought mine from amazon).

Kundalini Yoga:
http://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Beginners-Beyond-MATRIX-OPTION/dp/B000BRM992/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1263398782&sr=8-3

(very spiritual; excellent modifications for true beginners)

These are 2 VERY different styles of yoga, so read about them more before you start or watch clips on Youtube.

OR, just throw yourself in and try them all out. :lol: Don't ever let your weight hold you back!

Feel free to stop by my journal if you have any questions :)

Elizabeth

[absinthian]

I have done yoga intermittantly since I was in middle school (30+ years ago) Even when I was at 300 lbs I did yoga. at that weight I even did a "Power Yoga" class. Holy crap! that just about killed me, but I finished the class and kept up for the most part.
I recommend yoga for anyone at any weight, just be careful in your initial enthusiasm that you don't over stretch. After I had slacked for a while I jumped right back in it and over stretched and broke a blood vessel in my inner thigh.

[daedreamer]

Thanks so much guys! I begin restorative yoga Monday night :)

[avocado]

A restorative yoga class should be particularly friendly to all comers :)

[daedreamer]

A restorative yoga class should be particularly friendly to all comers :)


Those were my thoughts as well! I am very excited about beginning, I think it's exactly what I've been needing!

[MirandaJ]

Yoga is fantastic for all sizes. Usually the teacher will show several modifications so you can do what you are comfortable with for each motion. You may want to have a personal consultation first.

[daedreamer]

Tonight will be my 3rd class and my teacher is wonderful! She is very friendly and encouraging! I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone!!

[angorabbit]

I take a gentle yoga class once a week and in a month or so I'm going to start twice a week with gentle yoga and hot yoga 1 ! I love yoga and honestly I think you can do it (a gentle form anyway) at any weight. The biggest obstacle I have faced so far was doing Dancer's Pose*, because of all my back fat I cannot reach around and grab my foot (like a hamstring stretch). I have to grab my pants instead.

It makes me feel so much better and so much more alert and so much more conscious about my food choices. I start my day with 26 San Salutations -- it's a serious workout for a fairly simple sequence and I absolutely love it for getting me centered and ready to start my day.

*and of course it was the class I was late for, so I was up in front. Directly in front of the former gymnast. C'est la vie.

[avocado]

angorabit, I don't know if you have a home practice in addition to your once weekly class, but if not, you're in for a treat. There's a big difference in results with more frequent yoga compared to once a week.

But dang, 26 sun salutations is a lot. What was I saying? That is an awesome daily home practice.

[Bella-Vita]

I do yoga almost every morning. I tape Steve Ross yoga ( Inhale ) on Oxygen on my DVR then when I get up in the mornings he's waiting for me.

His class is an hour long and when I first started I only did 10 minutes, then 20, and finally about a month ago I did the whole hour.

I hope you enjoy your yoga... Namaste