Who's into yoga, friends?

[zofromuxo]

@heids, any thoughts on Acroyoga ?
I can't actually believe this is a thing...and here I though Yoga was hard 

[heids]

@heids, any thoughts on Acroyoga ?
I can't actually believe this is a thing...and here I though Yoga was hard 

Oh man.  That's insane lol.

Advanced yoga, partner or single, is pretty acrobatic... but that's achieved after many years of practice

[elysepopplewell]

Reporting back post-yoga as promised.

Went to a Body Balance class today at the gym. I like being in the class, they play good music and they do a 10 minute meditation at the end. It's a shame I will be leaving the gym because I can't afford a membership there and the place I'm doing dancing. But, I liked feeling all stretchy and balanced and powerful in a way that's not aggressive at all, but a little bit artful. Going to have a look at those online videos and report back when I try them!

[heids]

Reporting back post-yoga as promised.

Went to a Body Balance class today at the gym. I like being in the class, they play good music and they do a 10 minute meditation at the end. It's a shame I will be leaving the gym because I can't afford a membership there and the place I'm doing dancing. But, I liked feeling all stretchy and balanced and powerful in a way that's not aggressive at all, but a little bit artful. Going to have a look at those online videos and report back when I try them!

Cool, I'm glad you had a good experience with it!  Yoga is definitely both artful and powerful.


Watching videos of super strong and flexible people doing extremely advanced poses, I start to assume that's normal, and I'm just useless because I can't achieve anything in comparison.  I forget that many people can't touch their toes, let alone put their head right between their legs when bending forward, and neither is inherently better than the other.

part of the so-called "intermediate" series

So I tried comparing myself the other way.  I borrowed "Yoga for Dummies", which teaches very basic yoga I'm easily able to do, and compared myself with my younger siblings, who apparently can't sit on the floor with their legs straight out in front of them and back straight (I thought all uninjured people could do this).

But... neither of these approaches are yoga.  Comparison isn't yoga.  It's simply. not. RELEVANT. what other people can or can't do.  It doesn't matter if I'm more flexible than 80% of the population, or less flexible than others.  Even if I became the Best Yoga Practitioner In The World (no such thing lol), I'd lose that physical flexibility and strength through injury or illness or old age or death, so, what does it matter?  I do it for my own health, not for achievement, and not for others. 

I just need to keep practicing and doing my best and remembering that physical achievement isn't the aim.  That's real yoga.

(hope no one minds my yoga philosophy discourses - I'm trying to really ingrain this stuff in my head haha)

[elysepopplewell]

Loved reading this Heids!

[M909]

Actually did my first class for a while today  Yoga is part of my gym membership, but I've kind of been busy with uni and work, so just did the "essential" strength and cardio, but now semester's over, I thought I'd try it again (have started and stopped many times) and loved it. On top of the great stretches, the instructor focuses a lot on mindfulness/breathing/positivety which is exactly what I needed.

Would you say in general you need to be doing it more than once a week to really get the benefits and stick to it Heids (or anyone else with long term yoga experenice)? - 6 per week is true commitment! Everytime I'd tried to get into it I was only going once a week. Thanks

[heids]

Actually did my first class for a while today  Yoga is part of my gym membership, but I've kind of been busy with uni and work, so just did the "essential" strength and cardio, but now semester's over, I thought I'd try it again (have started and stopped many times) and loved it. On top of the great stretches, the instructor focuses a lot on mindfulness/breathing/positivety which is exactly what I needed.

The cool thing about yoga is that it combines cardio and strength, as well as the mindfulness/stretching/breathing.

Would you say in general you need to be doing it more than once a week to really get the benefits and stick to it Heids (or anyone else with long term yoga experenice)? - 6 per week is true commitment! Everytime I'd tried to get into it I was only going once a week. Thanks

I mean, any yoga is better than none!  But if you practice more frequently, you don't get sore after every session, progress faster, and the mindfulness is more engrained.

If I practiced yoga by going to classes, there's no way I could do it six days a week - I do those at home by myself.

Currently I have more free time than you, but I fit it in by making it a basic requirement in my day just like sleeping and eating and going to work - I plan the day with a yoga chunk somewhere in it, rather than try and fit it in afterwards.