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LAURIE: Yoga Journal magazine's online newsletter has a list of yoga sequences, with detailed instructions, for beginners to do at home. Each position is shown and explained. There are sequences to work trouble areas - the shoulders, for example - or health issues, such as menstrual cramps and depression.
If you're curious about yoga, check this out. Though I recommend anyone who's trying yoga at home should attend some classes, too. The site has a yoga directory that lists 21 names in Philadelphia under "Teachers."
There's a great yoga class here at the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., on Mondays and Thursdays at noon. It's $10 a class, and drop-ins are welcome. The teacher is Hari Zandler, a longtime local instructor. He can be reached at 610-642-5621.
THERESA: Yoga can be a pretty intensive workout. I went to yoga classes a few times and bagged it because for the life of me I felt like I couldn't get into the positions correctly and that made me feel stressed! Has anyone else had that experience? But then my stepdaughter gave me some yoga tapes to use at home, and man, those are great. A nice combination of hard work and relaxation...
WENDY: I hate to admit it, but I think I am too Type A for yoga. I feel like a bad person because of that, too. I realize how awful this sounds, but I really found myself getting antsy instead of calm.
LAURIE: It's definitely something you have to commit some time to, because many postures are hard to do. It's like running or any exercise - you can't do 5 miles the first day. But the advances you make may be harder to measure at first. The philosophy of yoga (though these days, some studios and teachers don't follow it) is to move at your own pace. Also, everybody has something they can do more easily. My legs are very flexible, for example, but my knees are really bad, so some positions are a struggle while others feel effortless. Yoga teaches you about your own body.
JENICE: You know, I've never really gotten into the yoga thing either. Although I love the relaxation part, I find it jarring to have to stop to return to reality afterwards. And I have problem doing a lot of the poses. I know this isn't supposed to matter, but geesh. It makes me feel like such a loser.
ELLEN: I enjoyed yoga for a short time. However, I couldn't do some of it and it intimidated me. We now have basic classes for beginners at work. Laurie is right, you have to commit to it. I just haven't found the time
to do that. Although I am happy to say I am back at strength training.
Yoga is next.
YVETTE: I always found the yoga positions awkward and difficult to do. As a result, I became frustrated and quit. However, I would try it again. Maybe I just had the wrong Instructor.
THERESA: Well, yoga fans out there --- we'd love to have you weigh in on this topic! Why does yoga make some of us feel so stressed out? And what can you suggest so we don't feel this way?
A few years ago I bought some Living Arts yoga videos (with Rodney Yee, who's kind of nice to look at by the way) and went through a definite yoga phase for a few months. Now, I incorporate just a few of my favorite yoga poses in my daily stretching routine. Certain yoga poses can be pretty difficult--no doubt. The key for me was finding comfortable poses that enhanced my fitness activities (primarily tennis).
Posted by: Molly Pavia on November 20, 2003 10:18 AMI have attempted yoga several times and really believe I need to give it more of a chance. I think knowing the moves would relax me significantly. I spend most of the time trying to keep up with the instructor...and the next day extremely sore!
Posted by: april adamson on November 20, 2003 10:42 AMI am a yoga teacher - that doesn't make me better at yoga than the next person. Yoga teachers are just sharing their experience of yoga with the participants of the class. First off, find a teacher whose experience is intriguing - much like you'd find a mate or a friend or a book that you'd want to read. It is true that not all teachers adhere to the basic principles of yoga and that is sad and can allow stress to enter the classroom - not because of the postures that are introduced but because the principles have not been incorporated into the atmosphere. Yoga is the only sport that does not require you to compete with the person next to you - keeping your eyes on your own mat takes away a lot of the stress - personalizing the postures and remembering that alignment is more important than being as deep into a posture as the instructor or the person next to you. The only competition in yoga should be within - compete against your own demons and learn about yourself. Go up against your own resistance, both physically, emotionally and mentally...battle your slothfulness or your inability to focus. The tiny victories that you win within every day will give you peace and help you move along gently and peacefully. Heck even when you lose you win because you gain the understanding of who you really are physically mentally and emotionally and only through acceptance of that reality can you make the strides that you obviously seek.
Posted by: Brenda Wallace on November 20, 2003 11:09 AMI too, as Ms. Pavia, have found the Living Arts Yoga program for beginnings an excellent way to get initiated into doing daily yoga exercises. And I think that Rodney Yee is a hottie also! The soothing music and the gentle stretches are an excellent way to begin and end the day; and the tapes are only 15 to 20 minutes long.
Posted by: Paulette Jackson on November 24, 2003 02:30 PMYoga made me depressed. I'm fat. And I was the only fat girl in the class. Everyone was thin and
lithe and could get into the positions. Some
things I could do, but the rest of the time I felt
like I always do in "fitness" classes. Fat and
stupid. I did what I usually do with these classes. I DROPPED OUT. Someday when I lose 50-100
pounds I'll go back.(Ha,ha,ha.)
I've just started taking yoga class and I think it's great! I am not flexible at all and have a hard time getting into positions. At times I feel a little embarrassed about not being strong enough or not being able to do things well enough, but after a moment I realize that this is where I am at this point and it's ok. I don't have to be a yoga pro after 6 classes. I am just a beginner and this is what beginners can do. I also know that with each class my body will become stronger and more flexible. Experience and practice will bring more knowledge and attention to breathing and positions. I also find yoga to be a wonderful outlet for stress and anxiety. That one and half hour class is time for me to focus, get centered, and, find a balance between mind, body, and spirit. I love it!
Posted by: Jackie on January 21, 2004 07:03 PMI am also a yoga teacher. Nothing against
Rodney Yee. However,perhaps you might
want to look at Sivananda Yoga. It is very gentle,
non-invasive and allows for relaxation between
each asana or posture and also to begin the class
and ends the class with a final relaxation. The website is
sivananda.org
I was introduced to Yoga while pregnant with my first child, by my nurse practitioner. She set me up with a wonderful instructor who showed me how to do the moves correctly to tailor each move to accomidate my rather large belly. A few years later Some co-workers and I went to try a new Brikrham Yoga studio, and the instructor was the same way. You could talk to her about any issues you may have, and she would take time to show you any adjustments needed.
Brenda makes the most vaild point where most people go wrong with Yoga. It's not about going deeper then the person next to you or even achieving some exercise goal. It's about getting in tune with your own body and learning how to get the most out of it. For some it may requiring hoping the poses deeper, but for others, it could be holding it longer.