Yoga - CD/SD

Hathayoga as a general term describes any physically-oriented form of yoga (as opposed to e.g. seated meditation). That said, in the US a class described as "Hatha Yoga" would typically be expected to be less physically vigorous than e.g. Vinyasa or Power yoga and require less experience linking breath and movement. Good place to start imo :)

thx rog!

I was pondering on the drive home how successful yoga practices would be if there wasn't a semi-bastardized conceptual framework overlaid

"Hey, want to go to a meet-up in the park and do some stretching and strength exercises?"

yoga is good though, imo

i have all kinds of digestive weirdness and weird aches & i thought some stretching might help over time

plus i really need the breathing/meditation for relaxation

i'm a mess rn lol

i don't have a regular practice right now because my life is crazy but i did have one for a number of years, basically on/off since 2001, yoga is amazing. even now when i do like 20 minutes at the end of the day, i'm astonished by how much physical/mental/emotional tension is released after just a few asanas

Some poetry from Patanjali: http://www.asymptotejournal.com/special-feature/patanjali-vibhuti-pada-the-chapter-of-dubious-glories/

^^^ v yogic

TS: Kino MacGregor vs. Briohny Smyth

short answer: your mom

i just finished my 3 week intro to yoga workshop with a hatha instructor & i loooooved it. me & four other ppl, mainly seniors. super chill & GREAT

instructor is nice & normcore and not scary like the last instructor i tried. she has a deep well of yoga knowledge, v friendly & funny

doing thurs night classes starting this week, space is a buddhist temple (!) - v excited

beforei found the workshop i tried a hatha class & the instructor was like an snl parody, weirdly passive agressive & would stare into your eyes & say I LOVE WHAT I DO in a way that seemed like she did not at all

the class was cool but she just made me feel v stressed, glad that i went back to the drawing board & found someone more my speed

yr situation sounds v rad. especially temple access. i am trying to do a lil youtube yoga at home, i got derailed when it turned into Xtreme Cardio Crunch Workout. i was really looking to roll around more instead of do slo-mo cross-fit

i learned ujaiyi breath :D

Yes that's what I'm doing in Svastha yoga, which I try to use in my Iyengar class sometimes. Just that deeper engagement with breath and movement earlier on - in Iyengar the breath usually comes later.

Real question is how do you do with mula bandha?

i had to google it - they havent covered that

basically a kegel. at which I rule.

Tighten the muscle you'd tighten to stop peeing mid-stream. At least that's what I found when I googled it after my female yoga teacher was unable to give me a good answer.

(uh, i realize now that this is a super-late answer, but I'll leave it in case anyone else wonders. Or if someone knows this my answer to be wrong and can correct me)

I started up yoga again a few months ago after a 10+ year break. I had been getting pretty badly out of shape, plus suffering from neck/shoulder pain from compressed discs. My main weekly class is called Fundamentals of Ashtanga, which goes through the primary sequence of Ashtanga, but is a bit more lenient in terms of variations. I really like my teacher, she is the right mix of nice and supportive, but also serious about what she does. The class itself is very grueling, just about at the max physical limit for what I can endure, and that's even with all the things that I either can't do, do easier variations on, or just plain skip. Still I manage to keep up and am growing a bit more limber.

Outside of this class, I do whatever fits my schedule, usually somewhat less impactful classes. I don't love the whole heated room thing. It's been especially bad the last few weeks because the AC unit at the yoga studio has been busted, which isn't a good thing in Texas during the summer. Everyone else seems ok with it, so I'm just rolling with it.

what are my options for keeping my hair out of my face that isn't a man bun?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_trim_our_hair_in_accordance_with_the_socialist_lifestyle

buzz it! It's liberating

bbut i love my hair!

It grows back. And people who have hair to care about look the best when they buzz it. Plus summer is the optimum time to buzz it.

depends how long yer hair is but i use this headband

http://www.kooshoo.com/collections/aurea-headbands-mensonly

you have to wrap it around twice

my only complaint is it sometimes gives me bad bedhair when the back of my head is on the floor and the band moves

I used to see longhair guys with ponytails in my yoga class pretty frequently. I shave my head, though.

I'm trying to work my way up to the full shave. Not sure I'm ready yet.

Buzzing is a weird thrill everybody should try at least once. You'll absolutely hate that you did it the first day, start to warm to it by day two or three, and then a few weeks later you'll start to get bummed that it's growing back

also the feeling of stepping out of the shower and having a dry head within seconds is ++++++++++++

u can have short hair without buzzing it, wtf guys

go entirely bald shave your entire body this is the only way

Any suggestions for a good ashtanga video on YT that gives room for variations (read: physical shortcomings)? I might have to start practicing on my own in the near future and don't have the entire primary series committed to memory yet.

my instructor helped me with a down dog variation on the wall that I really like & then the next class we did normal down dog like 5 times ;_;

time to bring your own wall

also i think i have finally gotten the hang of ujjayi breath & feel v accomplished

I'm really not getting the hang of ujjayi breath. I've even taken a super beginners course and it still seems odd to me.

I've been doing a Fundamentals of Ashtanga class for the last several months. The class covers only the first half of the series and encourages modifications whenever needed. It still kicks my ass, but the repetition has allowed me to find lots of ways to modify various parts either because I can't do them the right way or because I need to avoid things that mess up my neck. I'd love to talk modifications if anyone would find that helpful.

This video is pretty representative of what my class covers, although I flop around and sweat and sniffle a lot more than the lady in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Krp4W0TlAU

Yeah, after trying to go along with what I take to be a fairly authoritative video, I figured that if Sri Pattabhi Jois's breaths were too short for me, I'd be better off on my own.

My solo practice is a little intermittent, but I'm starting to develop my series with variations (I don't like doing the weird split leg, roll-around ones -- I do like adding a pigeon pose).

What kind of variations do you like, Moodles?

that video was O_O
pretty sure i will never be that limber
my hatha class is ridic chill & def more my speed. but when i see other yoga practice i feel like a toddler lol

Yoga is not a competitive sport - that's why I like it!

Yeah, these videos definitely show an idealized version that I know I will never get close to, but they are at least helpful in laying out what to aim for.

One thing that I do in a bunch of positions that involve a bind is using a strap to make up the difference.
For shoulder stands, I've been using a block to prop up my back, which helps take pressure off my neck. Also sometimes just do legs up the wall.
I can't do headstands at all, so I do a version of plank with forearms on the ground.
For hopping forward and backward, out of down dog or into plank, I've been trying to get less forceful and lighten a bit, instead of landing like a bag of bricks, which was jarring on my neck.

I can't do most of the what that video shows, either! I don't have the flow committed to memory yet (and I've been doing this for years) so needed it for reference.

I can't do headstands at all, so I do a version of plank with forearms on the ground.

Do you mean dolphin pose?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/68/75/fe/6875fef132455b568dc227f0206fb28a.jpg

BTW, for jump-throughs, have you tried putting blocks under your hands? That way you have more room for your legs, which I bet would help with your control. And from recent personal experience, I realized how much work my lower core needs to be able to retract my legs enough to do a smooth jump-through.

more like a plank version of that without my butt up in the air, but dolphin pose would work too

I haven't tried blocks, but I could see how that would make it easier. I think I have short arms or something.

everyone thinks they have short arms... or long legs... and we all have our quirks but it's amazing how consistent practice (and, as leee says, a lot of core work) can lengthen up those arms or shorten those legs or whatever.

Maty Ezraty says it took her eight years to get solid on the jumpthrough. Until then, blocks definitely help.

turtles actually have short legs iirc

lol true

One yoga teacher (she is just starting) said I had really long arms. Took a few classes, she was ok but as I've moved now I don't go there anymore.

Last 3 months I've been going to classes by a couple of excellent teachers at this place 5 mins from where I live, one of whom is a Senior Iyengar yoga teacher. The Capital S is earned, she is very good and strict at what she does (with a funny edge which means when she tells you off its ok), and I'm always learning. She started in her 40s "at a low ebb" and it offers hope to all of us tbh. The intermediate class is a bit of a jump for me but I feel like I am improving, and with my bits of home practice it means no bastard can grind me down no more.

The other teacher is very good too. Above all, well, she is just my type. Its just wrong really.

Iyengar is not my personal jam but any Senior Iyengar teacher is legit af.
Very serious training and not a designation you can earn just by showing up for x number of hours.

Indeed. None of this 200 hrs crap*. Iyengar teachers need to have practiced yoga for a few years then have a recommendation from an already qualified teacher to be accepted into training (or so I believe). Then its tough exams. And if you pass (and many fail) there are a few levels to get to Senior. Its quite an accmplishment for this woman. This partic teacher just pushes me to practice more (I always want to be doing yoga but fkn life man). I broke my big toe two months ago and recovered enough to go to a class after 3 weeks but not hers, just need to go back to a basic level just to keep it up.

Anyway, at my level you can definitely see the difference between a teacher that has only done it for a bit vs a Senior.

* ok not saying they are all like that - and 200 hrs is a lot of yoga.

iyengar teachers are the real deal

I am forever grateful that my first yoga study was with very legit Iyengar including John Schumacher. Having Iyengar as a foundation makes dipping into other styles safer and more meaningful imo.