Yoga - CD/SD

Am slowly getting into this, but Im pretty guarded and very derisive when the new age hippie bullshit starts creeping in. Ive been to two classes, one at a very nearby studio run by a lady of that kind of hippie/yuppie amalgation endemic to Portland, one who used the word "toxins" unironically. The other was at the big chain gym place I belong to.

The small studio is better for learning the stuff, but the chain gym doesn't have the hippie shit leaking in.

At any rate, am very stressed and anxious right now thanks to work, and the gym doesn't have any classes left today, so I'm heading back to the studio place in a while.

I really like vinyasa style..but all the places close to me either are WAY expensive or totally inconvenient times.

Anyone know any good online videos/podcasts (preferably of the freeee variety!) that are good for using at home?

Why is "toxins" a loaded term?

yoga teacher who used toxins ironically would be p hilar

So I've started doing this after many many people told they thought I'd love it. Guess what? I love it!

We have a lunch time thing at work which is weird mostly because I never thought I'd be walking around my office in yoga pants. The instructor is awesome. Just bought pass to studio by my house. Stoked.

yaay :)

i haven't been doing classes lately, but i do asanas at home and practice yoga breathing, which is A+ for all things incl when you're feeling stressed/anxious

:D

was wondering if anyone knew of a good yoga dvd or set of dvds that would be good for a beginner with pretty poor flexibility?

yogi bear season 2

sorry

maybe i can watch those when i'm crippled and bed-bound :/

H uses the "Bryan Kest Power Yoga" video sometimes. I watch for the lulz.

http://www.demeterclarc.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2012/02/BRYAN-KEST-AND-SEANE-CORN-297x300.png

he says stuff like "but imagine if the masseusse was pushing TOO hard -- you wouldn't call him up to rub you down again"

"power yoga" kinda scares me off, like i said i have poor flexibility, was hoping there was a set that maybe had a really easy ramp-up

weirdly the only thing i've gotten recommended is former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page's DVDs, which are supposedly great, but they have a lot of "dude stuff" like where they give moves new "cool" names like i dunno cat pose is like "radical ninja doggie style" or some shit

yeah it's not for true beginners. I tried it once and wound up with a strained neck. it's kind of self-contradictory in that he constantly tells you how you shouldn't be pushing yourself and just "be comforatable where you're at" or whatever, but the screen is full of beautiful people doing flawless yoga

beginning on your own without an instructor is unfortunately very difficult because its hard to know how a pose is supposed to "feel" just by seeing a picture or video of it. particularly when you're not flexible and thus need to be that much more conscious about doing it correctly and not allowing your body to "cheat" and thus cause injury or waste your time. a mirror helps a lot though.

the yoga journal series are not bad--there is a Rodney Yee one on back care yoga (which covers lots of stuff, not just back) that I think would be a good intro.

thx :)

rodney yee is good! be careful and don't push yourself. better to go slower than necessary than too fast.

ok i'll check out some rodney yee stuff, thanks y'all

http://www.yogaglo.com/beginner-center.php

internet-based, no DVD required. within this set of offerings, you'll probably want to start with "Basics" before jumping to "Ashtanga" or "Vinyasa." I can personally vouch for Steven and Tara. i'm sure the other teachers are great too.

that said, i'd echo ryan's note wrt live instruction. as with many physical arts (ballet, jiu-jitsu, guitar) you can teach yourself a lot from videos but there's no substitute for the presence of a teacher, especially in the early stages. no need to worry about your current state of flexibility. that would be sort of like not lifting because you're not already strong. really flexibility is just a by-product of yoga practice. it's something you'll acquire along the way and makes certain things easier but it's not really required at all...

thanks, i know that classes would be the best but i can't see myself dragging myself to class....

will check out that site thanks rogers

Been going to a terrific iyengar yoga class in East London. Which is giving me a terrific foundation - and the teacher is very nice.

I'd say never touch a DVD because you need to work out the line between what is painful and actually a good stretch and how you far you should push yourself in the tougher exercises. Only a good instructor can give you that. I can't get near my toes at the moment and was told not to attempt, as it will come with time, continuous practice and patience.

Other things: - I feel slight aches have 'cleared' completely (and I've only done two classes, so probably nothing major in the first place).

Certain habits are beginning to change:

- Posture in my back is a lot more straight when I walk or sit.

- Both right and left are a lot more balanced, certainly plant both feet a lot more equally in my day-to-day standing and walking.

- I am not sleeping with my pillow anymore. Not sure that's right, but I want to feel both shoulders really touching the mattress.

A final word on breath, its very strange reading lots of lit and poetry (as I do), which can really change your breath, and learning a discipline that also modifies your breath in these exercises.

I'll be going to my first Yoga session soon.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a male?

Choosing what to wear and the mat already seemed quite complex.

Loose fitting soft clothes, preferably with no metal zippers, buttons or clasps.

If you're doing mountains/downward dogs, you might want to avoid wearing an overly baggy top, which would otherwise cover your face and mess with your breathing.

Don't push yourself, take breaks if you're tired, ask the teacher questions.

yeah, I'd go for the opposite of loose-fitting in a shirt. something that lets your shoulders move but hugs the torso is ideal

Thank you for the information, everyone.

I'm looking into getting these prAna pants: http://www.rei.com/product/810244/prana-sutra-pants-mens-32-inseam

As for the top, I have a Nike top that is kind of like this: http://www.rei.com/product/795701/nike-legend-dri-fit-crew-t-shirt-mens

It feels cotton-y, not like a running tshirt, not as breathable. Well-fitted. I'm thinking this should suffice.

Hoping the beginner class doesn't totally destroy my body, because I've never bent my body in those ways.

$70 pants?? Shorts/sweatpants/track pants are my bottoms of choice.

I only have running shorts, and I heard that wearing that isn't very considerate because of how much of my legs would be exposed when doing some positions?

I don't have sweat pants or track pants but I like the idea of track pants. I think I might try that first.

Don't let anyone shame you. Those pants are fine tho not very stretchy.

er, I just do it in shorts - imagine Iyengar (who died two weeks ago) forking out for those..

This is a very good piece on him: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/22/my-teacher-bks-iyengar-yoga

A pupil of Silvia teaches me now.

Oh and R4 (15 mins in): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04fcstv

yoga people:

i've been watching myself on video a lot recently for class and holy shit my posture is awful. i have the thing where my shoulders point inwards and are tense (pulled up) plus my head is tilted forward -- terrible. it causes tension too so i am trying to eliminate this habit.

what are the best yoga programs/postures for correcting bad posture? also, is core strength really the key here or is it other stuff? i can't afford a chiropractor so i am crowdsourcing folk wisdom on this

What do you mean watching yourself on video? Do you have a teacher who corrects your posture? If not, find a new teacher.

I think he's a schoolteacher and he saw himself on video.

I'm the king of bad posture despite taking yoga -- for me, it's only taught me what good posture is, and doesn't necessarily enforce it in everyday life.

However, something that's helped me lately is to think of the base of your skull as having a knob, and then pulling that knob straight back (without raising your chin) -- that'll help you avoid the hunched-over computer slouch.

Another suggestion is to imagine that you have a string attached to the top of your head: imagine yourself suspended in the air from this string to get tall/elongate your spine and to avoid arching your back.

lee's got it. the class is a grad school class, not a yoga class, so in the videos i am lecturing and stuff. sorry it was unclear.

yes, i assume that deliberate corrections during the day are going to be a big part of this. i think it has to be part of larger, body language awareness. i am kind of "pulled in" and that signals nervousness, i think, even though i don't feel that way.

i am too busy to go to any of the yoga classes at my university gym so i am going to look to the internet now. i am doing other fitness stuff, but i think yoga is probably essential for developing body awareness and also flexibility to prevent injury

Oh ok. I didn't understand what you meant. I really like yoga for body awareness. Best of luck to you.

good posture is a constant battle since practically everything else in our lives works against it.

it's true. technology deforms us all, mentally and physically

even beginning to contemplate the kind of holistic transformation that would have to take place for my posture to improve always makes me think of the incessant jesus prayer, like in franny and zooey, that i would have to so absorb a conscious awareness of the ideal as to be practicing improvement at all times, simultaneous with all other thought. instead i know when i walk down the street i just periodically make ridiculous-looking momentary corrective adjustments, strides that lunge into a kind of pinned-back breathed-in verticalism & which then slouch back into seahorse pose within ten paces

anyway i was maybe going to start yoga too. lil worried i'm coming to it with too fervent a Businessman Chugging Wheatgrass expectation that it will immediately fix me. there is this six-inch-square grid of chiropractic real estate that i feel like hasn't moved or rotated in like fifteen years

honestly, if people followed through with their plans to only eat whole, organic foods (mostly organic vegetables) and to follow a consistent, well-planned exercise regimen, i think they would "fix" a lot.

i only eat vegetables & i keep a consistent exercise routine of not doing a lot of exercise but guess walking everywhere & this city is pretty damn big & i still think of the bit in that film where the guy kills himself with an electric drill quite often

yeah but if you ate doughnuts and drove everywhere imagine how much worse off you'd be

but i am not allowed doughnuts & after work i'm tired & i always thought i'd do pretty well inside a car (tapes, don't mind waiting around in traffic &c)

honestly, if people followed through with their plans to only eat whole, organic foods (mostly organic vegetables) and to follow a consistent, well-planned exercise regimen, i think they would "fix" a lot

I sort of want to believe this, but I basically don't.

I am very pro-yoga, though, all the same.

well, the good news is yoga won't fix anything overnight. if you stick with it though, it will def help with posture, especially for the deskbound.

best "program" imo would be a vinyasa class that you enjoy. this is the slow, steady kind of change that lasts so just sticking with it is the big thing. a lot of what you're learning is body awareness/muscle memory type stuff so there's no substitute for getting reps in.