Yoga - CD/SD

Also, I want to try out pilates, which has been described to me as yoga inverted, all backwords with the breathing.

Some of it may have some health benefits, but I think it should be remembered that it wasn't primarily developed for health reasons (let alone keeping slim--check out the guts on some famous yogis).

There was a very good article about competing yoga schools in New York Magazine (2/2/98).

Comments I have made elsewhere re: Yoga.

I am not anti-yoga, but I don't think everyone's body is compatible with all asanas (sp?).

I do not stand on my head, nor do I do handstands. These things are okay when you are 30kg and bouncy (i.e. a child) but if poorly executed when 70kg and flab+flaccid+brittle (i.e. an adult) they are plain dodgy. Being inverted with minor risk rocks though! Like hanging or walking up walls with hands on the floor.

People who do Bikram yoga (in a 100F room!) are crazy. The head supposedly makes it easier to stretch, but i would die from dehydration and heat exhaustion if I ever tried it.

That is all.

I don't know, but they were weird.

I did my first Astanga class on Friday night - previously I'd done a couple of "power yoga" classes (hurt for 3xdays afterwards), 1x hatha class (snoozeville), 1xpilates class (ridiculous). I liked it! And the teacher is a foxxx. It is VERY popular! Bring on the trend!

The breathing, is a bit, wack.

I would like to talk to T about yoga!

I COULD BE IN THE PUB YOU KNOW I JUST CHOSE NOT TO

(today i walked for more than two hrs becuz i wanted to check out yarn shop. i'm completely bonkers.)

I moved on to a Hatha Flow class that was also pretty intense, but mostly manageable for me. I liked it a lot and got into fairly good shape.

But that was a long time ago. Now I just sit on my ass and eat fried food dipped in Ranch dressing.

The odd thing is that when I actually tried Ashtanga I liked it way more than Iyengar. So now it is practitioners of Bikram Yoga (TM) that I scoff at as trend.

I think kundalini sounds pretty intense! The breath control appeals to me for singing reasons. There's a studio 2 minutes from my house that has a donation-based class, but despite those two compelling reasons I've not gone because fuck if I'm going to chant IN ENGLISH with a roomfulla flakes! (in this class they make you chant in Sanskrit and English). See, my heart is too calcified for such a discipline!

Pilates to thread!

-- Graham (graham), Thursday, 19 September 2002 11:24 (5 years ago)

oh ffs.

HELP!

ARRRRRRRRRR

oh sorry

Pirates?

Sheesh.

hehe

yoga is classic but there is a lot of super dud yoga out there that i wldn't even call yoga

it puzzles me when people are like, "i want to try yoga but i don't want to do funny breathing or chanting, or do any meditation. " in that case, you probably just want a sculpt & tone class.

otm omg

Meditation is a tool of Satan, BEWARE, BEWARE!!

is BEWARE BEWARE your mantra?

Just kidding. But I remember some lovely alarmist rabidly Christian fiction series that posited that Satan and his minions would try to get meditation and "spirit guide" programs into schools as a front for possessing our children if we didn't surround them with the protection of Jesus' blood.

Which is just to say that there's a lot of misconception and um...probably unnecessary concerns about some elements of yoga.

i want to take ballet

do they have beginning ballet classes for adults??

I'm sure someone does.

i thought if i entered a question in this box, the internet would tell me

We are all the internet.

I don't know the answer to the thread's question, but let me say that I love that Namaste Yoga they show over-and-over on the Fit TV channel. It's like the old 20-Minute Workout on HBO in cable's early days. Hott.

^^ very much agreed. there are a lot of folks who have only practiced "vinyasa flow" who kinda have no idea

and i love vinyasa flow!

so so true. I've done a few classes of flow yoga about 6 months ago and imo what Iyengar teaches you is precision in the asanas. Really important not to fall into bad habits that are injury forming.

The one other teacher at my current studio is a former Iyengar teacher (who is also in the buddhist order) who does two types of classes: one of which is more flow based and another which is yoga+meditation (went to a couple of them as I was on my way back from broken toe) and while that didn't work for me I felt that were I ever to move from Iyengar to other practices I'd have a good foundation. But I am only interested in shadow yoga and the guy who came up with it was one of Iyengar's former pupils. No classes nearby tho'.

No longer interested in shadow yoga. Only Iyengar and Yin yoga (a very gentle practice, no inversions which is a shame, but you hold poses for minutes at a time - so deceptively light, however I've only been for a class or two)

This is a great piece on Iyengar teaching - and the critical teaching I get from the teacher I've been with for a year now (the one I mention above)

https://yogaspy.com/2017/09/25/a-critical-teacher/

Also started a practice course with the same teacher (one session a month for 5 months). So she has given a 15 min practice to do everyday (I was practicing for about 30 mins to an hour 2/3 times a week but scaled all that back for now) and we're looking at practicing paranayama safely in the next session.

nothing gentle about yin lol. those long holds can be fkn brutal.

Yes indeed, didn't mean to downplay it...

I've had to ramp down my practice recently due to repeated injuries. Need to find a way to keep up without killing myself, but it's been tough finding the right balance.

Negotiating so I can practice intensely but with the heightened awareness to avoid injury.

Good to ramp it down, look at the asanas that are causing injury and maybe adapt so you can keep practising and looking at it.

Been practicing most days for about an hour this month, and started doing some pranayama too.

In my experience if there is an injury then - funnily enough - doing yoga is what aids the recovery. I did my back a little bit when I tried this tough twist but then I did a lighter practice the next day and that cleared it off.

yeah, i'm finding that as long as i finish an hour of running with an hour of yoga my legs are fine and if i skip even just twice, i end up with an injury.

i skipped it today but i have been going to a workplace free yoga class taught by my coworker and it is so wonderful. not only does it feel good, but stretch-bonding with my coworkers is a nice side effect.
otherwise i normally do yoga in my basement by myself. going to the class 1x a week is really nice because i don't have to make any decisions and someone else (the teacher) is in the driver's seat. not being in the driver's seat periodically is essential for people who work in emotionally draining professions imo.

Plus a teacher shows you other ways to do things and streches (no pun intended) any notions of what might be possible.

ok shit I have a groin strain on my right leg aargh - got it by doing warrior pose against the wall.

I am still practicing every day - but not that.

Has anyone here had this? How long does it take to heal up?

I had a minor car crash about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I crunched my wrist, not sure that it is a full on fracture, mire like a bine bruise, but it looks like I'm done with yoga until next year. 😣

damn sorry to hear that - my body really missed yoga for about 2/3 weeks when I broke my toe last year.

(someone I know is a piano player and has had issues practicing yoga with her wrist issues but now has qualified recently to teach yoga..)

I've had a series of injuries over the past year, mostly shoulders and neck, that have slowed me down, but this is the first one where I feel like I just need need to stop for a while.

that's crazy, i ALSO got a groin strain on my right leg this past thursday when i was climbing. It really pulls you out of running/yoga/climbing for sure.

Depending on the severity, my understanding is between a week and a half to several months will heal it. I was bouldering ten feet up on a wall when i heard a pop in my upper thigh... not a good feeling.

I believe you want to avoid static stretching while the adductors heal... they're tiny little muscles but they can bounce back if you don't fuck with them too hard. The pain from it is waking me up in the mornings but it's starting to fade a bit... unfortunately it also feels like it's pulling against my right testicle all the time, which is a very funky and unpleasant sensation.

sorry about your wrist moodles, that sucks. maybe talk to your yoga teacher and ask if they have recommendations for work you can do at home to make sure the scar tissue doesn't cause problems later?

Actually a day or two after I posted that back in November the strain cleared enough so I could walk at my usual pace and then I kept practicing. It is now pretty much gone. I didn't feel any strain whatsoever in class this morning.

Course finished last month - we went through a variety of approaches so I am using that plus getting whatever bits and pieces I learn in class. I make notes (though not as much as I should) from class and try and incorporate with the practice the week after too.

In May it will be nearly four years since I've started - and given what has been going on personally I have to say it just makes things a bit better. Any bit of daily practice gives me 'space' and strengthens my nervous system for the challenges ahead. I will need it.

I'm back at Hatha Flow now even though my hand hasn't healed up at all after 3 months. Using a block to prop up my right arm for stuff like down dog and plank. I'm really feeling the lack of exercise for 2 months, everything seems way harder than I remember.

Alabama may lift a decades-old ban on yoga in public schools, but the greeting "namaste" would remain on the forbidden list. Under a bill in the state House local school systems could teach yoga, but moves and exercises would have to have English names. https://t.co/sttgfCylZv

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 8, 2020

do they allow French in ballet classes?

Funnily enough I tried this power yoga class run by an Indian teacher yesterday.

Looked him up and he has a decolonising yoga project and he seems really left-wing (judging by his twitter). He is very much into demystifying yoga for complete beginners.

I'll go now and then as we don't often get to practice arm balances in Iyengar yoga.

Anyone got recommendations for YouTube yogis? I can’t see myself going back to class for a while

A couple of teachers I know are doing zoom classes. Not ideal but this is all that is available to me.

I have used this time to actually practice using the sequences at the back of Light on Yoga. First time I have really engaged with it, the photographs of Iyengar doing advanced postures always put me off.

I started doing yoga for the first time ever to counteract the effects of working from a kitchen chair all day, just using that Down Dog channel. It's ok, I like it fine, nothing overly challenging and it's easy to follow. I have nothing to compare it to though.

Anyone got recommendations for YouTube yogis? I can’t see myself going back to class for a while

― badg, Thursday, 2 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

A lot of studios are doing online classes. Do you mean specific YouTube only ppl?

I believe the place I had been going to, Black Swan Yoga, has a daily livestream on YouTube. Can't vouch for their quality. They also have an app you can subscribe to that has a bunch of content.

"Black Swan Yoga" is a bit on the nose, no?

I like EkhartYoga and Fightmaster Yoga on YouTube. I avoid classes with music (just no) and instructors I find irritating (obv).

There's a lot that's unfortunate about their branding, tbh. I'm hesitant to fully endorse them because their vibe is a little offputting in general, but I at least get solid workouts from their routines.

xp

I avoid classes with music (just no) and instructors I find irritating (obv).

yeah i'm permanently scarred from having a beck song come up on some instructor's playlist.

The studio where my wife teaches is streaming live throughout the day On IG and archiving on FB. I highly recommend a Bikram class with Gary or Power with Claudia.

https://m.facebook.com/ashrambellevue/

I use this for Ashtanga:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJzfZ6w0s4g

Though there's also this class from K Pattabhi Jois too, which I haven't checked out.

I like this one

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

yeah i'm permanently scarred from having a beck song come up on some instructor's playlist.

Lol! This happened to me too w Beck but it was a free class my coworker was giving and I let it slide, she’s nice and I like her. The only music-containing yoga class I’ve enjoyed that wasn’t self-directed within the last 15 years was a metal yoga class. I love the immersive loudness and now I just do metal yoga at home.

Strongly recommend the track “Catharsis” by YOB bc it’s 23 min long (perfect for warmup) and has a spectacular ending.

Most of the non Ashtanga classes I've attended have had some kind of music, ranging from unobtrusive to painfully cringe inducing. The best ones lean heavily towards balearic bliss. I will credit one teacher, who mostly had terrible taste, for once having a playlist that featured "Tears in the Typing Pool" into "Parallelograms".

I sort of expect & enjoy fairly cheesy songs at class but an instructor played Bill Callahan once which was a pleasant surprise.

Thanks for the recommendations they were exactly what I was looking for.

We just tried a Yoga app that used Nick Cave’s soundtrack from The Road, which was a little on the nose.

I like Yoga with Adrienne. She can be cloying but I like the pacing and she’s good (speaking as an amateur) at explaining the moves. And she has a cute dog.

Though there's also this class from K Pattabhi Jois too, which I haven't checked out.

― Triceratops Vowell (Leee), Thursday, 2 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

It's a notorious demonstration in that community but it isn't for beginners.

Adrienne uses the word “yummy” too much for me bit otherwise I think she is a good teacher.

I've been using Yogiapproved.com for classes since before this started.

no annoying music so far, but they have a 30 day free trial and a lot of classes so its fairly mindless to open up the app and decide on something.

I mainly use the same 3/4 classes. but I have no issues with the range.

they also do something called 'outlaw yoga' which I have a strange fascination with, it seems to be yoga for aging bikers, but with a dude playing guitar in the background to take the edge off...

I've watched the trailer loads in weird fascination but can't bring myself to actually open one of the courses.

Adrienne uses the word “yummy” too much for me bit otherwise I think she is a good teacher.

Disgusting
No one should be describing anything as juicy or yummy during a YOGA class? No.

Juicy gets used a lot, it's a problem

you mean like "a deep juicy stretch"? yuck.

Ms. T. and I used to go to a studio that catered to "angry screenwriters and suspicious IT workers" years back and ran across the Yoga With Adriene videos at the beginning of the pandemic. Her teaching style works well with us, especially since it's just the two of us at home watching a YouTube video, and I'm somewhere between ambivalent and not-giving-a-shit about her adjective choices.

I knew my posture was bad, but I didn't know just how bad it was. Twenty months of daily practice (yes, daily) later, I'm totally shocked to discover that I gained almost a centimeter of height back.

Amen to Yoga With Adriene, I'd let my regular yoga lapse since my old Y membership expired but a friend recommended her videos last year and I'm back to at least several times a week. I really like her range of classes, that you can pick one for just neck and shoulders if those are sore or whatever. And her patter's generally pretty likable. Anyway, yes to regular yoga!

Just thought I'd draw your attention to the journal of yoga studies. All open access.

There has been plenty of scholarship on the roots of modern yoga but this is something else. Papers on yoga and its relationship to dance, Indian martial arts. Yoga in China and Tibet. I am making my way through it so will read some articles and say anything as and when.

https://journalofyogastudies.org/index.php/JoYS/issue/view/2023.V4

Sickening.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/india-modi-yoga-whitewash-crimes-use-how