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Yoga

^ Indeed. I'm actually only just getting back into my own practise after a ~ 4-6 month off-and-on hiatus. Thing is, it takes me ages to build momentum back up, so it's been an uphill fight. Thankfully, it's not like starting from zero-- three cheers for muscle memory!
 
Dave said:
I'd recommend classes at a studio. Videos are good to familiarize yourself with the poses, but having someone there to correct your posture and offer tips on how to aproach poses that you're not yet ready for is invaluable. Plus you also get the benefit of good sequencing (depending on the style being taught) and a bit of a social aspect too.
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Dave, I'm in absolute agreement with you. I would dearly love to be able to go to a class twice a week with an instructor who has lost count of how many hundreds of hours he or she has done. I checked the local community college but the instructor said I couldn't get in and I'd have to wait until fall.

I checked down at the community center and it was not inspiring. I did two classes and the teacher was better than us but not by much. I was concerned about getting an injury behind some of the poses she started with.

I went ahead and subscribed to an online yoga community. It has an enormous wealth of practical, educational, information, plus lots of great people like many of you. It's ten dollars or so a month, but I'm not trying to advertise. If you really want the link, inbox me. There are a lot of programs similar to the one briefly described below for health, diet, yoga as exercise, yoga as devotion, serenity, sleep, tons of stuff about tons of stuff. I'm going back to the basic asanas and pranayamas while I work on my balance and wait for my yogi to surface.
Your 8 Stage Program:
Each of the 8 stages

Arrives via email on your chosen schedule
Features 4 components
1. Welcome: An introduction to the beginnings covered in this stage.
2. Essentials: A series of top tips providing you with tools.
3. Videos: A tailored selection of useful videos. Choose the ones that work with your interest, energy and ability level
4. Insight: Articles on your chosen subject, written by experts in the online community
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Cool!

I'd recommend not doing much work on pranayama until your asana practise is well-seasoned. Ujjayi breath is fine, and some minor breath retention work is okay, but nothing past that. Learn how to handle gasoline safely before playing with matches ;)
 
Dave said:
Cool!

I'd recommend not doing much work on pranayama until your asana practise is well-seasoned. Ujjayi breath is fine, and some minor breath retention work is okay, but nothing past that. Learn how to handle gasoline safely before playing with matches ;)
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I laughed when I read that bold(my doing) because some minor breath retention is all I can do so I'm glad you didn't suggest more. I'm enjoying myself more as a living person when I do yoga regularly. It's worth it if I never gain a muscle or lose a pound. Enjoyment is good. Namaste.
 
Indeed. I have a tough time with it, but a short morning practise makes for a great day... when I can pull it off! Seems like the ashtangi have me beat there :)

What is your practise Burgess?
 
ive been practicing kung fu for several years now. i used to think yoga was cute, but ultimately not very dynamic. its good for the health yes, but what else?

so i had a bunch of ravers over at my house last weekend and this one dude is a lifelong yoga instructor. not some cuntwad hipster that "teaches" yoga at your local gym, but this dude who literally does yoga and nothing else in life. he was doing shit with his body that was blowing my mind, and after having hugn out with Martial Arts Hall of Famers for a few years, I thought i had seen it all.

it was really inspiring. im quite familair with the textbook lineage of KalariPayattu-> yoga -> chinese martial arts 2-3 millennium ago, and figured yoga was some cute shit hippies did for personal exercise. if youve seen the documentary "Yoga, Inc" thats basically my perception until now.

maybe it was the molly, but i def hit a new level of experience in my mind hanging my entire body totally limp from this dudes feet while he himself was upside down holding me up from his back. i had quite the yoga lesson that ngiht and it really opened my mind. i tried the same position the guy was holding me up in, and could only hold it for like 2 seconds. he was having a whole conversation with me while propping my whole body up with 2 feet, i had to say his kung fu was very good.
 
It saddens me to hear you only recently have seen the "real" thing. However, welcome to the club! It's good to have you on board.
 
I have only tried yoga once and that was a 2 hour lesson about 10 years ago.
Naturally I struggled with some of the stretches and balancing positions.
I enjoyed the session but what I enjoyed most and what really surprised me was that when I got home after the class I noticed that I had a real calm uncluttered feeling in my brain.
It was a feeling I have never felt before I just felt so calm with no worries.
I would love to have that feeling again.
 
maxalfie said:
I have only tried yoga once and that was a 2 hour lesson about 10 years ago.
Naturally I struggled with some of the stretches and balancing positions.
I enjoyed the session but what I enjoyed most and what really surprised me was that when I got home after the class I noticed that I had a real calm uncluttered feeling in my brain.
It was a feeling I have never felt before I just felt so calm with no worries.
I would love to have that feeling again.
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I hear ya. It's unfortunate that yoga classes cost so much money and typically don't align with school classes or life schedules. Yeah you can do it at home blah blah blah, but it's not the same.
 
^ No, it's better. Especially NAKED YOGA. I mean, you probably don't want your dogs licking your kooch, but hey, kicking them out for fifteen minutes won't hurt.
 
I do naked yoga. Its a lot easier. After I get out of a hot tub, I dry off and do 15 minutes. My balance #fails so I do downward facing dog, bridge pose, a supported, modified version of wall yin, and end at child pose.

Tree pose is something I try every day and never good at it.

But I do everyday nonetheless. I may have had to hold on, but I have completed the pose and feel the difference in my back, and my chakras...
 
What's this 15 minutes? It takes a solid half hour to warm up properly, so that you can start working on the stuff that leads to the fun poses. Hell, it takes 10-15 miuntes to do a proper set of surya A and B. The more warmed up you are, the better the more fun poses tend to go and the less likely you'll injure yourself. And if you're doing it right, there's no need to apply physical heat (Bikram/hot yoga is silly, imo)-- you'll generate all the heat you need.

Seated poses, for the most part, should be done once warm. If the hips aren't prepared, you'll be more likely to bend in the lower back, causing injury.
 
^ I said more seated poses. :p She doesn't have to do all seated poses.

I agree on surya A and B taking 10-15 minutes to warm you up properly.
 
Ah, but if she's not properly warmed up, the seated poses are likely to cause injury. That was what I was trying to say, but it didn't really come across.
 
Yoga - woohoo! I have only this year started living it more properly.

I have started using single poses in day to day life, starting with the warrior for energizing if I feel abit tired (damn should've remembered to use it today! lol :p ), and I have a lot less ego attached to my practice so I don't find myself pushing myself so far that my legs ache like fuck for 3 days afterwards like in my first year.

I have also started getting more into the philosophical side of it too, and trying hard to remember to do my pranayama practices everyday, and have done a few candle gazing sessions this year.

I been doing Raja Ashtanga Vinyasa for 2 years now, although I was very slack last year, but having come back to regular practice I see the benefits way more than I used to. I try to have a class at least once a month, and then practice around 45 mins a session at home/outside under teh sun(in summer/early autumn) around 3-4 days a week.

It's very intriguing...and I know it will only progress in its power for me.
 
Cool! The biggest thing, and for me the hardest thing, is having a regular, daily practise.
 
it's not necessary though - that's the point - unless your life is an utter shambles, it's OK not to do it everyday. As long as you're progressing, it's aight. Cycles cycles cycles.

obviously it's preferable to do it in the morning as part of your sadhana, or before supper in the later evening but it's not absolutely necessary.
 
I was surprised to learn that free yoga classes are being held right down the street from me. They focus on kundalini and it starts tomorrow. I'm excited but a bit nervous.

I'll let ya in on my newbie experience afterwards
 
It's incredibly humbling the first few times. Looks easy, especially for someone as built as you; just remember that not a single person is watching you-- they're all in their own little universe, doing their own thing.
 
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