Who's into yoga, friends?

[heids]

Since a few people have mentioned yoga on here lately, seemed like a cool time to start The Official Yoga Thread.

I used to practice yoga intermittently, but I picked it up again at the recommendation of my psych and have been practicing six days a week for the last couple of months.  I'm doing it at home based on the ashtanga yoga primary series, using Kino MacGregor's ashtanga book and youtube videos.  Have never been to a class.

Physically, it's bloody hard, and I finish sessions barely able to walk haha.  Mentally, it's even harder... trying to accept where I am (read: I'm not great at yoga lol) and deal with intense emotions.

But it's not all just fancy poses and fitness and flexibility, or meditation and woo-woo stuff (me and meditation... aren't friends lol).  I feel like I'm starting to do yoga all the time now off the mat, just being more aware of my physical alignment and integrity, coordinating breaths with normal movements, moving from the core, and then linking that to the spiritual lessons of thinking and behaving with integrity, alignment, balance and strength.  Sounds like bs but it's been really helping me in the last few weeks (except when things get too bad ).

So much growth ahead of me!

If you've ever tried yoga, what's your experience been?

[peterpiper]

If you've ever tried yoga, what's your experience been?

Fucking hard at first. But eventually I got used to kissing the back plate of my head. So it works I guess. My experiences have often been extremely periodic and short-lived mainly because the person I'm doing yoga with stops going 

Physically, it's bloody hard, and I finish sessions barely able to walk haha.

Hahahah 10/10 relatable. There was one time where I just rolled myself down the staircase outside the yoga place I was doing it at.

[K888]

I got used to kissing the back plate of my head

As someone who is not familiar with yoga, this confuses me a great deal...

Personally, I physically can't do yoga, which is a shame. About the closest I've come is clinical pilates, which I really enjoy.

For those of you that do yoga, what's the best part about it?

[Natasha.97]

I have an on/off relationship with yoga (stop going to the gym as often before + during assessment periods)

It really helps to reduce stress levels and leaves a refreshed feeling after having a session

fell face first onto the floor when attempting a particular move for the first time

[Joseph41]

I went to a yoga session with my girlfriend once. Got wrecked - couldn't move for several weeks.

It was a fun time.

[Calebark]

I've been doing ashtanga yoga everyday (well, excluding when I was sick) for about a fortnight. I've been using Kino MacGregor's YT videos (maaatching), and a few guides I found online. It's so much more intense than I expected!

I actually got started when sparring with a mate (martial arts. He so won that round ), and he said that he's been doing yoga the past few months to improve general fitness and flexibility, and that it's been helping him with control of his body. His girlfriend (who taught him) showed me some basics, gave me some links, and I've been doing it everyday since -- I intend to keep doing it, it's really fun!

For those of you that do yoga, what's the best part about it?

I love that I can do it at home. Normally I'll be doing martial arts or other team sports which obviously require going out and other people, but for yoga, I am all that is required. It's perfect for lazier days when you still want to be physically active but still want to keep the day a bit lowkey.

[sweetiepi]

I'd *attempt* to do yoga if I wasn't as inflexible as a Carbon-Carbon double bond*
Maybe I should attempt it again someday, who knows?


*Those bonds don't rotate, neither can I

[Calebark]

I'd *attempt* to do yoga if I wasn't as inflexible as a Carbon-Carbon double bond*
Maybe I should attempt it again someday, who knows?


*Those bonds don't rotate, neither can I

Should definitely try it! There's a bunch of different styles out there, so maybe have a look, see what one appeals to you, and just give it a try! Like I said, it doesn't take much preparation -- no loss!

[Phoenix11]

Yoga is awesome!
I did it for about a year and a half and it's been amazing!
Especially for the selective school exam (as i was doing it during that time) as it really kept me focused whenever I was doing a test or something. I had my full concentration on whatever I was doing. It really kept me calm and made me feel really good.

It's really fun and it is definitely worth it!
 

[peterpiper]

I'd *attempt* to do yoga if I wasn't as inflexible as a Carbon-Carbon double bond*
Maybe I should attempt it again someday, who knows?


*Those bonds don't rotate, neither can I

That. Was. Amazing. Thank you. You get 50 000 + peterpiper respect dollaz

For those of you that do yoga, what's the best part about it?

Corpse Pose at the end and Downward-facing dog in the sun-salutation sequence

[heids]

Insanipi, yoga isn't about how flexible or strong you are at the start.  The aim of yoga isn't perfection, but progress... and in fact the less flexible you are the more progress you can make haha (law of diminishing returns etc).  "Doing yoga" isn't defined as being able to put your leg behind your head or do a fancy handstand or whatever; you can do yoga even if you can't sit cross legged or touch your toes.  I guess that's the point of it - being able to accept and work on where you are rather than comparing with others or a certain standard you should be at.  I struggle with this every day haha.


Every time I practice yoga I want to give up.  I've been realising I have this deep-seated belief that I'm a weak, undisciplined, lazy person who always gives up when things are hard (in exercise, or study, or work, or anything really), which ends up self-fulfilling.  I'm so ashamed of it.  During a practice I always hit the point where I go "let's stop and sit here and philosophise about what it means to keep going through discomfort" which is actually my way of dodging the discomfort lol.  It's... a work in progress.

And it's such a struggle with perfectionism too... I feel like I "should" be achieving inner peace in poses (hint: I normally don't) and gazing in the right direction and focusing deeply and flowing smoothly through vinyasas (which I normally skip because I can't deal with them) and engaging my pelvic floor and not stopping and doing the poses better and so on... but my practice is so imperfect, physically and mentally.

For those of you that do yoga, what's the best part about it?

The heightened physical/mental/emotional/spiritual awareness it gives me.

[elysepopplewell]

My local gym offers a body balance class - and would you believe that out of the five times it runs per week - only one of those slots I'm not at work/uni, and that time is a 6am Friday morning, when I do the close-shift at work the night before? Dammit dammit dammit.

I love that you've brought this up Heidi, I want to start stretching more each day. The day after dancing I'm always a bit sore and I noticed last week at Uni I was stretching my hamstrings out under the table, and I like the feeling of being elasticy. I think I like it so much because being strong might never ever be my ace of spades, but this is a great flexibility and strength thing. The mental benefits are great, I'm sure, but the primary focus for me right now is finding something that proves to me I'm not a total weakling!

So, friends, can you recommend anything for me to start doing yoga at home? What do you recommend for setting - music? outdoors? dark? What do you recommend for a guide - youtube? a book?

I'd love to be more flexible in my legs, and I'm really addicted to the feeling of stretching the backs of my legs (why am i like this).

So please offer me your thoughts! I'd love to give this a go, even if just once a week to begin with and then increase.

[heids]

I love that you've brought this up Heidi, I want to start stretching more each day. The day after dancing I'm always a bit sore and I noticed last week at Uni I was stretching my hamstrings out under the table, and I like the feeling of being elasticy.

Stretching feels so good right! Fair warning, yoga makes you very sore at first, and if you do it once a week you'll be sore every time.  I promise, I'm as weak as you could ever be.

So, friends, can you recommend anything for me to start doing yoga at home? What do you recommend for setting - music? outdoors? dark? What do you recommend for a guide - youtube? a book?

Kino MacGregor (kinoyoga on youtube) is awesome, and has a 30-day complete beginner series on her channel, plus hundreds of more advanced videos.

Yoga with Adrienne is the other excellent beginner yt channel.

I just do it inside on carpet with lights on and that's it, nothing fancy.  I personally don't follow videos during my practice but use them to teach me how to properly do poses beforehand - I practice by memory, but started with a book.

[elysepopplewell]

Stretching feels so good right! Fair warning, yoga makes you very sore at first, and if you do it once a week you'll be sore every time.  I promise, I'm as weak as you could ever be.

Kino MacGregor (kinoyoga on youtube) is awesome, and has a 30-day complete beginner series on her channel, plus hundreds of more advanced videos.

Yoga with Adrienne is the other excellent beginner yt channel.

I just do it inside on carpet with lights on and that's it, nothing fancy.  I personally don't follow videos during my practice but use them to teach me how to properly do poses beforehand - I practice by memory, but started with a book.

I will report back!

As a side note: one of my favourite artists has printed their work onto yoga mats and I liiiiiiiiive for them, but so pricey! Would never buy one. But love looking!

[heids]

So, headstands.

I get successfully to the end of practice, doing okay enough at all the poses... and hit the second-last, headstand, and get stuck and frustrated every time.

Have always been scared of inversions (head/hand/forearm stands), but I was gradually whittling away at it till I managed a proper headstand for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  The next day I did it again... and carelessly fell out of it onto my back, hurting it (not injuring it, but had to be careful on the backbends for the next week).  It feels like there's a long way to fall out of a headstand... haven't been able to do it again

Soooo reminding myself that being able or not able to do a basic headstand doesn't change who I am as a person, and I'll get there in a couple of months.  All that matters is that I keep trying - "practice and all is coming". 

Also time to flout advice and practice against a wall since I have no one to help me 😂