BootsnAll Travel Community

I've been kicking the idea around of picking up yoga. Haven't got a clue about how to start, or even what its all about. Any ideas and sugestions would be helpfull!

Do what you are doing here...but localize it. Ask around!

Check the small ads in your towns alternative weekly newspaper or the message boards in co-op markets/health food stores...etc.

I only know a little about yoga. I have been practicing for a little over a year. What I have learned is that there are many different types of yoga that are very different. The first thing you may want to do is to identify what you are seeking to learn from yoga. I am assuming that since you posted this under the spiritual heading that that is your primary focus.

For me, my main goal was to improve my breathing efficiency for scuba. My secondary goals were to improve my flexibility and balance. The spirituality aspects were less important.

I do what most people refer to as "hot" yoga. It is very aerobic. I have struggled finding a studio to practice. I found one that met my initial need, learning the basics etc. Longterm I wasn't very happy with the overall "feel" of the place. So now I just practice on my own.

My suggestions would be like Old Hippy said.....ask around. That is where you get the best information. I would also do some research about the different types of yoga. Then I would just try and find different places and try them out.

This is a good place to start.

Namaste.

I have been practicing Yoga for 7-months now.

For me, Yoga is about cleansing and re-balancing my life, trying to make me a more positive and healthy person, not only physically, but mentally.

There are many different classes and routines that have inspired me, and others that have been not so inspiring. I am still searching for my own personal medium.

When I arrive in Asia (in 4-weeks time), I plan to get out my book, head to the beach , or a quite tranquil area and practice by myself.

If you want to practice Yoga, and can't find a class, buy a book! It's so interesting and you can really take time to digest the information and create your own routines suited to your own needs.

I have done Ashtanga yoga - it is more dynamic than other types of yoga and focuses on groups of movement rather just individual stances. I have found I it has increased my concentration and clarity as well as my feelings of well-being. Not to mention the physical pluses as well

If there are no classes around just buy a DVD or a book just as the Tigeres suggests. but also try and speak to someone that has practiced because everyone needs to refine the techniques and some advanced positions can be dangerous if not done correctly.

Let us know how you proceed.

Hi Mike, just wondering how you got on with the yoga? Have been practising with over 2 years and really enjoy both the asana and the breathing mainly hatha yoga but am not too hot on chanting (Im tone deaf) and from what I've read and heard classes in India involve a lot of this.
Am travellin to India in Jan and hoping to practice a bit of yoga but am chickening out of the ashrams until I find out a little more about them. Did you find a yoga class? Or has anyone else joined a yoga class in India.Any ideas?stories?

If I were looking for a yoga school (Which I am...) here is what I'd do.

Pull up this page:

http://www.google.com/lochp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=

Type in Denver Colorado Yoga

Up pops a map with a bunch of yoga places near you.

Spend an afternoon and go from one to another talking with the staff and watching a bit of each class. (The try before you buy method!)

When I first started, I went with a friend to three different studios and took their intro class -- tried ashtanga, Bikram's (hot) yoga and Iyengar -- then just went with the one I liked best (Iyengar). The decision had to do with how the styles of yoga worked for me, but also the teachers and the studios themselves... getting sweaty in a carpeted box listening to new age music and choking on bad incense, was a no-go for me, but the studio I like is breezy w/wood floors and natural light.

Hot yoga is fun in a punishing way, but when I read more about the founder, Bikram, it just didnt give me a good feeling, tho it did make me laugh. From an article called Yogi's Behaving Badly:

quote:

"Nobody does hatha yoga in America except me!" he bellows, offering as proof his celebrity students, ranging from George Harrison in 1969 to Madonna and Michael Jackson. "All of them are my students! All of them! ALL OF THEM! My name is Guru of the Stars."

Later on, Bikram brags about his mansion with servants in Beverly Hills and his 30 classic cars, from Rolls-Royces to Bentleys. He also claims to have cured every disease known to humankind and compares himself to Jesus Christ and Buddha. Requiring neither food nor sleep, he says, "I'm beyond Superman." When you ask how he can make such wild statements, he answers, "Because I have balls like atom bombs, two of them, 100 megatons each. Nobody fucks with me."

Perhaps. But it sounds more like Bikram has let this guru stuff go to his head.

I think books and videos can be helpful (I have the Yoga for Surfers DVDs which are fun) but nothing beats getting into a class for hands-on instruction. You might think you are doing something right and end up at best, doing it wrong, and at worst, hurting yourself.

The disadvantage in my case is that the style of yoga in the DVDs isnt the style I practiced in class, but that's relatively minor, I think? The other thing I dont like is when you are learning from a book/dvd, you often crane your head in all kinds of directions to keep your eye on the book/dvd, but that means you are not doing the pose correctly.

The Shambala Guide to Yoga is a really interesting overview of all aspects of yoga practice, history, types, tenats, diet, pranayama, cleansing etc etc

I started practicing Yoga at the age of 10 by watching PBS. Then I didn't do anything for a few years. Around 14, I checked books out of the library and practiced with friends. It wasn't until I took classses that I became serious about it. Now I enjoy classes as it provides teachings and spiritual elements that are given by my teachers, and the community element.

Namaste.