anyone here into yoga?

im thinking about giving it a shot.
im almost 40. not overweight or anything but definitely not in shape.
used to wrestle and did jui jitsu for a long time but it has been a while.

whatever i do i will be doing at home on my own. im not into doing # in a class with other people.

not even sure what im looking to get out of it. if all i gain is a little flexibility and moments of relaxation i will be happy.

any tips for a newbie?

my plan is just to get an instructional or watch on youtube and follow a long.
any tips or pointers are much appreciated

for those that do it what have you gained from it?
how long have you done it?

i assume there are beginning positions and more advanced?

thanks

and if anyone can recommend or link me to a good video with a nice yoga series for a beginner who is not really flexibile i would appreciate it

I knew someone that became an advanced yogi just studying the writings and manuals of B.K.S. Iyengar. I mean unsupported handstands and all...but he started young.

Use the best written materials you can find, to study yoga. And if you don't know which are the best, read Amazon reviews, I suggest.

Still, the best way to learn is go to an old, old teacher. Not a young one, but an old one with 40-50 years of experience. And expect to work hard and experience discomfort, if you really want to see the amazing results.

a reply to: Namdru

slow l l l l ly...and don't over stretch hold the positions...you will be surprised how much strenth it takes to do some positions!.....just start where you are at and don't com,mpare your self to anyone elses strenght flexility

I am older and pretty darn healthyI have done yoga off and on (mostly on!) in my life,,,and don't forget to breathe!

I used to do it, back when I boxed and did muy thai.

Not anymore, and all I can say is stay hydrated -
It is crucial for your muscles flexibility.

And don't eat broccoli the night before.

originally posted by: research100
a reply to: Namdru

slow l l l l ly...and don't over stretch hold the positions...you will be surprised how much strenth it takes to do some positions!.....just start where you are at and don't com,mpare your self to anyone elses strenght flexility

I am older and pretty darn healthyI have done yoga off and on (mostly on!) in my life,,,and don't forget to breathe!

oh yeah slow for sure

im not looking to be some zen master #ing yogi dude. ive just been thinking about my life a lot. trying to be more calm and mellow about # in general. trying to reduce stress.
figured it couldnt hurt to try and be a little more limber and relaxed.

a lot of the guys i follow pretty hard in the fight/jui jitsu scene talk about yoga like its the greatest thing.

my wife works 2nd shift. usually gets off at 10 or 11. i put my daughter to bed about 8. i figure after she lays down i can put an instructional on and follow along and just kind of mellow it out for the night...
the general consensus from everyone i talk to and things i have read is yoga is great for you.
some think it is the best thing ever and will change your life and some are like eh, it is good exercise but thats good too.
only thing i could think negative is if you try to do some advance # before youre ready you could probably hurt yourself to a point.

anyone know of any good instructional type vids? i searched youtube and there are so many.
you could get lost looking for a good one

a reply to: TinySickTears


Greetings-

I do Yoga every morning prior to getting off the floor. I broke My back/neck back in 2001 and it is Yoga/stretching that I don't putter around in a shopping cart (wheel chair) The Yoga was part of an actual "Epiphany" when I was retired from the police dep't. I was 272 pounds but it was muscle but when I could no longer lift the weights, that muscle turned to fat. I was also on 7 Rx. meds. 2 for hypertension; 1 for PTSD; 2 for pain (opiates); High Cholesterol and that great 'dream robber' Ambien™.. I was then shown The Tao Te Ching along with Yoga and Meditation and something really weird happened (the aforementioned Epiphany)

Now I still use the opiates but am on the same dose as when I started 14 years ago (I supplement it w/LEGAL Cannabis™-the reason why the opiate usage never increased) and none of the rest. My cholesterol went from 373 to 153. My blood pressure is now 118/78 but did have a reading the other day AFTER Meditation and it was 111/64 and had 48 beats per minute...

I watch the ZLiving™ channel and "Namaste Yoga"
www.zliving.com...
www.zliving.com...

www.zliving.com...

Lots of great info...

Asante

Have you checked out tai chi? It's similar to yoga but still a martial art. It's pretty chill, good exercise, and helps with stress and fatigue.
My son and I started a year ago when he asked about me teaching him to fight (which I will not do).
Cheap videos everywhere, look em up.

a reply to: Natas0114

yes.
i dabbled in tai chi when i was wrestling.
i did enjoy that...

My youngest daughter actually went to India for three years, about three months each year, to study yoga with the masters. She is certified anywhere in the world. She can't bend into all the positions because of her joints, she is like me. But she does do lots of them. Real Yoga is way more than just the exercise postures, it has to do with understanding the properrties of foods and spices too. It is an awareness.

a reply to: TinySickTears You'll fail. Yoga is religious type of practice, not a sport. If you need a sport go to the gym. It's far less complicated and still beneficial to your body and spirit.

However, assuming you are thick headed westerner like most of us, and you wont listen to me, I'll share one link to a good teacher on You Tube.

m.youtube.com...

a reply to: Argentbenign

the thickest of heads and i fail at most things

originally posted by: TinySickTears
im thinking about giving it a shot.
im almost 40. not overweight or anything but definitely not in shape.
used to wrestle and did jui jitsu for a long time but it has been a while.

whatever i do i will be doing at home on my own. im not into doing # in a class with other people.

not even sure what im looking to get out of it. if all i gain is a little flexibility and moments of relaxation i will be happy.

any tips for a newbie?

my plan is just to get an instructional or watch on youtube and follow a long.
any tips or pointers are much appreciated

for those that do it what have you gained from it?
how long have you done it?

i assume there are beginning positions and more advanced?

thanks

Ummm...Yoga...like everything else imported into western society has been bastardized...

You want to stretch out and become limber...fine...stretch away...You don't want Yoga...

Yoga is an extremely powerful cleansing/purification practice in which the positions/stretching...are the least part...
This cleansing/purification involves more than diet and exercise...it involves commitment and purification of the entire being...not just the physical nature...

I would not attempt this practice if I were you...there's way more depth here than I think your ready to to entertain...


YouSir

surprised at some of the replies.

didnt know to do yoga one had to be a monk and go study at the ashram.
wild that so many people do it to dvd's and at rec centers and at yoga studios in shopping malls.

you dont always have to take # to 11 you know

oh well.

thanks for the replies.

a reply to: TinySickTears

You don't have to be a monk or listen to anyone else's methods. People can take anything and turn it into something useful to them. The way open source software belongs to the people, all information does, and can be adapted or rewritten to accommodate anyone.

And DVD's are actually really useful. There are some really good videos online as well that you can put in a folder and follow.

Along with Tai Chi, and Qiqong. They have variants for those with health injuries, arthritis, etc, as well and I'd be looking into videos. Many are online for free.

originally posted by: TinySickTears
surprised at some of the replies.

didnt know to do yoga one had to be a monk and go study at the ashram.
wild that so many people do it to dvd's and at rec centers and at yoga studios in shopping malls.

you dont always have to take # to 11 you know

oh well.

thanks for the replies.

Hey bro,
I wasn't telling you you can eat broccoli and do yoga.

I just didn't want your downward dog to turn into man with pinkeye....
Lol

a reply to: TinySickTears

So I guessed it right, then

For now I won't discuss the internal aspect, it's actually better for beginners to concentrate on the body structure training. After this phase, having your "whole body" it can be proceeded to finer and detailed practices, like breathing techniques, walking and such.

If you are determined to explore this yoga type of training you will see that there is big difference in your conditioning experience when you use static tension positions. Most of the positions involve static tension and release. The difference that I speak is when comparing the yoga to any active training, or sport, like most martial arts. I practice yoga and qi-gong to complement my active training. I am in no way Master, but can throw some asanas for a while. Yoga is great to develop but requres as well endurance and will power. Patience as well. That's why most people can fail. It's hard with modern lifestyle to keep your yoga training top level. Average... maybe, but the above is only for dedicated teachers and professionals in the field.

I will share more when your show me video of yourself standing 30 minutes in full lotus. This are the basics, I hope you understand.

And one more thing... sell your fridge.

a reply to: Argentbenign

Don't bother.
Not interested in having top level yoga.
Just wanted a little exercise in my life
See ya

Many years ago, in the midst of some sort of spiritual awakening, I started doing some movements just through intuition and "listening" to my body. I formed a ritual I would do each morning and it felt great and got me feeling "in tune" with myself inside and out.

Then I found out that most of what I was doing was Yoga poses!

That made me think - if these movements can come to anyone intuitively (if they are listening hard enough) then there has to be something to it.

I started downloading video lessons for beginners, and continue to practice daily. Well, actually, I stopped for a while when I was busy in a new job, and I only found my emotional balance again when I took it back up.

You don't need to go to a class... but you DO need to be feeling and listening to your body. Some of these teachers put a lot of emphasis on that and it seems weird to watch someone sitting there, "loving their body". But experiencially, it is really quite relevant to increasing self awareness.

I find that as that grows, you begin to walk with better posture, hold yourself straighter, feel more strong all day, simply because you are more aware of your muscles and tendons.

When riding my horse, she liked to just stand silently in the middle of a river in the forest sometimes, so I decided to go with that and do yoga on her back or meditate in those moments. It is awesome! Her breathing and mine get in sync.

Give it a try! Just take it slowly... don't try to push yourself too hard at first. You will start to do that naturally later with time as it starts to feel good to do so. Make sure it remains pleasurable to you.

a reply to: Bluesma

what's up with the rude posts in here...go with your instincts....yoga brings the mind and body together..it is relaxing, strengthening, balance, and flexibility...even the greatest yogis had to start yoga at the beginning.....most of us don't get that far, but we still reap a lot of benefits...


find a dvd or online or cable ones and I hope you enjoy it!