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Questions on Yoga

I'm bringing- sexy back

Purred: Mon Jun 5, '06 6:04pm PST


	Hi all! I am going to take you up on an offer to answer some questions. My mom has been wanting to take a yoga class regularly to help her get into shape and help with her meditation. She has a DVD that she does at home but thinks a class would be a good idea. She is very nervous because she is a bigger gal and worries that she won't be able to keep up or will fall over. I tell her that I fall over all the time and just pretend it didn't happen but that doesn't make her feel any better. I guess the question is, in a class type situation, do the instructors help with the different levels of knowlege and skill? Are people in a class usually at different levels?? Thanks for your input.

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Truman

YOGA KITTY

Purred: Mon Jun 5, '06 6:46pm PST


	Hi Diego, My Mom falls over sometimes, esp. in some of the balancing poses where you stand on one foot. (I told her to just start licking her shoulder but she won't. MOL) Sometimes the teacher makes her stand against a pillar to do "tree" pose. But she practices at home and has gotten better. She started out taking an "introductory" class last summer to learn the basics. There were all sorts of people in her class, from young and slender to older, much older, not at all slim, some coordinated, some not. My Mom is not thin and not young, by any stretch MOL. And not flexible either. But she says she felt confortable with her teacher and liked how it made her feel so she wanted to keep going and to practice. She also made friends in her class which makes it fun. There are certain types of yoga that are better for beginners. Mom takes Iyengar yoga, which uses a lot of props and things to help teach the correct alignment so you don't get hurt. Anything called "gentle" or "restorative" yoga would also be good. Plus, look at yoga journal online. They have lots of good info. Hattie probably has suggestions too....but to quote our guruji: Yoga is for everyone! NaMEOWste! Mouse

I'm bringing- sexy back

Purred: Tue Jun 6, '06 12:07pm PST


	Thanks Mouse! Mom appreciates the information. There is a studio near by our house that offers Gentle Yoga so she says she is going to give it a try. MeOWs! - Diego

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NaMeowSte

Purred: Tue Jun 6, '06 6:25pm PST


	Oh, yes, I agree totally! It's important to remember that nobody is perfect, and that yoga is very attuned to the fact that all of us bring different things to the mat: different bodies, different backgrounds, different abilities and so on. You are the perfect you, and what you can do at the time is the perfect thing for you. A good instructor will encourage you and help you to the best of your ability, but he or she won't push you. Recently my human went to a class where the instructor began by reminding everyone to be happy with whatever they accomplished that day. Maybe it would be a new pose, or that they were able to bend just a centimeter more than they could the last time. The most important thing was to get something positive from the practice, and that something is only defined by you! Also, please remember that every instructor is different. If your mom likes her class and instructor, that's fantastic, but sometimes you have to look around and try a few different ones. For instance, my human has gone to the same place for the same level class and had two very different experiences due to the teachers being different. It's always worth coming back! And one last thing: my human once had a class with a very nice instructor who was very concerned with alignment and posture. He would be very exacting, but nice. One time he told them to stand and hold one ankle and balance on the other foot. Then he said, "Okay, now reach down and pick up the other foot." A bunch of people tried it. Hee hee hee hee! rolls on floor, laughing

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