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I always hate people who refer to yoga as "stretching" or "not a real exercise." I love watching the macho, male athletes come in to the class for the first time and can't do a Downward Dog for more than 5 seconds, can't do even a basic Plank at all, or are so tired after the first 15 minutes, that they're in Child's Pose, resting for about 10 minutes. Yeah, there's "gentle" yoga, but after the yoga I do, there's lean definition in my arms, deltoids, back shoulder blade area (yes, I love my teres minor), and my abs are not just flat, they're defined. I do cardio, pilates, and weights too, but yoga is my thing.
I've been doing yoga for three or four years and while I'm certainly better than the average person, and definitely one of the better ones in my classes, I'm not necessarily "good" compared to long term yogis. You can do yoga for decades and never be great. But it's not about that. It's about connecting your mind, spirit, and body. If you get a good workout and a release of stress, hey, even better.
I always hate people who refer to yoga as "stretching" or "not a real exercise." I love watching the macho, male athletes come in to the class for the first time and can't do a Downward Dog for more than 5 seconds, can't do even a basic Plank at all, or are so tired after the first 15 minutes, that they're in Child's Pose, resting for about 10 minutes. Yeah, there's "gentle" yoga, but after the yoga I do, there's lean definition in my arms, deltoids, back shoulder blade area (yes, I love my teres minor), and my abs are not just flat, they're defined. I do cardio, pilates, and weights too, but yoga is my thing.
I've been doing yoga for three or four years and while I'm certainly better than the average person, and definitely one of the better ones in my classes, I'm not necessarily "good" compared to long term yogis. You can do yoga for decades and never be great. But it's not about that. It's about connecting your mind, spirit, and body. If you get a good workout and a release of stress, hey, even better.
I am loving yoga more & more....I wish I'd tried it sooner
I feel much more flexible physically, and more in tune with my spirit, and also more at peace.....I'm officially addicted
I always hate people who refer to yoga as "stretching" or "not a real exercise." I love watching the macho, male athletes come in to the class for the first time and can't do a Downward Dog for more than 5 seconds, can't do even a basic Plank at all, or are so tired after the first 15 minutes, that they're in Child's Pose, resting for about 10 minutes.
LOL. I love it. Have a bunch of martial arts/fighter friends/students that I required them to attend a yoga class. They were all dying in just a matter of minutes. These are guys who are all supposedly into fitness, which in their minds involved just lifting weights. They were struggling with the Vinyasa.
I am loving yoga more & more....I wish I'd tried it sooner
I feel much more flexible physically, and more in tune with my spirit, and also more at peace.....I'm officially addicted
Yay! I checked this thread today hoping to find that you enjoyed it!
Ive been doing yoga for a year now, once a week, 60-90 minutes per workout. I dislike the workout itself, but absolutely love how it makes me feel and what it does for my flexibility, balance and countless other benefits. Not too many guys like me are into it, but they have no idea what they're missing. Cheers!
For people to say that Yoga is "simply" about stretching is just a statement of ignorance. I have been practicing Yoga off and on for thirteen years, and more recently consistently for three years and there are so many different types of Yoga practices that you cannot simply lump them all into one. There is definitely meditative yoga, but there is also Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Restorative, etc. I can get my heart rate up with a good Vinyasa/Ashtanga flow just as much as jogging for the same period of time.
In addition when you take Yoga classes the way the courses are taught varies from instructor to instructor. Some practice with a very spiritual element, some focus more on the mind/body connection, it all depends. So please do not typecast without doing more research. To say Yoga is all about stretching is like saying that HIIT workouts are just like leisurely walks.
For those looking for good at home instructors, check out Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, and Bryan Kest.
However, I do agree that you should attend some beginner's classes first to learn proper form, proper modifications, and position names. It'll make practicing on your own much easier.
Also to answer the original OP's question, "easier" is defined as what goal you have set for yourself. For instance my Yoga instructor, who has been practicing for 20 years, can do a handstand but it isn't "easy" for him. To me, the best thing about Yoga is you can always take it one step further, hold your pose a little longer, stretch a little further, etc. If you are constantly challenging yourself, it'll never be easy, but it should be doable.
Ive been doing yoga for a year now, once a week, 60-90 minutes per workout. I dislike the workout itself, but absolutely love how it makes me feel and what it does for my flexibility, balance and countless other benefits. Not too many guys like me are into it, but they have no idea what they're missing. Cheers!
Yes, once a week is what I'm doing as well. I totally agree- I feel balanced, & the flexibility is very noticeable
Plus the peaceful feeling I get just from doing it makes it a habit I'm sticking with
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnalyzeThis
For people to say that Yoga is "simply" about stretching is just a statement of ignorance. I have been practicing Yoga off and on for thirteen years, and more recently consistently for three years and there are so many different types of Yoga practices that you cannot simply lump them all into one. There is definitely meditative yoga, but there is also Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Restorative, etc. I can get my heart rate up with a good Vinyasa/Ashtanga flow just as much as jogging for the same period of time.
In addition when you take Yoga classes the way the courses are taught varies from instructor to instructor. Some practice with a very spiritual element, some focus more on the mind/body connection, it all depends. So please do not typecast without doing more research. To say Yoga is all about stretching is like saying that HIIT workouts are just like leisurely walks.
For those looking for good at home instructors, check out Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, and Bryan Kest.
However, I do agree that you should attend some beginner's classes first to learn proper form, proper modifications, and position names. It'll make practicing on your own much easier.
Very good points- I've been focusing on Vinyasa & I'm pretty happy with it
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnalyzeThis
Also to answer the original OP's question, "easier" is defined as what goal you have set for yourself. For instance my Yoga instructor, who has been practicing for 20 years, can do a handstand but it isn't "easy" for him. To me, the best thing about Yoga is you can always take it one step further, hold your pose a little longer, stretch a little further, etc. If you are constantly challenging yourself, it'll never be easy, but it should be doable.
LOL I have no interest in doing handstands, my focus is more mind/body/spirit
And I always push my workouts a little harder.....otherwise whats the point?
The first time I did yoga was at the Y. I thought it was a big waste of time. The sitting at the beginning, the lying down at the end...and in the middle there was this woman with a foreign accent just calling out things and everyone seemed to know what to do except me.
Mostly I work out at home with DVD's. I think it was Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown that got me started into the world of Power Yoga/Vinyasa Yoga. I began to see how yoga could be a strength/balance/flexibilty/cardio workout all in one. I was hooked. Instructors like Sadie Nardini and Tara Stiles have helped mainstream yoga without all the "asasna" language. As well as DVD's, they have extensive free workouts on Youtube.
I have recently started the DVD series The Ultimate Yogi with Travis Eliot and I LOVE it. About an hour a day...one day is Crosstrain, one day is Cardio, one day Strength, then you have Yin, Balance, Flexibility, Detox, and so on.
So, yoga is not just "stretching" LOL. That's what I used to think. And I also used to think that it was some gateway to demon possession because of the spiritual aspects (what can I say, I grew up Southern Baptist). But the benefits for me have been beyond physical. The style of yoga I do is so intense that you have no choice but to put your worries aside and be "in the moment" because you will literally fall over if you aren't. And being able to clear your mind of your worries and to do's for a while is so invaluable. It helps you gain focus in other areas and to be calm in the midst of crisis.
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If you know of any good yoga moves or videos please post 'em- I really want to learn as much as possible 
