[PB2K]

Hey, I was just wondering if any of you guys (/girls) are into Yoga.

I am seriously looking into the matter because plainly, I just can't sit still. I need to vent excess energy continuously (really high metabolism) and by doing that I ultimately can't focus on what I am doing. So a friend told me that Yoga is pretty good about dealing with that.

So my question is : how did you learn it? From a book or a friend or at a school? Why did you start doing it and how does it work out for you?

[Apple Pro Underwear]

i am a corporate graphic designer for NYSC, a popular gym in the northeast US

so i have been encouraged to take a lot of our classes just to experience them


with yoga, i think for somebody to take it seriously they have to understand what it is. first, toss aside every stereotypical thing you ever heard or seen about it. you are not "forced" to stretch or bend in any way you do not want to. every "pose" has an alternate one so beginners and advanced can do it. second, THIS IS NOT AN EASY WORKOUT! standing in a position is not hard... try it for a few minutes though and you'll start to see the sweat flow! third, it can help you "focus" or help you in other non-physical ways if you can make it work for you. i think it is just a matter of you using the lessons when you need it. for instance, you just got off the phone with an argument with your friend but you need to finish your thesis and can't focus. you could do a stand up stretch next to your computer and do some deep breathing exercises to clear your head. HOWEVER, saying that and actually doing that is like I said, a matter of you believeing it can help you.

so go take a class at a gym. most gyms will let you "try" it for a few days or a week. even yoga classes might give you a free/discount first class to try and hook you... i think this is better than using a book.

[sugar_coated]

Yoga will purify your mind, body and soul! Good luck! and take it easy in the beginning and learn to relax through breathing exercises in the first few weeks. It will change you life positively. Peace.

[turtle777]

YOGA is great.

It makes my coffee and breakfast in the morning, takes showers for me and even irons my shirts.
During the day, it cleans the whole house and sorts out spam from my email inbox. At night, I'll get chilled beer and pizza.

I couldn't live without YOGA anymore.

-t

[Xeo]

I like the way he controls the force. He could use a makeover, though.

[Randman]

Bendy chicks.

[E's Lil Theorem]

Try martial arts. It'll teach you discipline and focus while working the hell out of you. And you'll look friggen cool while doing it:

[Millennium]

American Yoga (aka Happy-Fluffy Yoga) or real Yoga?

No, seriously. There are many good real Yoga gyms, even in the US. But if that's what you want -and it sounds like it is- then you're going to have to be a bit more observant than you otherwise might have to be. If they'll let you observe a class before you take one, then definitely do it; this will give you a good idea about whether you're getting the genuine article. Happy-Fluffy Yoga is easy to spot, but you need to get a look before you can do that. Once you know that the gym teaches the real thing, then go ahead and take some trial lessons.

APU's advice is all sound if you want to do real Yoga, by the way. The same advice also applies to Tai Chi, in case you ever become interested in that. Note that "Happy-Fluffy Yoga" and "real Yoga" are by no means technical terms, and I strongly advise against using them when looking at gyms.

[maxintosh]

Yoga's cool, but Millenium is right, there's real Yoga and there's joke Yoga. Real Yoga will get you sweating.

I did Yoga for years before starting Jiu Jitsu and boxing. Still miss the relaxing aspect of it

[PB2K]

hey thanks very much for all the information. I have been checking out different local yoga-schools by the internet and most of them are just plain scary. 'Poweryoga', stuff about rebirthing and chakra's. -> I just want the basics of how to achieve selfcontrol, instead of being lured into an obscure spiritual cult.

The suggestion that just watching a yogasession will probably teach me the most and get me started is very appreciated. martial arts wouldn't work out for me yet, as I don't appreciate physical contact that much. I like the breathing and stretching techniques that yoga offers.