Did my first YOGA class!

[like2bike]

and I absolutely LOVED IT! I left there soooooo relaxed. I had some trouble knowing what to do with my body for some of the poses, but in the beginning of class I told the people on the left and right side of me that I would be looking at them (and of course, the instructor) throughout the class to know what the movements were to look like, and that definitely helped.

I had a little trouble really relaxing because I just didn't know what the movements were exactly, so I wasn't able to focus as much on my own self relaxation and stretching as I wanted to. But that's all part of the learning curve with anything new we try, right?

I can't wait till next week. I think I'll be able to relax into it more and more as I get used to the poses. I found it to be highly complimentary to spinning, you know, the whole mind/body/breathing thing.

LOVE IT! Thanks guys for all of your encouragement and tips--it really HELPED! :grin:

[cfoam4me]

I promise to join you in trying it too Lori, haven't had Tuesday at 10 free to do it yet, but I will!

[Pink]

I had some trouble knowing what to do with my body for some of the poses,

Lori, this was my problem the first time I tried it years ago. I figured I was just not meant for the practice. But the instructor I've found now is wonderful at walking me through the process. I just found that I can flow through the movements, right from the first class. If you continue to feel this way, I'd suggest different instructors. It's not that one is bad, it's just that you may have to find the right fit for you. Sadly, I sometimes find that the little nap at the end is the only quiet time I've had all day.

[sandy]

I consider yoga a reward for my body. Especially with all the spin classes it feels so great to get into deep stretches that you would never be able to get into on your own. I really love anything that opens up your hip flexors.

[Moonsavvy]

Congrats! You've just entered into the yogazone. :p

Actually my schedule hasn't allowed me to take a class in a few months, but I try to do my own little sun salutations in the morning. :cool:

[Kathleen H]

I participated in two yoga classes at WSSC and loved them Now I need to find one for my schedule here at home. I definitely found the connection between Spin and yoga and mind/body connection. That's what fitness is all about for me.

Glad you loved it Lori. Aren't those discoveries wonderful??!!

[like2bike]

Thank you my kind friends for ALL of your wonderful thoughts and encouraging kudos! I can't get over the muscles I feel today, after class yesterday! And it was a "gentle yoga" class so I have many, many roads to build on and learn (ain't that what it's all about!). I feel like the first time I went to a spinning class--I think I looked like this-- :shock:. Now I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE! Self-discovery IS wonderful KAT! And Mary, I hope you find time on a Tuesday at 10A very soon to give it a go! Sandy I LOVE the perspective of considering yoga a "reward" for your body--that's EXACTLY how it felt. And Pinky-do, thank you for the advice about finding the right instructor for me! And Moonie: your "sun salutations" sound intriguing: I may have to join you!

[SpinBob]

I did my first yoga at WSSC this year and can totally relate. I was tense and relaxing at the same time. It's really weird stepping into a new arena, even as a student. Keep with it Lori and you'll be a pro in no time.

[ChocolatePizzaRedWine]

Hooray! I'm so glad you like it!

I had a little trouble really relaxing because I just didn't know what the movements were exactly, so I wasn't able to focus as much on my own self relaxation and stretching as I wanted to. But that's all part of the learning curve with anything new we try, right?


Absolutely right! Remember when you were learning to drive a car? You had to think about everything, right? How far to turn the steering wheel, how much pressure to put on the gas pedal, where the knob for the windshield wipers is, etc. But now that you've learned, driving is nearly effortless. The same will be true for yoga eventually. Just give it time.

Enjoy the journey!

[like2bike]

Thanks Bob and Tara for the advice--I definitely will give it time! I know if I liked it the first time (and didn't really know what I was doing) that in time, when I do know what to do, I will really, really appreciate it much more and the good that it's doing for my mind and body! Thanks guys!

[Moonsavvy]

And Moonie: your "sun salutations" sound intriguing: I may have to join you!

Yeah, they're very intriguing...actually I wonder if I could do them in the evening and call them moon salutations. :roll:

[ChocolatePizzaRedWine]

Yeah, they're very intriguing...actually I wonder if I could do them in the evening and call them moon salutations. :roll:

Aren't they Moon salutations any time you do them, Ms. Moon? :)

Seriously, tho, I think there's a series of poses called a moon salutation... I believe it is more calming that the sun sals we're used to.

I was just reading about a group in Australia who is doing 108 sun salutations on October 10 as a charity event. Maybe you could hook in with them. With the difference in time zones, yours could be moon sals.

[spinguru]

There is actually a moon salutation :). While sun salutations are done to heat the body and are done to honor the sun, moon salutations are done to promote cooling enegry to the body and are normally done to honor the new moon, or any time you want to promote cooling, rather than hot, energy. If you google "moon saluation" you'll find many variations. The full moon salutation contains over thirty movements. It's quite beautiful, and despite the intention to provide "cooling energy" can be quite physically challenging.

QUOTE=Moonsavvy;69659]Yeah, they're very intriguing...actually I wonder if I could do them in the evening and call them moon salutations. :roll:[/QUOTE]

[spinguru]

Sorry L2B -- got so caught up in posting the moon salutation, I forgot to tell you that I'm sitting here with a huge smile on my face -- I am so glad you found yoga! It is truly a life altering practice. I hope you continue to grow in your practice and in your enjoyment of and understanding of it as well.

Namaste :).

[like2bike]

Thanks darlin'. Glad to see your still hanging out now and then with us. We love having you here. Namaste!

[yogaspinchik]

L2B- Congratulations for rewarding your mind, body & spirit with yoga! I'm so glad your first experience with yoga is a positive one. Take baby steps through yoga and, like a fine wine, it will only get better. Pink had some good advice about instructors. As you know we're all different. Be sure to check out different instructors and classes! And know that your practice will be different from day-to-day... all depending on your mind & body!!
ENJOY!!!

[like2bike]

Thank you YSC! Yes, yes, I can't wait to continue on with this journey. I'm very excited about the discovery. Thanks to all of your encouragement!

[monical1]

How awesome, L2B. This has been on my to-do list for quite some time. I'm so jealous! The instructor I want to try it with runs her class the same time as mine and so I've been unable to do it with her. I guess I'll have to try a different instructor but I really didn't want to have to do that. I personally know the instructor I want and she has been teaching Yoga for years. She's asian and awesome! Maybe she'll eventually teach a different time-slot. One can always hope.

[like2bike]

Monica I hope the opportunity presents itself to you at some point soon. Like Sandy said, it really is a reward for your body. During the stretching and different positions, I have to be honest: I didn't think I was really doing much for myself...until I felt it the next day (and the next)! Who knew there were still so many muscles I wasn't using! :o

[Moonsavvy]

There is actually a moon salutation :). While sun salutations are done to heat the body and are done to honor the sun, moon salutations are done to promote cooling enegry to the body and are normally done to honor the new moon, or any time you want to promote cooling, rather than hot, energy. If you google "moon saluation" you'll find many variations. The full moon salutation contains over thirty movements. It's quite beautiful, and despite the intention to provide "cooling energy" can be quite physically challenging.

QUOTE=Moonsavvy;69659]Yeah, they're very intriguing...actually I wonder if I could do them in the evening and call them moon salutations. :roll:[/quote]
LOVE IT!!

Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to do my moon saluations...all thirty of them (not really) ;)

[fitfan]

I like Yoga too but the only trouble I have is with Savasana (Relaxation Pose) I just can't seem to quiet my mind. Once I get into that pose, my mind starts going a mile a minute. I start thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and what to make for dinner, etc. Ahhhh! It's frustrating. I usually end up leaving just as the instructor starts the Savasana.

[Pink]

I like Yoga too but the only trouble I have is with Savasana (Relaxation Pose) I just can't seem to quiet my mind. Once I get into that pose, my mind starts going a mile a minute. I start thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and what to make for dinner, etc. Ahhhh! It's frustrating. I usually end up leaving just as the instructor starts the Savasana.


Honestly? For me, it's the motivation to go through the rest of the stuff. :p

[joyofspin]

I like Yoga too but the only trouble I have is with Savasana (Relaxation Pose) I just can't seem to quiet my mind. Once I get into that pose, my mind starts going a mile a minute. I start thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and what to make for dinner, etc. Ahhhh! It's frustrating. I usually end up leaving just as the instructor starts the Savasana.


My instructor says allow the thoughts but just let them go.

My take - all those things will be there when you are finished with Savasana. Keep trying.

[joyofspin]

Lori - glad you loved the yoga class.

[like2bike]

Thanks Joy! Went to class again this past Friday and loved it even MORE! DH is even thinking he will take it when the weather finally turns cold (he'd rather be out skating or cycling until he absolutely CAN'T any longer...)

[Moonsavvy]

Funny, one of my participants (who races mountain bikes) said that his coach told him to do a yoga class at least once a week. His muscles were way too tight and needed to lengthen. I decided I should try it too, and that's when I feel in love with it. Since then I have been plugging my classes to add in a yoga class when they can. In my opinion anyone who's on a bike more than 7 hours a week is in dyer need of yoga.:)

[ChocolatePizzaRedWine]

I like Yoga too but the only trouble I have is with Savasana (Relaxation Pose) I just can't seem to quiet my mind. Once I get into that pose, my mind starts going a mile a minute. I start thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and what to make for dinner, etc. Ahhhh! It's frustrating. I usually end up leaving just as the instructor starts the Savasana.

No worries, you're perfectly normal! If relaxation was easy, we wouldn't need to include it in class! But I've found in my classes that the people who leave early are often the folks who need the relaxation most.

In my own practice, the meditation/rest that works best is to imagine that I am inhaling colors (as I breathe in, I "see" a color flooding from my feet to my legs to my belly to my head), and then exhaling old, stale gray mist. I also have had luck paying attention to the space between my breaths. Sure, some days my To Do list keeps intruding, but that's okay. The more I practice, the easier it comes.

[monical1]

This thread has caused me to develop an itch. Before you start giving me medical advice, I mean the itch to take Yoga.

My Grandmother, who by the way was a saint, practiced Yoga in the last ten years of her life. She never attended a class. Everything she did was through books she got from the library. She was a victim of domestic violence. She was from a different time than us, so she stood by her man even though he was horribly abusive. The most peace she ever found was in those last ten years, practicing Yoga. My heart aches just thinking about the pain she endured, so instead, I try to focus on the positive life lessons she has left behind. Yoga brought so much peace and "inner light" into a dark world for her. I think if it can do that, well then, the sky's the limit. Once again, sharing more than you probably care to know.... thanks for being my journal.;):)

[Kathleen H]

I have attended my first yoga and Pilates class within the last week and have found both provide serenity and a sense of accomplishment after I am done.

There is a definite mind body connection that I have experienced with Spin. There is obviously more cardio with Spin but yoga and Pilates have filled in another fitness gap I was experiencing and similar to Spin, I can't wait to learn more.

[spinguru]

I like Yoga too but the only trouble I have is with Savasana (Relaxation Pose) I just can't seem to quiet my mind. Once I get into that pose, my mind starts going a mile a minute. I start thinking of all the stuff I need to do when I get home and what to make for dinner, etc. Ahhhh! It's frustrating. I usually end up leaving just as the instructor starts the Savasana.

See if this helps: I will often tell my yoga students to imagine a filing cabinet right over their third eye. As thoughts intrude, allow them, acknowledge them and then open the filing cabinet and store them there until later.

I also tell them Savasana is harder than the actual asanas. It's very difficult to let go and relax -- we are programmed to constantly be multitasking and taking in information from multiple sources at once. It's no wonder we find it difficult to let go. Keep trying -- once you do, you'll never want to get up off the floor!

Also, be sure you are allowing yourself sufficient time in Savasana -- ideally it would be 15 minutes, but I know quite often, we only have 5 to 10 minutes. Try focusing only on your breathing -- just observe, without judgment, the inhale and exhale. Let me know how you make out!

[spinguru]

This thread has caused me to develop an itch. Before you start giving me medical advice, I mean the itch to take Yoga.

My Grandmother, who by the way was a saint, practiced Yoga in the last ten years of her life. She never attended a class. Everything she did was through books she got from the library. She was a victim of domestic violence. She was from a different time than us, so she stood by her man even though he was horribly abusive. The most peace she ever found was in those last ten years, practicing Yoga. My heart aches just thinking about the pain she endured, so instead, I try to focus on the positive life lessons she has left behind. Yoga brought so much peace and "inner light" into a dark world for her. I think if it can do that, well then, the sky's the limit. Once again, sharing more than you probably care to know.... thanks for being my journal.;):)

Monica -- Yoga is incredibly healing. I'm pleased, but not surprised at all, to hear that it was healing for your grandmother in her later years. There is tremendous power in the practice, if you open yourself to it. Do try it -- I have a feeling you'll be hooked :).

[Moonsavvy]

Monica -- Yoga is incredibly healing. I'm pleased, but not surprised at all, to hear that it was healing for your grandmother in her later years. There is tremendous power in the practice, if you open yourself to it. Do try it -- I have a feeling you'll be hooked :).
Amen :)

[amybatt]

I read this thread with interest and it was all your enthusiasm that kept me interested. I tried my first class a month or so ago and was less than impressed. I couldn't relax and I didn't like the environment (but I loved the looseness I had in my legs after). But I tried another studio with different instructor and environment and absolutely loved it. So if at first you don't succeed, keep looking for the right fit!

[like2bike]

Great advice Amy! Glad you found a studio and instructor that you liked. As with spinning (or anything lead by a certified instructor) that's a very important ingredient to making or breaking a new participant's experience.

[fitfan]

Thanks for all the advice about relaxing - I'll try them and let you know how it works.

[Kathleen H]

I did my first inverse position yesterday and felt the love later in the day. It was good though, I felt as though I had accomplished something quite worthwhile.