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Breathe Deep in the [Yoga] Discussion Thread
TL DR
Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
In this thread I hope to foster discussion and dispel misconceptions about what has become a popular if nebulous form of exercise. What is yoga, really?
Is it what your gym bros do to stretch out their muscles and make room for them to grow bigger?
Is it what conspicuously white and slender young women do in nature settings to attain some nebulous state of spirituality?
Is it satanic witchcraft in disguise?
Is it
nevermind.
Is it Hindu religion co-opted by Western health clubs and New Age hippies? Well, yes and no.
Yoga is an umbrella term of sorts which refers to a multidisciplinary practice with roots in ancient Buddhism or Hinduism, probably originating around 300 BCE. The word Yoga is a Sanskrit term meaning 'to yoke' to 'to join as one', as in the body and mind. The most famous text on the subject, a Hindu text known as The Yoga Sutras of Patalanji, describes the physical, spiritual, and philosophical foundations of what has come to be known as Ashtanga Yoga.
In contemporary Western terms, the word Yoga usually refers primarily to Asana, the physical practice of moves and poses. Yoga class can have much in common with traditional practices, or it can be purely aerobics or body weight exercise and 'yoga' only in terms of aesthetics. Yoga practice involves moving through sequences of poses which build core strength and alignment. The idea of yoga is not to achieve a certain posture but rather to explore what the body is capable of and to build strength and awareness in that space. Because of this, it is entirely possible for those with injuries or other disabilities to practice yoga. Injuries are possible but totally avoidable with the right approach, and a good instructor will always remind their students to back off or take a different pose if they experience pain or other signal that their body is not benefiting from a posture.
I have been practicing yoga consistently for 5 years. If I had to answer what makes a yoga class meaningfully different from other forms of exercise, I would say that it is mindfulness combined with movement. Traditionally, yoga poses were used to strengthen and limber up the body as a means to an end: meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is something that has been practiced by many cultures but most famously in Buddhism. Modern psychology has begun to catalog the benefits in terms of reducing anxiety and depression, and mindfulness programs are being instituted in schools, businesses, and even prisons where they have been shown to decrease aggression. For those who are interested, this is a seminar given at Google by John Kabat-Zinn. He has published a number of books and is literally the first person who comes up if you search for 'mindfulness'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
Here is a good overview of various seated meditation postures.
Drawing from a rich lineage, Yoga can offer a lot in the way of philosophy and spiritual context, but I would like to emphasize that the benefits of a yoga practice are available to everyone and are not incompatible with Christian, atheist, or other worldviews. At its core, yoga says "breathe, move your body, and pay attention". I have been to classes where mantras are sung to God in various forms and I have been to classes that were totally secular and appropriate for a public school or similar setting, and both kinds can be great. It's important to pick a class or studio that fits your individual needs - when in doubt, ask questions!
Some key terms you might hear in relation to yoga:
Asana - a pose.
Savasana - 'corpse pose'. Lying on one's back at the end of a yoga practice with the eyes closed for a few minutes to allow things to settle.
Om - originating in Hinduism, this syllable can refer variously to God, the concepts of creation/preservation/destruction, and oneness. Many yoga classes begin and end with the group singing Om together.
Namaste - a term of respect or reverence, usually exchanged between the teacher and students at the conclusion of a practice.
Pranayama - breath control. This can be as simple as moving in time with the natural flow of breath or can involve very rigorous breathing exercises.
A good documentary on the subject is Enlighten Up. It's available on Hulu and follows a man who has never practiced yoga as he explores all kinds of different styles in the US before traveling to India to meet famous teachers BKS Iyengar and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. It also includes famous wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, who I personally find repugnant on a number of levels but who founded DDP Yoga which has gotten some people moving their bodies who might otherwise not have.
Is it what your gym bros do to stretch out their muscles and make room for them to grow bigger?
Is it what conspicuously white and slender young women do in nature settings to attain some nebulous state of spirituality?
Is it satanic witchcraft in disguise?
Is it
nevermind.
Is it Hindu religion co-opted by Western health clubs and New Age hippies? Well, yes and no.
Yoga is an umbrella term of sorts which refers to a multidisciplinary practice with roots in ancient Buddhism or Hinduism, probably originating around 300 BCE. The word Yoga is a Sanskrit term meaning 'to yoke' to 'to join as one', as in the body and mind. The most famous text on the subject, a Hindu text known as The Yoga Sutras of Patalanji, describes the physical, spiritual, and philosophical foundations of what has come to be known as Ashtanga Yoga.
Wikipedia wrote:Yoga consists of the following limbs as prescribed by Patanjali: The first five are called external aids to Yoga (bahiranga sadhana).
Yama refers to the five abstentions: how we relate to the external world. (The five vows of Jainism are identical to these).
Ahimsa: nonviolence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or even to one's own self, it goes as far as nonviolence in thought, word and deed.
Satya: non-illusion; truth in word and thought.
Asteya: non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is one's own; non-stealing.
Brahmacharya: abstinence, particularly in the case of sexual activity. Also, responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth. It suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths. "Practicing brahmacharya means that we use our sexual energy to regenerate our connection to our spiritual self. It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way that might harm others."
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness; non-hoarding
Niyama refers to the five observances: how we relate to ourselves, the inner world.
Shaucha: cleanliness of body and mind.
Santosha: satisfaction; satisfied with what one has.
Tapas: austerity and associated observances for body discipline and thereby mental control.
Svādhyāya: study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within,
Ishvarapranidhana: dedicating all of one's efforts to God or surrender to God.
Asana: Discipline of the body: rules and postures to keep it disease-free and for preserving vital energy. Correct postures are a physical aid to meditation, for they control the limbs and nervous system and prevent them from producing disturbances.
Pranayama: control of life force energies. Beneficial to health, steadies the body and is highly conducive to the concentration of the mind.
Pratyahara: withdrawal of senses from their external objects.
The last three levels are called internal aids to Yoga (antaranga sadhana)
Dharana: concentration of the Chitta upon a physical object, such as a flame of a lamp, the midpoint of the eyebrows, or the image of a deity.
Dhyana: steadfast meditation. Undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation (pratyayaikatanata). The act of meditation and the object of meditation remain distinct and separate.
Samadhi: oneness with the object of meditation. There is no distinction between act of meditation and the object of meditation. Samadhi is of two kinds, with and without support of an object of meditation.
In contemporary Western terms, the word Yoga usually refers primarily to Asana, the physical practice of moves and poses. Yoga class can have much in common with traditional practices, or it can be purely aerobics or body weight exercise and 'yoga' only in terms of aesthetics. Yoga practice involves moving through sequences of poses which build core strength and alignment. The idea of yoga is not to achieve a certain posture but rather to explore what the body is capable of and to build strength and awareness in that space. Because of this, it is entirely possible for those with injuries or other disabilities to practice yoga. Injuries are possible but totally avoidable with the right approach, and a good instructor will always remind their students to back off or take a different pose if they experience pain or other signal that their body is not benefiting from a posture.
I have been practicing yoga consistently for 5 years. If I had to answer what makes a yoga class meaningfully different from other forms of exercise, I would say that it is mindfulness combined with movement. Traditionally, yoga poses were used to strengthen and limber up the body as a means to an end: meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is something that has been practiced by many cultures but most famously in Buddhism. Modern psychology has begun to catalog the benefits in terms of reducing anxiety and depression, and mindfulness programs are being instituted in schools, businesses, and even prisons where they have been shown to decrease aggression. For those who are interested, this is a seminar given at Google by John Kabat-Zinn. He has published a number of books and is literally the first person who comes up if you search for 'mindfulness'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJcHere is a good overview of various seated meditation postures.
Drawing from a rich lineage, Yoga can offer a lot in the way of philosophy and spiritual context, but I would like to emphasize that the benefits of a yoga practice are available to everyone and are not incompatible with Christian, atheist, or other worldviews. At its core, yoga says "breathe, move your body, and pay attention". I have been to classes where mantras are sung to God in various forms and I have been to classes that were totally secular and appropriate for a public school or similar setting, and both kinds can be great. It's important to pick a class or studio that fits your individual needs - when in doubt, ask questions!
Some key terms you might hear in relation to yoga:
Asana - a pose.
Savasana - 'corpse pose'. Lying on one's back at the end of a yoga practice with the eyes closed for a few minutes to allow things to settle.
Om - originating in Hinduism, this syllable can refer variously to God, the concepts of creation/preservation/destruction, and oneness. Many yoga classes begin and end with the group singing Om together.
Namaste - a term of respect or reverence, usually exchanged between the teacher and students at the conclusion of a practice.
Pranayama - breath control. This can be as simple as moving in time with the natural flow of breath or can involve very rigorous breathing exercises.
A good documentary on the subject is Enlighten Up. It's available on Hulu and follows a man who has never practiced yoga as he explores all kinds of different styles in the US before traveling to India to meet famous teachers BKS Iyengar and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. It also includes famous wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, who I personally find repugnant on a number of levels but who founded DDP Yoga which has gotten some people moving their bodies who might otherwise not have.
TL DR on
+9
Posts
Thanks to @So It Goes for inspiring the creation of a thread.
Please feel free to relate your experiences and ask any questions you may have.
Is this pain because I'm exercising and it burns or pain because I'm irritating my knee again
I like the new place I found though, they do 'therapeutic' yoga and it's a much smaller class than the mcyoga place i used to go (where i originally injured the knee!)
Glad you like your new place. Do you ever practice at home? That's something I really struggle with, but if you have an injury and have a good bit of yoga experience then it might be a good way to still get a practice in while being able to go at your own pace and skip anything that aggravates the knee. I'd recommend working closely with an experienced teacher first, though, since if you aren't sure what you're doing then there's always the chance of making things worse.
How did you originally injure yourself?
@Lost Salient
Yogah
I've been practicing for... five years now I guess? I'm considering doing teacher training this summer, because everyone I know has found it an intensely rewarding experience whether or not they actually go on and teach.
I prefer ashtanga classes myself but they don't seem very common here in Austin, so I currently go to Corepower. It's alright - I always get a great workout, but I wish they had more flexibility and room for individual instructor creativity in terms of the sequences you goes through. There isn't a lot of variation in most of their classes.
Also, it's been so humid here that I thought I might pass out during the hot flow class I took on Saturday.
I really hate when people assume that yoga is just laying around breathing deeply and whiffing incense with a bunch of old people.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I like doing yoga and have gone to various classes off an on over the years, but recently found a gym (studio? idk) near my house that I've been able to attend pretty much twice a week since late Feb. The best is noticing how I'm able to do a little more each class - like have hamstrings that are not super duper tight! I go to vinyasa classes which are more exercise focused (the studio also has a yoga workout class with weights and such which I tried once and kicked my ass). I am scared to move up to vinyasa 2 which is a hot class. I did a hot class once and it was v hard.
I generally don't want too much of the spiritual stuff - just plain old mindfulness is good enough for me, paired with what is a really great physical workout that relaxes me and relieves stress.
What is a good website to look at all the various poses and variations? And also read what the poses are called since I've only really ever heard teachers say the words and I'd like to see how they are actually spelled
Website-wise I find that Yoga Journal does a pretty great job of making things easy to see and understand regardless of your level of expertise (there are lots of other resources but some of them are a wee bit challenging to dig through for new practitioners in my experience?). When I'm trying to remember something I default over to its database. I also like a lot of the videos and articles on doyouyoga.com, but sometimes they want you to give them money for stuff and that can be obnoxious.
Ooh also you guys this thread can be my touchstone for my thirty day challenge. Gonna hit a class every day for thirty days! Go go yoga time!
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
https://www.reddit.com/r/yoga/wiki/aow
I've heard the same about teacher training, and the fact that I have no interest on teaching makes me curious about other intensive classes.
I thought Ashtanga was fairly rigid in instructing a relatively set sequence? You may be barking up the the wrong tree if you want variety.
Ashtanga is predefined in the sense of having a basic set of sequences, but within that there is a lot of room for flexiblity. The wikipedia entry is actually pretty helpful here - each class will have four parts, as follows:
1. "opening sequence,"
2. one of the six main "series",
3. a back-bending sequence, and
4. a set of inverted asanas, referred to as the "finishing sequence."
However, within those four parts, the opening sequence may have any variety of standing asanas at the end. The main series you do is actually intended to be different each day of the week, and the back-bends and inversions are basically up to the teacher's preference.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I've taken so few ashtanga classes that I don't recall the order of things or if they were even consistent in the places I went
1. Standing/Mountain/samasthiti/tadasana
2. Forward fold/padahastasana (if this has other names I don't know them... Mogs?)
3. Trini/look forward with flat back and straight legs
4. Chaturanga dandasana/catvari (slow lower to the ground with elbows in)
5. Upward-facing dog/Urdhvamukhasvanasana
6. Downward-facing dog/Adho mukha shvanasana
7. Bring your feet to your hands
8. Trini/look forward
9. Forward fold/padahastasana
10. Standing/Mountain/etc.
That's Sun A or surya namaskara A or whatever you want to call it. Mogs can laugh at my failure to use the correct Sanskrit terms or even be vaguely consistent with the ones I remember.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I don't often use sanskrit names of things in my classes, with a couple exceptions. Some people really like it, but for new folks it's confusing.
But for the advanced classes it doesn't bother me when a teacher sticks to Sanskrit. Although it kind of does when they throw out the Sanskrit name of a more unusual pose without any accompanying instruction. I'm like aight I'm sideways and half upside-down HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CRIB OFF MY NEIGHBOR FOR THIS.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
If I were an instructor I would memorize it. But honestly a lot of the syllables and vowels are the same and the words are long and I am lazy.
I really need to get back to doing at least like 10 or 20 minutes a day. But life, hah!
Surprisingly DDP Yoga is really, really good. It's definately pretty brotastic, but it's really great workout.
My personal approach is that if I'm strength training (which I do 3 nights per week), there are optimal ways to go about doing that with free weights, etc. When I do yoga, I'm specifically looking for the benefits at which yoga excels - developing control, balance, awareness, acceptance, calm, etc.
I'll be checking some of the resources you guys have listed to see if there's anything suitably simple there for self-teaching.
Also, I dig the whole mindfulness angle. I could do with more of that.
http://newnations.bandcamp.com
I'm lucky to live in Dallas, where one of the main parks in the cities holds free yoga classes weekly on Saturdays and Sundays. Always a great way to start the day.
As far as cost of studios, it can get quite silly. Some studios will offer donation classes, where you pay whatever you can and it gets donated to charity. It makes me so happy that I get to offer yoga classes for free to my coworkers, because studios can be prohibitively expensive, and I think everyone should have yoga.
At least most gyms nowadays offer some yoga classes as part of their membership perk.
I pay $140 for monthly unlimited classes, the first month was $99 on promo.
Need to practice at home but I'm always so beat from the gym. Maybe I can start charging my phone on the far side of my bedroom and leverage having to stand up to turn off my alarm in the morning to get back into a daily meditation habit.
Anyway, here's a super neat video about handstand technique!
My personal tip here is to remember that for crow the muscles engaged are those in your shoulders and back/core in particular. When you 'catch' the correct muscle engagement, you should not feel any strain or bruising from your knees being up near your armpits. That's why eventually you can transition to inversions like tripod headstand from crow.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
For me, the meditation is a huge part of it. I can go to the gym and work out normally, but the mindfulness of yoga helps alot with my anxiety and of and on insomnia. The spiritual side of it makes it easier for me to give in a little. I tried a class at our last gym, and the "push yourself, tone your glutes" vibe was a turn off.
I do a little routine to wind down for bed, to try and help with some of my screen time issues. its not a 100% fix, but the breath and stretching will at least turn my thoughts down a little.
Im hoping to start ramping up to a more difficult class this year.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
@TL DR I don't practice at home. I generally have trouble with adherence if I'm doing any sort of exercise at home, though I've overcome it before for short periods. The place I'm at now is really good about letting me go at my own pace and skip things, but that takes a degree of focus that really eliminates, for me, any sense of peaceful mindfulness or meditation, which is frustrating by the end of the practice.
I injured the knee in some sort of kneeling lunge pose where I had a front foot and a back knee and I didn't pad the mat under the knee and there was just too much weight right on the knee or something? It didn't hurt much at the time, but it's been a pretty stubborn problem since. Perhaps I had my knee bent at <90 degrees or something? Not sure.
I always take frustration as a sign that there's something to learn there.
My knees are pretty sensitive to what you're describing as well and it can be a real challenge. One thing I sometimes do if I don't want to mess with a blanket or other prop is to just fold my mat over for a little extra thickness for that pose, though of course that can be difficult in a faster-paced class.
@Lost Salient Yoga con amor. Its north-ish, off burnet. Not sure where you are, but the studio has a nice vibe. Our teacher is cool and takes the breathing/meditation pretty seriously, she also does private sessions that are even more into that (we take the beginner class, so its kinda light) We usually do the sunday noon class, hit me up in PM if you want more direct info.