So anyone who followed along my struggle to start yoga (people getting raped in badly lit parking lots deterring me from one studio, another not answering my calls, the others being way too far away... so much trouble to try to start such a peaceful thing!) I FINALLY got started! Turns out the studio that wasn't returning my calls was undergoing an ownership change, but they finally settled in and got around to my message, so I got all the information, stopped by for a free first class, and loved it!

Its a small studio, literally five minutes down the street from my house. I got an unlimited monthly pass so I can pop in whenever my free time corresponds to an All Levels class and its soooo nice. I'm a little rusty (I haven't done a yoga class since 2005!) so my flexibility is a bit of an issue, but I can still balance really well. It's such a great way to either start the morning (get the blood pumping, stretch the whole body) or end the day (relax everything, and there's a nice meditation at the end).

One thing I was surprised by is how weak my shoulders are! Well not totally surprised, I knew I had pretty weak shoulders... when trying to do planks, push-ups, things like that, its not my arms that get tired first, its my shoulder area going in to my back that gives out. I guess its my weakest area. So pretty much this means "down dog" is about the hardest position for me right now! After my first yoga class my shoulders were sooo sore. But this will be a good way to strengthen that area. So there you have it, the yoga has begun!

Oh and I wrote to my fiance that I've picked up yoga... he approves

ahhahaahh yeah! when the rape factor is high, best to not take that risk! you are a funny person-- hhahahaa

Glad you liked the Yoga, Ilove it too. I can;t wait to get my life back someday.

SO- tell us about your yoga more.
hatha yogao or what?

Yeah... They never did catch the armed rapist stalking that particular lot... I'm avoiding it. My current studio has many many lights. And daytime classes too.

And yes, I think its Hatha. I haven't heard it specifically called that by the teachers but I mean... there are only so many kinds and its definitely not Bikram (the hot sweaty one) so I would have to assume its Hatha.

Good on ya! Its never too late to start anything thats got to do with mind, body and spirit.

So glad to see you taking the safety precautions but at the same time not giving up on your goals, its ok to feel a bit of fear because thats is also one of the sources to get strength and wisdom.

Hatha means sun-moon, male-female, in-yang or whatever it is necessary to attain the balance.

Take care

Oh yeah, update on that, found out its not Hatha, this studio does Kripalu apparently. Not sure what the difference is exactly, something about how long you hold the poses, the way you move between them.

i think it is a breathing thing that makes the difference.

I went to a new studio and they had us hold, and exhale at some sorta weird times... such as during transition from pose to pose... it was called "green tree, power yoga" made it harder.

FF

A couple times a week they have classes at this studio that are referred to as "power yoga" but the instructor says she doesn't like that name because it tends to discourage beginners from trying it when really its no more "advanced" than the other classes, just a different style meant to "build heat" (make us feel the burn as it were). So she likes to call it "solar core" instead :P She incorporates lots of crunches into the classes, very much like Pilates.

Yoga is as hard and easy as you want to make it honestly. I've been practicing yoga consistently for over 6 months at least once but usually twice a week and you know what? How I perform in there varies from time to time and what I focus on is different all the time. In my opinion, the strength in yoga is the breathing. Once you know how the poses are suppose to be, try to breathe with the flow of your practice. General rule of thumb here is, upward motion = breathing in and downward motion = breathing out.

Good luck with the practice, I love yoga just difficult to get myself up at 5:45 am to be ready for my class at 7 am. In the end, it's all worth it as I feel better physcially from all the stretching and mentally from the mediatation (focusing on the breath and stretching only and leaving the outside world matter outside the studio. Check your problems at the door. Btw, your finance will have no complaint about new positions you acquried from yoga.

Oh he very much approves I go 3-5 days a week. The progress on our visit in October was noticeable... we'll see how his Christmas break goes...

It seems like you are getting hook on yoga which is great. Try reading some yoga books for greater understanding of yoga. Personally, I am trying to incorporate more yoga's teaching in my everyday life and people have noticed how much calmer I seem since I started yoga versus before.

Peace, life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the ride.

Apart from the physical gains, I find the value in yoga is getting to know your own body, as it is really good at exposing imbalances and weaknesses. And yes downward dog is going to be difficult for a good long while lol.

I started practicing yoga a few months ago. Initially I was learning through DVDs but decided to take a class to make sure I was doing the moves correctly. I'm amazed at how much my flexibility and strength have increased since I started. Helps to quiet the mind too, which I am in need of.

Concur.. don't let the secret out!!!

It's all about yoga.