But I’ve has several posts. One recently about yoga videos. I was surfing the web and have seen many types of asanas some that I can do some that I can’t imagine doing yet. But my question is how fast did some others progress. I personally have made leaps and bounds and have only been practicing less than a month. I feel great. But I take yoga pretty seriously and would like to be able to achieve more. And learn more. And how long did it take some of you to becomes pro towards intermediate asanas. And how did you do it by just going to classes? I mostly use videos. Will I progress and when should I move to a harder level? And how many years did it take for some of you to become more advanced?
It my personal opinion that any posture which can be done while still being able to inhale and exhale slowly and smoothly, and while the mind is focused, is the most advanced expression possible. I’ve been practicing and studying yoga for about seven years, and now that I have finally, REALLY learned how to respect the breath in the physical practice, everything I do in my practice feels powerful and advanced. I’ve just really begun to return to asana after some injuries, and the observation of the breath is the miracle that enables me to know and ‘caress’ my limitation in static or moving postures, and evaluate my overall practice. Knowing this, I have moved from a therapeutic practice from one of my teachers, to practicing on my own again and regaining tons of strength and flexibility in a very short time.
That being said, every single body is completely different. You were born different, and your body has obligingly adapted to your lifestyle, diet, occupation, injuries, and emotional state. Some people with natural flexibility and health can advance to complex asanas very quickly, while others may struggle. It should be noted to that while a person can progress quickly through asanas, if the foundation of strength and flexibility isn’t respected, it is very easy to become injured. If you’re practicing by video and don’t have a teacher, respect pain signals in the body, and be cautions of your breath. When you feel that you can comfortably do your current asana with ease, introduce a few more complicated ones into your practice and see how you fare.
Websites like yogajournal.com show asanas and list both the preparatory and follow-up postures for their style. If you are going to challenge yourself with a new posture, make sure that you can comfortably do the preparatory and at least one of the follow-up postures before you try the more complex posture. There are also many books which describe the art of sequencing like this in much better detail, and may help you develop a practice which will advance you further physically while not endangering yourself.
For the best results, I would still suggest a teacher. A good, well-trained and observant teacher can observe you and notice weaknesses and strengths that you may not be aware of, and tell you which postures will be most beneficial for you to practice in order to advance toward your goal.
Thank you very much. I actually just got back from a bikram class and there were many different levels of students. One of the things I struggle with being an athlete is the Japanese sitting pose. I am extremely tight there and can’t sit back. Also I have hammer toes which makes it really hard on my toes. Could this be because the jammer toes or do a lot of people struggle with this at first?
I’ve never heard of the Japanese sitting pose. Are you sitting back on your heals with your tops of your feet pressing into the ground? If so, then yes, hammer toes would probably make it more uncomfortable. See if your teacher can suggest a modification, alternative, or something else you can do to make your toes and feet more prepared for such a pose.
Yes I will ask them next time i go
I picked up the basics the first day I tried Yoga. my mother was astounded. the teacher told me my flexibility was perfect for yoga. what i’m working on, and what i love about yoga practice is how you can train the mind to relax under such strenuous physical positions. The physical part doesn’t bother me, numerous teachers tell me just to “quiet the mind” which is what I love about yoga practice…
like i tell my friends; imagine being in the most uncomfortable position, and not thinking about physical activity…
this helps me have more control over my glands. specifially the ones who trigger anxiety and sweat. i find if i do a basic yoga practice in the morning before work, i sweat a lot less and im much more in control over my emotions…
Here we talk about advanced yoga but asanas the postures, if they are advanced or not has nothing to actually do with yoga as yoga is more internal. Asanas are a minor thing of yoga.
Even if you are the best man in doing asanas you can be worst in the completeness of yoga.
Yoga in the gym/studio is just exercise.