I want to start doing yoga but have some doubts

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

My name is Julio and im 25yo.

I want to start doing yoga, but i have heard about too many differen forms of yoga:

Iyengar yoga
Hatha yoga
kundalini yoga

Are they done for different purposes or which is the main different?

I would like to have a clearer picture about the differences between them…

I think yoga fits a lot with my point of view of life, like life style or concept life, but despite of that i also would like to know which form of yoga is focused in:

-Improve spine aligment and moviliy
-Improve muscle flexibilities and strenth

  • Meditation.

I also guess that all forms of yoga improve the endocrine and nerve sistem as well, is it right?

Thanks you very much for creating such a nice communit and hope we are in touch more often.

Have a nice day.

Julio

#2

Hi Julio,

Almost all forms of yoga -
Improve spine aligment and moviliy
Improve muscle flexibilities and strenth
include Meditation.
improve the endocrine and nerve system

Iyengar yoga-
poses practiced individualy instead of flowing from one pose to the next
Use lots of props to enable all abilities to perform pose
focuses on alignement

Hatha yoga-
One of the oldest forms of yoga
all modern forms of yoga has its roots in this form
varies greatly from teacher to teacher.

kundalini yoga -

Dont know much about this one

Look at this website for more info.

yoga-ez-fitness-wear.com/yoga-styles.html

Julie

#3

[QUOTE=alvaranz;17419]Hello,

My name is Julio and im 25yo.

I want to start doing yoga, but i have heard about too many differen forms of yoga:

Iyengar yoga
Hatha yoga
kundalini yoga

Julio[/QUOTE]

Kundalini Yoga (Laya Yoga) is very demanding. Just have a look at it:

http://yoga-age.com/amrita/kundalini.html

Patanjali defines eight limbs of Raja Yoga. Asanas (Hatha Yoga) are just the third step.

You can select yourself what form of yoga to practice by reading:

Patanjali-yoga sutras

Bhagavad Gita.

These books do not have many pages, but they contain the world.

IMHO it is hard for someone else to recommend to you what kind of yoga to practice, unless he is a real guru and knows you personally.

#4

hi

i had read your question but a yoga as you had said that there are many ways to do yoga.

i am doing a kundalini yoga and so suggest you the same but you will evaluate it and then decide by your own. i will provide just basic about it by a book available on net.
http://www.siddhyog.org/kundalini-books.php visit this link and will get a book for this. it will help you in many ways so just read it carefullly

thanks

#5

Hi Julie, oak 333 and siddhyogi,

Thank you very much for your advice, now i uderstand a bit better all these forms.

I will have a look into the pages, links and books you have told me and i will decided about the form i want to start doing.

As julie said if all forms of yoga contain this features i think that would be good to start hatha yoga and see how it goes.

I think that i will discover lot of things with yoga, and would like to start also reading about it so i can start having my own meaning about yoga and all is involved in it.

Thankssss and i hope we keep in touch.

Julio

#6

It sounds like kundalini yoga will help you the most in those areas.

#7

That is understandable-having doubts.Julio.

Don’t let that put you off, trying out a few classes. As you’lll need at least a few to get into the ‘swing’ of things,at first before you’re inspired enough to home practice.

I would suggest-
**Iyengar yoga- regarding asana the teachers aree usually very well-trained,like
attention to alignment and placement of limbs ,so safer. plus poses may be held, least now and agin. and it’s medtitative. they may teach using props(bricks,blocks and straps) that provide support in some of the poses.

kundalini yoga may find a bit hard-core & advanced,say on a mental & spiritua level

hatha is asana and praanayam so covers most styles.

Iyengar is a good place to begin your introduction to yoga. as most folk find it easier to open up their mind via opening up their body and freeing up restrictions and tensioons there,holding them back as most people probably have such.

You could go with kundalini bu you might find it a bit " out there" or off-the-wall., (theory and practice.) as well as challenging.It’d probably be a bit much i supect for a absolute beginner though depend on their intensity level.

You could do them all in the order you suggest ,then revisit them all again But safety should be youur No. 1 priority and a good teacher can help in that regard.

So find the best teacher you can find in a style that is also safe- alignment based asana i.e iyengar style.&be wary of teachers that just rush from one pose to the next without much mindful pause or control, or clear purpose.

Mindful instruction and direction with a clear purpose using clever sequencing is often a sign of a well-trained teacher( although if you’ve never taken a class you have’nt nothing to compare ).& those trained in iyengar often their training is always on-going , longer and more technically rigorous. they tend to have,set their own standards etc. so there is less chance of doing yourself harm. but yoga is aalso a mental thing toorequiring focus and concentration too. also finding teacher you gel with can help too as they all offer their own style,approach and personality. i’d keep the style gentle and mindful just to eer on the side of caution.

#8

You don’t know until you try. You might think you like one style from reading about it but once you actually [I]try [/I]you might find you actually like another style better. Or you might like several different styles and that’s good too, nothing wrong with variety.

Also, if there is one style you think you might particularly like (from reading about it) but find yourself disappointed you don’t like once you try it, perhaps with a different teacher you might decide you like it better.

Do whatever feels right to you!

In the meantime, enjoy the process! Have fun trying and discovering and learning!

#9

I would also ask how quickley you would like to move your body?
If you want to be very gentle on your body and focus more on flexibility I would suggest a Gentle Yoga, or a Restorative Yoga class.

If you want to flow with your breath gracefully through postures you could also try something like a Vinyasa Flow Yoga

I’m not trying to overwhelm you, but if you come across Anusara classes, you may want to look into them. From what I have read about it I think it might fit your concepts of life. If I read your post correctly. I wish I could find a place near by that offers it, as it is one I wouldn’t mind trying.

I’m going to be completely honest, the first time I heard/tried Kundalini yoga, I thought it was the flakiest thing ever. I also used to think that about all yoga in general though. Once I opened myself to it and gave it a shot it made sense, and actually felt good. I’m not at the point in my life that I could take the time to fill the demands of Kundalini Yoga though.

I think you are on the right path by choosing to do the Hatha yoga class. Hatha really is where it all originates. Each of the different styles or types of yoga were developed by people who were once Hatha yoga students. They created their own specific ways of doing yoga and thus, all these different types/styles of Yoga came into being.

#10

Hi Julio,

Congratulations on the decision to begin practicing yoga! There are a lot of choices out there for a beginner yoga practitioner. Let me start my saying that Yoga is an ancient practice and all forms of yoga incorporate spine alignment and mobility, flexibility and strengthening of the muscles. Those who wish to add a spiritual aspect to their yoga study incorporate meditation. Currently, it is in vogue to practice yoga just as a form of exercise when in fact, performing poses (or asanis) is only one aspect of true yoga practice.

I would encourage you to find a beginner hatha yoga class. (Hatha yoga is a general term that basically mean active yoga.) In the meantine, there are excellent online resources to help you get started. Search for beginner hatha yoga poses and familiarize yourself with some of the basics: Downward Dog, Plank Yoga Pose, Dancer’s Pose, etc. Perhaps going to the library and getting a book about yoga will help you decide what type of yoga you wish to practice. I recommend The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice by Georg Feuerstein, or even Yoga for Dummies!

Good luck!
Holly Jennings