Hello,
I am really interested in starting yoga to improve my athletic performance, recovery, and flexibility. A little about my background, I am 25 years old 5’11 192lbs, around 9% body fat, played football in college (up through last year), and currently crossfit 5 days a week. However, I am so incredibly tight that it is laughable, and honestly pretty embarassing. haha… I tried a Bikram class in college, and it totally kicked my butt. Totally different kind of workout then I am used to. Anyway, I would like to balance crossfit with a helping of yoga if possible. Like the title says I know nothing, and need some advice on where to go from here, what to read, etc… Any help would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to gaining a little knowledge.
Ralston,
I suggest you find a well trained teacher. At this stage and relative to your stated goal I think that is more important than this style or that style. Likely you will encounter two basic sorts of asana (postures) practices One will be fiery and sweaty and there will lots of postures offered, perhaps many repetitions too. The other will be a less external/visually active practice where you will work very deeply and mindfully but may not do 30 postures in 90 minutes.
Both of these will provide different effects for you. And rather than postulate what those effects will or will not be, it is best for the student in question to discover this for themselves, within themselves.
If you have specific questions, I am certain many here including myself will be more than happy to reply to those.
gordon
Bikram is designed to move into and out of a set number of postures. It’s pretty extreme for a new comer and can be a little deflating for someone “laughably tight”, Hatha Yoga is a more general term for yoga and is open to lots of interpretation and likely something you would find in “gym” yoga. It’s best to find someone with at least a bare minimum 200 hour training. (If you read through this forum, you will see 200 hours doesn’t guarantee quality) Since you are what sounds to be an avid athlete and muscle training - you might start with “vinayasa” style (flow yoga)- which is a little more flowing - meaning you move from one pose to another - kinda-like Tai Chi, you don’t necessarily hold the posture (asana) as long - which is a little kinder to the ego - as you progress, try out different styles - the key is an open mind and a sense of humor. Honestly, other participants are not paying nearly as much attention to you as you feel like they are - they are more worried about what you might be thinking about them. You might try a video, too I personally love Shiva Rea.
Thanks for the advice! Just shot out a couple of emails to my local yoga studios to see what they say. I definitely think I need to start with a teacher to build a foundation and an understanding of the methodology if nothing else, but it seems that different studios specialize in different styles of yoga. Is the quality of instruction a better measuring stick to use initially? I had no idea that there where this many different “types” of yoga… I guess I have a lot of trial and error in my near future.
On the other hand, im not really worried about people paying attention, by “laughably tight” I mean that I laugh at my lack of flexibility more than anything… Ha…
If you are not concerned about achieving cardio benefit AND you do not have a mind that needs constant stimulation then there’s very little need to begin with a power, vinyasa, or flow class. Though it IS more akin to “working out”.
From my vantage point I think most athletes get enough butt kicking. Current training methods are quite advanced, often comprehensive for their goal, and effective for those goals. I prefer to teach athletes how to balance the scales of their lives by putting “weights” on the other side of the mechanism. That is to approach yoga as a tool for balancing what they are doing rather than adding to it. However that requires a somewhat mature perspective on the part of an athlete.
Ralston, I’d advise actually calling the local studios. In this way I think you’ll get a feel for what is being offered by the tone, words, and resonance of the speaker - something that is not communicated through email.
Once you decide on a studio, internally commit to take 5-10 classes there before deciding AND take from three different teachers. That should be enough to clarify and crystalize the process at this stage.
I don’t disagree with InnerA, but I would add, from my expirence, coming from a strong fitness background and going early-on to an Iyengar Class (which was very methodical and “yoga” oriented) I had not yet acheived an appriciation for the peaceful path that hatha-type yoga can bring. I needed something more physical to be able to slow myself down (vinyasa, and note vinyasa does not = power). Now that I have deeper understanding both physically and spiritually, I get what I need no matter what the class or the ability of the instructor. I personally would try (and did try) many studios and different instuctors. I was lucky to have that at my disposal. Good luck and have fun - which since you can laugh-at-yourself (or at least your tight muscles;-)), you are further ahead then you may think yourself to be.
Agreed!
I had a similar experience in gravitating initially to what is normally perceived as “more active asana”. However, that was due to the two reasons I stated above which is why I made them caveats. I needed massive amounts of stimulation and I was expecting to get cardio benefit from my practice. Had I been in a different mental state (which I was not) I could have easily gravitated toward a myriad of “other” yoga. At that time I didn’t know Baron Baptiste from Baron Von Munchausen 
So I called around, and starting next Tuesday there is a 6 week beginner Hatha Yoga series that they said “will be specialized to the individual, and lay a solid foundation to build on.” The teacher has been practicing since 1996. I might start here, and get advice along the way.