i have recently been more curious about yoga. i live in south california and would like to know where to go for more information on yoga classes. I understand theres google, but im not looking to start a class right now. i dont know enough about it and its a bit expensive in my opinion and prices vary every where you go. i just want to learn more but hands on. all the reading ive done has just made me want to try it more. any advise?
O, and thank you for taking the time to read this. this is a whole new area for me and appreciate any help.
-Aaron
Hello Aaron,
I want to do two things in my reply to you. The first is to give you as much direction as I can based on the formulated question you pose and the second is to mention a concept relative to the cost or expense of yoga classes.
If you are not looking to start a class then what medium are you interested in? I don’t believe that DVD’s (exclusively) are a very sound way to develop a practice but I do understand the context in which we live where using one may be a way to get one started. There are many but I’d recommend Patricia Walden.
If you are seeking a book (and you are still operating under the assumption that Yoga is merely the physical practice or exercises you see in magazines and fitness centers) then I’d suggest “Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health” by BKS Iyengar. If you are already steeped enough to realize that Yoga is so vast a body of wisdom that you’ll never touch it all, then I’d recommend reading the Bhagavad Gita or the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Satchidanda’s translation).
Finally the issue of expense. When we as both students and consumers view yoga classes on par with Step, the Eliptical, a 3 mile run, or Tae Bo then the cost of yoga is outrageous (due to the context I’ve just framed). But when we look at it on par with professional services it is quite a bargain. Now if the student wanders in to a class with a questionably trained teacher then there’s a potential for disparity between what is taught and the compensation tendered.
What I suggest is that prospective students stop shopping for cheap classes and start raising their expectations of the offerings they are getting. If you pay $15 for a 90 minute class AND you get $150 of value then you’ve made out. If on the other hand you pay $10 and get $8 worth of value then there’s no reason to be a satisfied consumer.
Find a good teacher and you’ll wonder why instruction is so affordable, no matter what the charge. Find a sketchy teacher and you’ll feel only as though you’ve been worked out or choreographed.