Need a little guidance

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Help! I know I want to attend my first yoga instruction, but I’m overwhelmed by the types of yoga. Perhaps you can give me a little direction.

My first interest is in stress reduction, so I think meditation classes make a lot of sense for starters. I’m also interested in weight reduction so I believe I’d like to learn the mind-related facets of yoga first. I’m overwhelmed by the many types of yoga (Asana, Pranayama, etc.) There’s a Dahn Yoga location nearby but I don’t believe I know enough to know whether that is a good place to start.

Can you guide me to a web page (or maybe a book or an ebook) to learn what the different types of yoga are? Perhaps then I could select the one that makes sense for me. Thanks for reading this!

#2

Hi,

Welcome to the forum and soon to yoga. First of all you must understand that asana, pranayama, meditation etc are aspects of yoga and not different types or styles of yoga. Different types/styles of yoga would be Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram etc.

About meditation: meditation can be daunting to many beginners and can actually cause more stress and frustration, due to aspects such as the meditation position which may cause aches and pains or a lack of concentration which leads to a mind that always wanders etc. So instead of relaxing you are actually more tense about it. My advise, find a teacher who introduce you to meditation slowly and over a period of time. A teacher who concentrates perhaps more on the relaxation aspect of yoga at the end of the class may be more beneficial. For example with beginners I do much more relaxation in the beginning than with intermediate or advanced yogis.

Yoga and weight: Yoga (here i refer to asanas) alone won’t help you to loose weight, it is the whole philosophy behind yoga, in other words eating correctly, living a healthy life etc that will contribute more to cultivating new habits that may be more beneficial to your weight. Most of the yoga styles with the exception of a few is not aerobic so you won’t burn away those unwanted weight.

Which style is for you: why don’t you go and attend some of the different styles of yoga on offer in your town. It is also not just about the style of yoga but also about the teacher. The link between you and your (future) teacher is a karmic one and you will eventually be attracted to the teacher with whom you have a strong karmic link and that teacher might be a Bikram teacher and not Inyengar for example.

Enjoy the exploration and remember to have fun in discovering yoga and the style/teacher suited most to you.

#3

As far as meditation is concerned, depending upon where you live there may be some classes offered locally for little or no cost. You can try ananda.org here is a link to their meditation section Meditation Support: A Simple Meditation Technique, or do a search of local yoga studios. Also many buddhist communities offer meditation instruction. There are also numerous books available on the subject, one author Tich Nhat Hanh is a terrific writer and his books can be found at the public library or amazon etc.

In my community in California the yoga studio I attend offers free meditation instruction as does my sangha (I belong to a buddhist sangha). I hope this is helpful.

#4

Are you actually IN Atlanta?

Please do not go to a Dahn Yoga class without doing plenty of seaching on the web and forums. If after that research you still opt to go there, please do not evaluate it as a yoga experience.

If you lead an active life, like heat, power, thrill, jumping around and sweating, then you can try Ashtanga, hot yoga, power yoga, Bikram etcetera.

If you are interested in slower, precise, very very safe sort of practice then consider Viniyoga.

If you are looking for something in between these, consider Iyengar, Anusara or general Hatha classes.
I am trained in and teach Purna Yoga which we consider to be appropriately balanced between effect and safety.

Asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), and meditation are all parts of yoga. They are not different types or flavors of yoga.

Ultimately, your yoga practice should effect positive change on your life. If it does not, then there would be some debate on whether it was the “right yoga” even if it was the one of your preference.

#5

Pandara,
I appreciate the welcome.
I guess meditation, for stress relief, is my first interest, so that’s where I’ll concentrate. I’ll start looking around and trying places. Hopefully I’ll find the karmic connection with the teacher you mentioned. Thanx!

sacyogini,
Thx for the link to ananda.org. I just printed out the article you referred me to. I plan to start with that tonight!

InnerAthlete,
Thanks for your posting. I know I’m not interested in extremely physical and fast-paced yoga. I really want to learn how to meditate first, to reduce stress and (you might think this is funny) SLOW my life down! I live north of Atlanta, in Sandy Springs. Do you know the area? Do you have any recommendations? Thx!

#6

The one solid teacher I was aware of in Atlanta has moved to Manhattan. I’m sorry. There are a few studios in town though I cannot speak to the ethics and integrity of their operations.

Some would contend that meditation is not possible until the physical body is attended to while others would contend just the opposite.

#7

Thx again Inner Athlete. I appreciate the reply. I found a meditation teacher nearby so I’ll be visiting there Monday evening. In case you’re curious, here’s her web site - Welcome to