Opening the doors of Yoga

Hello everyone,

I just joined this forum roughly two minutes ago. I really love yoga but feel - as others in this forum have already expressed - quite isolated from any kind of yoga community. Up until now it had not really occured to me that a whole world of yogis was just a few taps away.

I have not really been practicing yoga very long. Actually I mostly began yoga as a way to increase strength and flexibility for added running speed. Several week later, I started to realise that the practice offered me so much more and fit into my life as a nice complement to rigorous exercise and regular meditation.

At the moment I am going to weekly ‘all levels’ classes and enjoy them so immensely. I feel more centered, better equipped to devote more of myself to positivity and have noticed a sense of increased co-ordination. Recently, I have started learning asanas, focusing on how to execute the poses correctly, their purposes/applications and the names in English and Sanskrit. I have an expanse of information and practice ahead of me but just 3 months in, I can feel myself wanting to become a devotee.

In fact, I hope to go to Goa, India, in October to spend a month just learning and taking in lessons. I’d like to prepare myself before I go and maybe even take the initial teacher training course - if I am ready. I have been meditating on a regular basis for about 5 years now and I am hoping that this will be of, atleast some, aid. Maybe not? I really don’t know what to expect. What I do know is that yoga makes me feel great and after practicing 4-6 times a week since I started in December, I have become so much more flexible already. I still lose touch with the breath at times but generally I move fairly slowly into different poses.

OK, wow, I have been rambling! he he. I just wanted to introduce myself and will now go over some of the discussion material on the boards. Please drop me a line, if anyone has any advise for how this newbie should move forward/continue, then I am all ears! I am 30 years old and at my physical prime (to my surprise!). No particular injuries to date.

I look forward to joining you all!
Warm wishes.

A lovely introduction Homushoo.

I’ll be curious to see what other folks’ advice is. Certainly mine would be: explore!
It sounds like what you’re doing is already deepening and working well - it might be worthwhile to try out a few different kinds of yoga and see if some ‘click’ better for you.

What are you finding most inspiring in your Yoga practice? Where are you hoping it takes you? (other than Goa, that is)

Sat Nam