Suggestions please!

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

I tried to find suggestions on DVDs on the forum, and couldn’t find it, so forgive me if I’m repeating a question already asked.

I’m looking for good videos for beginners or intermediate. I’m really not sure where I stand, because I’ve been doing only one DVD for the past 3 months, and I am really flexible. I can do all positions in it, but I’m not sure how much more you need to learn to go to an intermediate video.

I know I should have a real instructor, and there’s nothing I want more than to get classes, but as of now, I can’t afford classes. I can’t wait to learn more and I absolutely adore my time doing Yoga. So, all I can do for now, is try and get a DVD to keep me moving. So, if you please have suggestions on the best videos for me, I’d really appreciate it!

I’ve been doing Suzanne Deason’s “Yoga for weight loss.” I don’t need to lose weight, I just want to tone my body and learn everything about Yoga, so that’s what I have for now.

Also, if I could also get suggestions on books and what’s the best brand for a mat, I’d be really thankful. I’m having a real hard time finding the best and most affordable stuff.

hugs to all!

Patricia

#2

Perselus,
Welcome to the forum!

Here is a thread you may find interesting, with a lot of DVD suggestions. Do read all the way through, there are also suggestions for free websites as well as websites that offer classes very inexpensively.
http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f16/yoga-on-a-budget-1182.html

My favorite is yogatoday.com. The classes they offer cover every ability level from beginning to intermediate to advanced. Well worth a look. They offer one free class a week, and downloadable classes for $3.99 each. If you are so inclined, you can subscribe for $9.99 a month and live stream as many classes as you want. There are hundreds of classes to choose from. :slight_smile:

Good luck!

#3

Thank you for the info! :slight_smile:

#4

Namaste Perselus:

The Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar in any of several variations is a simple, yet excellent routine for practitioners of all levels. Check it out if you're unfamiliar with it previously, or experiment with alternate variations to a familiar version for a fresh experience with it.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lwi1zGqkdA

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Hari OM!

Adityananda

#5

There’s quite a bit of material on the Yoga Journal website, including some free podcasts from excellent instructors.

#6

Hello Patricia.

There is, I believe, a subtle question within your post. That question relates to the nature of flexibility relative to class or practice levels.

Though you state only that you are “flexible” it should be pointed out that students who are hyper-mobile are at greater risk for injury than stiff students AND their work is often more difficult than stiff students. It is unlikely to find the appropriate work, called stabilizing, in dvds as they so often cater to mobilizing.

Visually, from the exterior, asana appears to be about flexibility. But this is fool’s gold or low-hanging fruit. Asana is about moving some things and stabilizing others. Ergo moving from a beginner’s level of practice to an intermediate level of practice has many elements, of which one is physical practice.

For student’s without a teacher who are beginners or neophytes I suggest Patricia Walden’s video for beginners. A student who develops an alignment-based foundation for their asana practice has the luxury of moving safely in many direction.

#7

First I want to thank all who replied! :slight_smile:

Hello Gordon,

I’m not sure how I could evaluate my level without a teacher. When I say flexible, I mean, I can do all positions as the instructor in the video, without feeling any pain or pushing myself too hard. I realize I shouldn’t do anything I can’t do and it took me 2 months to actually hold my feet while in staff pose. I tried to do that slowly and so far, it’s working.

I can do poses and be stable now, no falling or losing balance. I can hold them for a long time, and breathe normally. I don’t think for a moment that I’m good at it, because I know there’s a lot to learn, and I’m not even close to the beginning, I just need to know how to practice.

So, I don’t know, I really would love to have an instructor, I’m hoping I can go to classes in a few months if my financial situation improves. I really love yoga and want to learn.

Thank you so much for the suggestion, I’ll look for that DVD. :slight_smile:

hug

Patricia

#8

Hello Patricia,

I am unsure of the importance in determining one’s level of practice, save for attending an appropriate class or purchasing appropriate equipment.

The stability I was referring to is the stability of keeping the bones in the right place to prevent injury. This is different than the stability of balance, not falling over, or comfort. Many students appear to have the first stability in triangle ([I]trikonasana[/I]) but do not have the slightest idea how to keep the femur (upper thigh bone) “in-joint” during the pose. Likewise, many students can do downward facing dog ([I]adho mukha svanasana[/I]) however keeping the humerus connected to the shoulder joint properly (stability) is incredibly rare - even when I’ve traveled to large conferences with an abundance of teachers.

Neither Yoga nor asana are the kinds of things one is or is not “good at”. It is merely something we do in order to find ourselves, re-establish the connection between our spirit, body, and living, and reduce our suffering. I have seen very able students do full poses, catch their feet in staff pose without deepening this connection one iota. Likewise there are very stiff students who do deep inner work in their practice and receive great “benefit”.

As for affording class, approach a local studio of your liking and offer your skills in exchange for classes. We all have currency. It is not always money.

#9

Yoga and [I]I can’t wait[/I] do not mix well. Yet adoration is good. I wish there was more of it.

#10

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;28944]As for affording class, approach a local studio of your liking and offer your skills in exchange for classes. We all have currency. It is not always money.[/QUOTE]

Patricia, we have 2 people who volunteer their services at the front desk in exchange for class time. Works well for our studio owner.

#11

“Yoga and I can’t wait do not mix well. Yet adoration is good. I wish there was more of it.”

If you find something that finally makes you happy like not many things do in your life, and you’re excited to learn and do it everyday, because it makes you feel good about yourself, and gives you peace, why would you want to wait? The fact that I do not have money to pay for classes saddens me, and I have to wait because there is no other way.

It’s easy to say things like that when you can just grab your mat and enjoy a wonderful class. That’s a luxury I unfortunately don’t have yet. So, maybe I just seem to eager to everyone here, but that’s just because I love it so much.

#12

FlexPenguin, thanks for the tip, I was wondering what I could do in exchange for classes. My only skills are painting and illustrating, so I thought there wasn’t much I could do for a studio, but you’re right, I could offer to do work in the reception or answer the phone. It’s worth a try! :slight_smile:

#13

[QUOTE=Hubert;28962]Yoga and [I]I can’t wait[/I] do not mix well. Yet adoration is good. I wish there was more of it.[/QUOTE]

I like that sentence, Hubert. It is good enough for the poetry and quotations section. It is probably hard for someone new to yoga to understand it and someone new probably feels it means ‘don’t do yoga’ instead of ‘don’t rush into it’. A person cannot rush into the ‘present moment’. But that doesn’t mean the one should not participate in the present moment.
Sorry, if this is coming out too vague and spacey, my verbal skills may not be well enough.
I enjoyed doing the DVD ‘maha sadhana’ by dharma mittra (level 1 and sometimes level 2) for a year or two. Also, the DVD ‘Anatomy for Yoga’ by Paul Grilley is very good for learning how everyone’s body is individual with different strenghts and weaknesses, it can help prevent overdoing poses that some of our bodies can’t do because of differences in our bone and joint structures.
best wishes, Gil

#14

gilyoga, Thanks, I will look for those DVDs. I’m really thankful I have a place to ask for advice and find things to help me get into yoga.

As for the “can’t wait” comment, I meant it as in I really want to start learning, not rushing to learn fast. I’m in no “rush” to know everything, though I am excited and at the same time frustrated because I can’t take classes. I know I’m new to this, but I can’t help but feel a little discouraged when come here and get misinterpreted so many times. All I wanted to say was that I fell in love with yoga and wanted to be able to do it.

I got misinterpreted when I said “I’m not yet good at it” when all I wanted to say was that I have a lot to learn, and I haven’t even started. When I talked about my level or about being flexible, I didn’t mean I had an advantage over anyone, it was just as a basis for the suggestions of what level of DVD I should choose. I also can’t help being flexible, it’s the way I am. I somehow feel that I should be sorry for being that way.

I need to learn and balance all the elements of yoga, spiritual, and physical, and that will hopefully come with time and when I have a real instructor, which I hope will be soon. I never thought yoga was just a physical thing, if I thought that, then I wouldn’t enjoy it so much.

All I know is that I know absolutely nothing, but I’m ready to learn, if that’s rushing or wrong, then I am wrong, I suppose. I’m just being honest on how I feel.

#15

No one should ever be sorry for being the way they are - flexible or stiff, patient or impatient, anxious or relaxed. Growing along the path of Yoga mandates that we become more accepting of ourselves AND more accepting of others.

I can speak only for my intention and that is to care for others and help them in any way possible without a veneer or pretense.

gordon

#16

Gordon,

I understand, and I’m thankful for your advice, I was just trying to express my feelings on yoga and how it makes me feel. I sometimes have difficulty expressing things (english is not my native language) and they don’t always come out as I want them to.

And yes, accepting myself is possibly harder than accepting others sometimes. Low self-esteem always took the better of me, but I do try to be positive and less anxious. Hopefully yoga will help me there.

hug

Patricia

#17

Patricia,
It is easy to be misinterpreted and to misinterpret on forums. It’s the nature of communicating in pure text. :slight_smile:

I personally try to find amusement when people misinterpret me, and do my best to correct them with good humor. It helps me brush it off more easily, and I end up not feeling down on myself about it. Or angry. Doesn’t always work, so I try not to post when I’m upset. :smiley:

Life is hard, and we make it even harder on ourselves, don’t we?

You are a beautiful person, and you are so fortunate to have flexibility, rejoice in it!
Rejoice that you’ve found yoga, and rejoice that it makes you feel so wonderful.
If others do not see your joy, then you can tell yourself that they are just missing it, and forgive them, and allow them their view. After all, you wish them to allow you yours.
And sometimes we just need to forgive ourselves for not seeing exactly what someone is trying to tell us. And this applies to all of us, because it happens to all of us, because we are human. Forgive the human-ness, and also rejoice in it, because we are human. :slight_smile:

#18

Hi Perselus,

Looks like you’ve received a lot of interesting replies so far.

I am unsure if you’ve attended a class so far. But videos i have looked at include ‘ashtanga yoga’ by david swenson- gd quality instruction if you’re already fit & healthy, ‘yin yoga’ by sarah powers which takes a more meditative approach and ‘kundalini yoga’ by gurmuhk kaur kalsa-energetic in a different way but often requiring more focus & concentration. Depends what you’re after. Still i would attend a class or two to supplement your home practice rather consult dvd. The subtlties and depths of yoga cannot be easily be conveyed over internet or by video.

And i agree with with joannna’s wisdom here’ - it is possible to be misunderstood through this medium.I’m sure every internet user has experienced this at one point or another in cyberspace or offline.I hope you continue posting and hanging around as your presence here is appreciated and valued.

And It’s great you’ve found something you enjoy- i had the same idea when i started.

Assuming you are fit and healthy as rough general sequence is-
warming up- some use surya namskar for this- which is more like a dance co-ordinating breath,bodily-movement and mind(often pausing at the end of each movement/pose), then standing asanas and so forth- with savasana at the end( the most important pose- or deep relaxation).As david swenson says in his ashtanga video - it is the breath (& thus concentration also too)which defines yoga- without it it’s mere gymnastics. It’s a good video that:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsiwAw6OcZ0

Enjoy!

For those with postural issues i would advise pursueing, rather than ashtanga in the first instance, an alignment-based asana practice such as iyengar as part of balanced yoga practice(ideally tailored for that individual). I hope this does’nt sound too prescriptive but i would say that folk with therpaeutic issues should’nt say expect to just mimic what they see in a dvd or roll up to a class and necessarily expect to get good results. You need the right yoga for that individual otheriwse you can risk doing more harm than good even if while stretching it happens to ‘feel’ good during the practice(Not necessarily so afterwards; in fact our muscles can end up tighter) .Sometimes also at different stages of our life we may be more suited to different and more appropriate styles and kinds of yoga for us individually - it does pay to be as well informed as possible and cultivate a regular practice.Without any long-term sadhana to speak of, very little is likely to be achieved.

#19

I know I’m a bit late to respond but I am really blown away by Gordon’s statement “We all have currency. It is not always money.” This is a really terrific concept, and surprisingly, “bartering” is coming back in style because the [American] economy is just terrible.

Perselus–you may also want to pull up an exhaustive list of any studios in your area. Sometimes they offer specials, free nights, nights by donation, etc. Perhaps even treat yourself (for say the price of a Starbucks and scone) to a class once a month or as you can afford it. Save up loose change in a coffee canister to afford the occasional class (that’s what my husband and I do for our tattoos!).

First, though, I would look into free/donation style classes. I went onto your deviantart site and you have a terrific body of work! (Like the 1920’s woman in the pearls–I told my husband we should buy a print to hang in our bathroom). You could write your contact information on the back of a card with a note that says something along the lines of “I am an artist and would be more than happy to donate a commissioned piece in exchange for classes here. Contact me if interested!” Consider what ALL your strengths are and what you might have access to (a computer, a printer, could you create flyers perhaps, esp if it is a newer smaller studio just starting out?) Just a thought…

#20

Joanna63, thank you for your reply! You’re right, it’s really difficult to make ourselves clear online, words can be misinterpreted and I certainly try to do my best to say what I feel. :slight_smile: I appreciate your advice and will definitely continue to enjoy yoga and this forum!

hug

Patricia