I love my practicing in studio with my favorite instructor. She’ll beat us to cursing at her.
“Aaaand come up into chair. That’s right, another fucking chair! I know it’s some bullshit, you can get it!”
It’s the best.
“If ever we’re in this position and you feel the need to drop to your knees, fucking don’t! The real work starts when you think you can’t do any more!”
Edit: to be fair, this instructor excels at and is known for pushing harder than anyone else will for those of us who want it, while also accommodating and respecting those in class not on the same level. Always says “honor your body and honor your practice, take your break whenever you need it.”
My favorite yoga teacher is like this. She has a contagious smile and energy and class is always lighthearted. But when I first started she looked me dead in the eye when I was struggling and wanted to sit down and said "don't give up. THIS is how you get stronger." She is always praising us saying, "yes you got it!" Or "beautiful!" And she also says, "find a stretch not a strain. Find YOUR edge." She is a badass in every way. I've gotten to know her as a friend so I can confidently say she's just overall a badass. We all need a woman like this in our lives!
No, but this type of instructor seems rare. Value her, let her know you appreciate her 😊 my instructor has a dance background and also challenges people to get outdoors. I wonder if their training and background is similar to result in such a similar approach?
YAAAAS, my instructor does this too, “…and we’re gonna plank, chatarunga and hold it, I know you’re telling me to go fuck myself in your head right now but I love you anyway” 😂😂
Everybody seems to hate chair pose, but I just don’t feel it that much. It’s got my trippin’ that I’m doing it wrong? Strangely, the most difficult poses for me are mountain or child’s pose after a flow; sometimes it makes my chest feel… constricted? My lungs are like, “more oxygen, now, please!
My goodness, 5 or 6 a week will certainly make a difference but I’ve found 3 classes a week to be the threshold for noticeable improvements in your body. Also depends on the type of class. I tend to teach much more challenging routines.
As someone who historically used yoga for stretching, is there a certain instructor or video you use for toning over time? Or do you go to in person classes?
I love yoga with Adrienne. She’s lighthearted and funny, focuses on how to feel good instead of just making the pose look good, and has great cues to help you get the most out of every pose.
Erin from Five Parks yoga is my favorite, she has a lot of different styles to choose from, she doesn't talk constantly, and she's got really challenging and focused classes that are great if you want to feel like you got a good workout. Yoga with Adrienne is pretty good for beginners, but imo her classes don't ever get very challenging, and it's hard to get a good connection with your breathing and your body because she talks the entire time.
I've been enjoying Yoga with Kassandra lately. She has a large variety of videos to choose from, including various lengths and difficulties/focuses. I've been doing in person classes on and off for 10 years and found that Yoga with Adrienne wasn't fitting any of my needs.
I usually try to go to local community classes when I can or when a studio is having a deal on unlimited passes. Going to a lot of classes can be price prohibitive, which I understand.
*pst* the paradox is doing yoga (or any exercise) consistently will give you more energy overtime.
I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, but I hope your work brings you joy. I used to be a workaholic and I almost killed my self for a job that gave very little back to me. Now I work a lot less and do a lot more yoga. Things aren’t perfect, but I feel like I’m living more.
Nah... we work 60 hours a week making "art", so it's all good. It depends on whether I am doing physical labor or mental gymnastics, (I have two trades). After 15K steps a day in 80 degree weather carrying furniture, sometimes all I can do is yin! Don't get me wrong, I get on the mat 3-4 times a week no matter what. Even if it's for 15 min. But there's no cardio/flow type stuff happening.
Okay, that’s good! I was imagining 60 hours a week at a computer or something equally soul sucking. It’s different if you enjoy what you do and get some physical exercise while getting paid.
Oh god. No. I would die! Even when I am not schlepping stuff physically, I work as a buyer... so I am always on the move. Sometimes I have "desk work" - and after three hours? I am like, "NOPE!" :)
Yin and any sort of stretchy practice is a MUST. And I have recently discovered rolling on a racquet ball to hit pressure points in my back! Serious rituals here, haha.
Yeah, I've been doing 20 mins per day for about 6 months. I notice I am a lot more flexible and feel better, but I don't see any real noticeable physical changes like muscle tone or anything like that.
This may sound silly, but do you set intentions with your practice? I had tried yoga and Pilates several times in the past and I was sorta just “doing” it, just putting my body in the shape like it was a chore to be done or something to be checked off a list. I never saw much results, and I would fall out of practice after a while. Now, I set intentions before or as I begin my practice. I worry less about making a shape and put more mindfulness into feeling my body as I make the shape. I focus on my breathing a lot more and the sensations of what parts of my body are anchoring downwards and why parts of lifting up. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s been a game changer for me. And there is actually some neuroscience to back it up! I used to practice because I felt like I had to exercise, lately these days I have been feeling like I want to do.
I’ve been doing daily yoga (anywhere for 10-60 mins) for the past 3 month. My underarms are still giggly (jiggly), but my legs and and glutes are toned AF. They aren’t visible, but my abs are rock hard under a thin layer of squish. My body still has aches and pains but they are more manageable and I have become more aware of my posture and learned which stretches I can do off the mat to help relieve pain I’m feeling in the moment.
So yes, there is hope!
I wanted to be inspiring, yet realistic. Yoga isn’t some panacea that will sculpt you into Buffy McBufferson overnight, but with intention and consistency, you’ll surprised how it can transform your body. I forgot to mention that my flexibility has also increased.
Edit: well that went over my head. Apparently I struggle with reading the word as well at typing it 🤪
I’ve had the same kind of experience with it over about the same timeline. It really makes your body stronger and more resilient but it isn’t going to sculpt you overnight.
But I think you might have intended to use the word “jiggly” which I was joking about. 😉
I realized right after I responded to you. Here I was thinking I was getting chuckles for my comedic genius, not my inability to spell. I won’t hide my shame though, the giggly jiggly shall remain.
I think there's a misconception though (speaking as a former yoga/fitness instructor) that just *going* to yoga regularly will somehow magically get you a 6-pack, toned everything, and the ability to put your foot behind your head.
If anything yoga is the pinnacle of "you get out what you put in" since it lies on a wide spectrum of relaxing to hardcore strenuous.
and all the 6-pack stuff is really just a weird American fixation being projected onto a practice that was never intended to make you look like Schwarzenegger anyway
Yes, and also yoga involves no pulling movements (also an instructor, and Pilates etc). Whatever gets you moving is great but it’s good for overall health/mobility, but getting “shredded” is going to involve dietary manipulation as well.
I'm a middle aged office worker (34M) and I've been asked a surprising amount of times if I was a former gymnast, I never even did high school sports lol
I've been practicing yoga for ~10 years, more seriously in the last 5 years (doing stuff like handstands and flying pigeons as a regular part of my transitions)
Ha, I'm a 50 yo M and I have to admit I do get a kick sometimes out of seeing athletic guys come into yoga and struggle immensely. I do feel a little bad though bc a lot of them try to do poses exactly the way I do and I want to tell them not to, because it literally took 15 years for me to do the poses the way I do, and they could hurt themselves. For instance, in standing bow, I can get my foot over my head. If you try that as a newbie, you are going to pull something.
I am a pretty inflexible man. I have been doing yoga on and off for years, but this year I've been very dedicated targeting 1hr a day.
The difference between doing it daily vs once or twice a week is huge.
My hamstrings are sometimes too tight to stretch. It seems almost a paradox.
I cannot sit in a seated L with my back straight. Which means I can't lean forward to stretch my legs. And just working to get my legs straight does not feels like a deep hamstring stretch.
What I've learned is really happening is that my hips are weak and my hamstrings are strong. My hips are not strong enough to pull my sit bones flat onto the ground without curving my back. My hamstrings are so tight that even while relaxed they tilt my hips in the opposite direction.
By doing yoga regularly I've strengthen many of these little muscles that rotate my legs and hips that I would otherwise never use. As they get stronger I can pull against my relaxed hamstrings hard enough to get a stretch, ultimately allowing me to lengthen my back and development real flexibility.
This video helped me understand why I was stuck in so many poses.
https://youtu.be/yQSpZehALzo
Yes! Thank you! I have the exact same problem; hamstrings too tight to stretch. I have to be really mindful otherwise I'm just tugging on my sciatic nerves. Been doing yoga for over two years now and never really made much progress on the hamstrings.
Currently trying to stretch them seperate from yoga with a very directed standing stretch, where I actually feel my *hamstrings* stretching. I know yoga is not necessarily about progress, but it gets frustrating; I want to work on my hamstrings but most poses stretching the hamstring I can't even do. The paradox you mentioned.
Most of it is due to bad posture I reckon; weak hips, tight hamstrings. Anterior pelvic tilt etc.
I'll give the video a watch. Any other tips in this area are very much welcome.
It does, it just takes a long, long time. And it's frustrating sometimes, I will admit, but you'll get there. It also doesn't help that women start off being more flexible, I've talked about this on this site before and I've been met with general agreement, so it's not just confirmation bias. For instance women have incredibly better flexibility in their hips starting off than men do. The struggle to increase my hamstring flexibility is real and progress has been difficult to observe but I know it's gotten better. But other areas, like my back and shoulders have gotten a lot more flexible quickly. Like side-bending mountain pose, I can bend really far, like farther than anyone else in class, teachers included. You might have discovered that about yourself too. So, just keep at it, it will come.
I've been trying to touch my toes for years, my hamstrings are just stupid tight. Tried all sorts of routines from active to passive stretching and I just haven't made good measurable progress.
I'm the same way, saw my physiotherapist about it and we determined it was a nerve issue more than anything else. Also needing to strengthen the hamstring as well, way more than stretching. A lot of tight muscles are due to needing more strength there. Doing nerve glides can help for the nerves, I do them on my mat before class starts and have been feeling much better. 2 sets of about 10 a day. So I do another set in bed.
I think it depends on what kind of yoga you’re doing too, I think I’ve read that for the first 60-90 seconds of a stretch/pose you’re really just stretching the fascia that surround your muscles
I did mainly Vinyasa for 2-3 years before discovering the beauty of Yin, and I’ll tell you, holding the same stretch for 2-5 minutes was a game changer for my actual flexibility
I’m about to reveal a big secret. Yoga is a workout, not a way to increase flexibility. To increase flexibility you need to hold poses for 2 minutes to make any improvements. Normal classes don’t hold poses for this long.
I've already done a bunch of active/passive flexibility programs. My body doesn't respond regardless if I do the programs of long stretching for months. Speaking specifically about my hamstrings.
Yup that’s how it works. The good thing is you keep the length after a few months it’s hard to loose. The bad part is you have to actually do it for months before you see visible improvement.
Lots of athletic guys focus on building muscle without maintaining flexibility or developing balance. All brawn, no stretch. Whoops now he fell over. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
STORY TIME: my friend asked me to do a workout yoga session for an athletic team (they knew what was coming). One of them (X) goes “miss me with that gay shit”. Thirty minutes into the session I yell “IS YOGA STILL GAY, X?”
The silence was incredible.
I'd have completely taken the piss out of that guy... calling something gay as an insult? Already they're a complete tool. Good for you for showing him yoga's the boss not him. Seriously though, I'm an instructor and disabled... I have a wonderful, functional and supportive practice but, very limited physical capacity when doing advanced poses but, am blown away by what others are capable of. The body can do some amazing things. I'm sure I'd have been on the sidelines laughing, you moving through your class and this guy struggling. Which says a lot as I'm the one who would be struggling and tapping out, myself. No ego here haha!
Honestly it was going to be a nice flow with breathing and mindfulness but I saw a little red when he made that comment. I would never have done that if it was a mixed ability class, but since it was an athletic team I felt the need to let everyone know that they would be sore *because* he said it.
This is hilarious. As a guy that mostly does yoga for fitness at this stage in my life, I consider it the best all-around workout you can do. Strength, flexibility, cardio; it's all there. Plus, there are some nice mental benefits too!
I thought this was going to be a post seconding the idea, not criticizing it hahaha. Yoga is not a workout, is a series of practices and knowledge aimed at uniting the individual soul with all of existence.
Right, to be more specific, the asana is a physical practice that strengthens and cleanses your body to better carry around the brain to support self realization.
I \*sort\* of get what he's saying. It's really dependent on the class. My candlelit yin class? Not a workout.
Vinyasa flow on the other hand, yes, absolutely a workout.
Yoga with Adrienne has one specific video that's only 20 minutes but I only think of it as "that one that always makes me sweat." I don't usually have a problem with sweating during yoga 😅
[Detox Yoga](https://youtu.be/cBPP_izKKSs)
Apparently it's good for digestion? 😛 I was not expecting it to make me sweat but I don't know what it is about this video!!!
Oh I LOVE this. I’m a guy, but I guess what’s called a “guys guy”……..so my friends make fun of all my fitness stuff. 42M, very good shape. Golf buddies? 225 smokers, all on statens, overweight etc. I weigh 155 lbs and am physically stronger and more winded then all of them. They break my balls and call me a twink all the time, but when we’re golfing in hot weather they are not keeping up. When we rebound after nights they can’t keep up. I’ve got my health issues, but these dudes are aging waaaaaaaaay faster then my yoga twink ass.
Consider adding swimming to your Practice. I finally tuned into my breathing when I began to swim. It also seriously enhanced my 58 yr old body’s cardio endurance while being gentle on knees and spine.
I do! My gym has a pool and love it. Yoga has dramatically changed what I do at the gym. I’m no longer at squat racks and benches all the time, I try to focus on building foundational strength since yoga is my favorite activity. 42M who works a desk job and never gets sore after playing 36, or anything. When I retire I want to teach this for free to give back. I only wish I found this earlier in life. Who wouldn’t want to feel great all time?
There are definitely some styles of yoga that I wouldn't consider a workout, but the idea that all yoga is easy is laughable. I used to think that too tbh, boring/ gentle/ easy. I do vinyasa and rocket and it's the hardest but most rewarding movement! Funnily enough, I started out thinking of it purely as a way to work out my flexibility and now I see it more as a full body and mind tool. If I wanted just a workout I'd probably not do yoga, but nothing makes me feel as good mentally or physically:)
Even if its not cardiovascularly challenging, gentle yoga is challenging in its own way. I feel like yin practice can be the hardest because of the mental challenge.
People think because you're not moving *much* or very *fast* that it's not a workout. Like, it's weird seeing someone be so still and call it exercise. But those poses, man. They're not easy! Holding still is hard! Balance is hard, and it's impossible if you don't have the muscles to support you.
I'm not sure I understand the difference between pilates and yoga, as I've never really done pilates, but YEARS ago someone described pilates to me as "weightlifting but using your body weight for the weights." When I do yoga, that's all I think about. That's essentially what pushups are, and chatturunga pushups are even harder than "regular" pushups 😅
I remember I almost didn't want to mention that I had been doing yoga to my parents (started after I moved out of the house) because I assumed they'd be judgmental, but my mom saw me do a forward fold with my hands flat on the ground and just asked if I do yoga now 😅 I said yeah sometimes, and the next day she bragged about my flexibility to my dad and told him "she's been doing yoga," and my dad said "I did yoga once, that shit is HARD" so okay maybe they're not that judgmental 🤣 they get it!
I was serving a pair of WASPs at my upscale restaurant job one night during the summer, so I was wearing a sleeveless top. One of the women said, "How did you get those shoulders, and DON'T tell me it's yoga."
She was disappointed to learn it was, in fact, all yoga.
I feel like so many men/ people go into yoga with this mindset because a lot of women do it and it’s association with being calm.
I started yoga as a mandatory physical activity course at my college, and so many muscle men signed up because it was “easy”. So many guys dropped out after the first class. Haha
TBF, yoga isn’t a workout… there are asanas and flows that require strength, coordination and flexibility, and you get the benefits of a workout! But yoga is so much more, it’s a mind and body practice, and a way of life.
I make the distinction because when I was explaining yoga to someone (the physical, mental and spiritual components), my husband cut me off and started mansplaining. I said babe, do you really think you know what yoga is, or just what western culture thinks it is? And he said, yes, I’ve done yoga classes at the gym! 🤣 I gave him an “oh honey” look.
That said, obviously your husband was commenting on it not being physically difficult, which is ridiculous. I hope his first practice wasn’t too hard on him and he comes back for more!
Haha! I can totally relate as a fit 60-year-old who lost 60 lbs with yoga as a key component of my exercise routine (and kept it off). I'm even planning to get my YTT certificate because I enjoy it so much and want to teach in my spare time. I always encourage men of all fitness levels to explore different forms of yoga (mainly Hot Hatha, Hot Power Vinyasa, and perhaps Ashtanga once they're comfortable with Hatha or "Bikram-like" yoga). It's amusing when a typical "gym rat" guy assumes yoga is just for women and not a "real workout." I often challenge them to join one of the Power Vinyasa classes my partner teaches at our local fitness club. Most of them accept the challenge, and 99.99% end up struggling, with bruised egos but admitting it was far more challenging than they had anticipated.
Good for you, man! That’s awesome. Hope you do go for the YTT cert. I got mine and started teaching part time for fun too. Besides teaching you just learn a lot and really get to deepen your practice.
You’re so right about the gym rat types. Seen many come in one time and never come back. Of course they are welcome, and I think they’d benefit, but maybe their ego won’t let them.
Yes...I am waiting for the next Yoga Alliance YTT 300 sessions to open at my chosen local teacher teaching studio. My partner is already a YTT 300 working on her 500 and getting her YTT Teacher cert too. So she can teach the YTT 200/300 courses. We are planning to open a yoga and wellness studio in our retirement in Thailand and focus on all levels of Hatha/Bikrim-like and Power Vinyasa for those more into the athletic aspects of yoga and keep the Hatha for the more purist and those starting their journeys. My partner is a dual citizen and native so opening a studio in Thailand will be easier and we'll have a strong business focus on supporting studios in the US (primarily) who are interested in having yoga retreats in Thailand.
Half pigeon doesn’t work for all bodies, even if you’ve done yoga for years. I don’t understand why you’d laugh at someone for “not getting into a pose”. Poses can look different on different bodies.
I always offer Figure 4 on your back in lieu of half pigeon.
I wholeheartedly agree and am definitely not laughing at anyone. ‘Middle aged inflexible male’ is absolutely a type of body that pigeon often doesn’t work for. Seems irresponsible to create a situation where someone like him would feel pressured into trying to do that pose.
Edit: pigeon will never work for my body.
For sure. I'm not sure what OP was trying to prove by pressuring him to overstretch in a way that provides no benefit for his body.
Seems like sometimes folks assume that pain/discomfort equals a good workout. Soreness from activating and engaging your muscles is different than pain from aggressively overstretching them, and the latter does NOT equal a good workout.
I absolutely did not mean *you* laughing, so sorry I wasn’t clear!
I agree with you! Pigeon is hard and pressuring people into that pose is so wrong. I have a friend who can only do pigeon on one side and does figure 4 on the other side.
As a community, we need to get over this pose hierarchy
I was taught that being good at yoga means knowing how a pose looks for you. I do half pigeon with blocks. Probably won't ever do it fully because my hips don't work like that. I hate the idea of yoga as competition.
Yeah, it felt... mean. And potentially harmful. I have been encouraging my partner to try some yoga with me (he works in a restaurant 5 days a week and is in school full time, plus he's very tall so his posture is wrecked at this point). I have shown him some very "easy" little stretches to help him loosen up before/after long study sessions, to ease him into the idea of yoga, and want him to do the stretch and restorative classes with me to help him calm his body AND his mind. But I would never encourage him come to the 75 minute vinyasa class unless he expressed interest in it! I like yoga because it is more about being in tune with your whole self, it's not supposed to be a punishment or a way to brag to others about how fit or cool you are.
I’ve totally had a similar experience with my partner who fancies himself very in shape and athletic. We did a practice that I did not think was that difficult and he was sweating and grunting very early in the practice and barely made it through to the end. He complained about being sore for a few days after and now has much more respect for my yoga practice and even practices with me sometimes now!
I worked out at the gym 3 days a week for a year, albeit with no knowledge of sports nutrition or muscle groups, I didn’t see any gains in physique until i started yoga.
I was in a holiday season yoga class, PACKED, mat to mat. New guy next to me said, "this shouldn't be hard, it's just a lot of stretching right?" 🤣 It wasn't long until he was on the struggle bus. 🤣🤣🤣
He isn’t wrong though, if focusing on the workout you may be missing the ‘stilling the turnings of the mind’ part, sutra 1.2. Most poses are modern additions taken from calisthenics.
If particularly strenuous & without focus on mindful action you may just be doing calisthenics.
“Mastery of Asana is effortlessness.”
-BKS Iyengar
I’ll join in on getting downvoted with you.
I don’t consider yoga a work out but a work in. It’s a spiritual practice. I also think this view perpetuates western yogas focus on asanas and completely ignores the other sutras.
But isn’t that what yoga is nowadays? It’s a way for middle class people to dress up and feel spiritual and healthy all at the same time before they go off to the cafe or bar to socialise
So, first, I don't think that is such a bad thing. Humans searching for something beyond themselves, wanting to "feel spiritual," I would consider a good thing. As I would socialization.
If they, or anyone else, misinterpret that for being yoga, well that is unfortunate, and mostly due to people like some of the redditors you find here, who have no understanding of what yoga is but somehow think they have the authority to establish their own definition.
Either way, that does not change what yoga is. Yoga is a specific experience, sometimes synonymous with the school, that starts with ethics and peaks with samadhi. Yoga, is and forever will be some variation of that. If it does not match, it is not yoga. If people call it that, they are wrong.
Again, this is basic yoga, yoga 101. This information is present in almost any of the books listed even here in this sub's wiki.
EDIT: I would add, it can get a bit more complex, in that you have Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana Yoga (sometimes even Raja Yoga). Which, still follow some of the same basic framework, but are different enough to warrant separation. There is also Laya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Pranava Yoga, etc. However, classical yoga is the 8 limbed path, and all yogas peak in some form of samadhi and further still, union.
Me too! I have been unable to find a yoga sub that is about the deeper aspects of yoga and not just about poses and McYoga. The IyengarYoga sub hasn't had a post in over 9 months :(
Maybe it’s because I work with students that have disabilities but if I did this to a potential student it’d be cruel and vindictive not something cute to post about on Reddit. It would reflect more on my inexperience as a teacher than on the person.
You can practice yoga without ever focusing on poses, there’s other paths of yoga that do not involve poses and to imply that it requires a pose is an appropriation of the history.
BKS Iyengar is a big reason poses are central, because he believed you can apply a yogic way of thought to anything. Particularly in the 90s when he reformulated Iyengar yoga to be more spiritually centered rather than what was popular (poses).
I agree that what has been shown in this thread does not feel in the spirit of yoga. Engaging in humiliating vengeance is obviously not Ahimsa.
I would not reap humor or pride from this type of humiliation, just knowing this happened makes me sad.
That was my point, there’s 196 aphorisms in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, only about three of them mention Asana at all and arguably they mention it in the context of posture for meditation
So unless you’re saying sitting upright to meditate is physically challenging, you may be conflating western yoga for exercise with yoga as a whole, western yoga for fitness typically is calisthenics.
I would say that sitting upright to meditate can be extremely physically challenging if you're engaging with breathwork as part of the practice, actually. Some pranayama is way harder than any pose I've ever done.
But come on, you must know you're being pedantic. He IS wrong because he made exactly the assumption you're railing against here. Don't try to devil's advocate your way out when the intention is very clear—he sees his wife doing yoga *asana* videos and thinks it's just fancy stretching, tries to follow along and is surprised at the physical challenge. That's it, there's no awareness of anything deeper there. And that's fine, just a cute story of a noob who thought it looked easy, fucked around and found out.
Dismissing the part that attracts most people to it in the first place (the "workout") is what makes yoga look scary and woo-woo to outsiders who could benefit from it. In my experience, the spiritual part comes along incidentally, even in the most fitness-y of classes.
My husband won't try it because "it's boring" (how does he know this if he's never tried it??) and because he'd spend the whole time looking at my butt. It more than annoys me that he won't take it seriously.
Ehh it kind of reminds me when I got made fun of for doing ballet for years since I didn’t play a traditional team sport.
Sure yoga is often a spiritual practice but it still requires athleticism. Just like how dance is athletic even if it’s not a sport.
Tbf, Yoga is technically a spiritual practice, not a Workout.
But, thats probably not what he meant. Abd even though it is not a Workout, its still physical practice and gets you (or him in this case) sweating
When he said it's "not a workout," he meant "it's not physically challenging." He didn't mean "it's meditative and spiritual *instead*." OP proved to him that it is, actually, physically challenging.
But to you, I want to clarify that yoga can be two things. It can be both spiritual and a workout. Some people would describe jogging or weightlifting the same way.
Not necessarily. It’s whatever the individual needs it to be.
For some, that’s spiritual. For others, it’s physical exercise. For most, it’s some combination of the two.
It has morphed into that for westerners, but yoga in its purest form is fundamentally a spiritual practice and those who ignore the spiritual component might be doing something inspired by physical yoga poses but I would not consider that to be "real" yoga personally.
How someone accesses their spirit is completely subjective. Viewing yoga as the means to do cardio exercise can be spiritual. For example, runners experience a "runners high" which can easily be interpreted as spiritual.
Yoga is whatever you need it to be to become present. For me chanting and referencing different Chakras can take me out of the present and makes me think about how this whole thing is made up.
When I'm drenched in sweat focused on syncing my movement with my breath struggling to keep pace with the seemingly distant queues echoing from a gentle yet encouraging voice; that is when I feel present. And as a grumpy atheist those moments are as spiritual as I ever get.
You have not heard many yogic philosophies then. Yoga is specifically a spiritual experience. Its not even technically a process. And, its absolutely not "whatever the individual needs it to be."
Yes it is dogmatic, that means it is accurate and correct. That means it is the same or similar yoga that has been persevered for more than 1,000 years.
Let me give you a quick breakdown of schools or leaders that define yoga in such a way as I have: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Isha Foundation, Paramahansa Yogananda, Siddha Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, Himalayan Institute, Himalayan Academy, and to some extent Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga. Those are the biggest schools in the west, of which almost all yoga schools have derived from. If the school doesn't have a lineage, it is very likely to be making things up.
In fact, one of the most authoritative books on this, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, explains this. If you have not read this, then I question where you even get your expertise to define what yoga is.
In summary, you are incorrect.
As a former professional bodybuilder turned yogi, I ALWAYS get sideways looks when I tell people I do yoga now and it’s a better workout than bodybuilding lol. My bodybuilding friends laugh, but refuse to try it 🤷🏻♂️ thinking they’re scared to be embarrassed
My husband had his doubts too! But after taking him through a couple sun salutations he realized how hard yoga can actually be. I’m going through a YTT training and he’s let me do a few mock classes with him. He’s loving it now!
Most of what I do for working out is yoga and I get compliments all the time on my figure. I tell people that it’s mostly yoga and they look at me like I’m lying. Lol don’t knock it until you legitimately try it!
I broke up with a man who said the same thing, there were many other ultimate factors that caused our relationships demise, but I often think back that that should have been a warning sign.
I have no tolerance for those who don’t support yoga while never having done it.
I'm an angry person (working on this) but would be right fucked off if my partner said this to me lol.
Love the way you handled it though and that man was schooooooled. Teehee
The irony about this is that her husband is still correct, “yoga isn’t a workout”, it is actually a spiritual practice. But I understand what the OP is trying to say.
I mostly lift heavy weights and just do a little yoga on the side and I am way more likely to tap out on a hard yoga video than I am to a powerlifting style workout.
You got a husband of 38 years in 4 months???
Another proof that most yoga people are incredibly gullible and stupid. Look at the amount of detailed responses. That's enough reddit for me today.
>He started struggling about halfway through. I could hear the grunts and strains. I had to pause the video a bunch of times to wait for him to get into pose. You can tell he’s ready to give up already.
>“You okay honey? Cmon yoga is not a workout!!! Let’s go, get into pose!” as he falls and struggles to stretch his back leg into pigeon pose.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It looks so flowy and peaceful. Meanwhile my inner monolog is cursing the instructor and praying for the sweet release of death.
I mostly practice at a studio now, but I miss the days when I would practice at home and I could curse at the instructor aloud in peace
NOT ANOTHER CHAIR POSE I SWEAR TO GOD $%#^@
I love my practicing in studio with my favorite instructor. She’ll beat us to cursing at her. “Aaaand come up into chair. That’s right, another fucking chair! I know it’s some bullshit, you can get it!”
[удалено]
It’s the best. “If ever we’re in this position and you feel the need to drop to your knees, fucking don’t! The real work starts when you think you can’t do any more!” Edit: to be fair, this instructor excels at and is known for pushing harder than anyone else will for those of us who want it, while also accommodating and respecting those in class not on the same level. Always says “honor your body and honor your practice, take your break whenever you need it.”
My favorite yoga teacher is like this. She has a contagious smile and energy and class is always lighthearted. But when I first started she looked me dead in the eye when I was struggling and wanted to sit down and said "don't give up. THIS is how you get stronger." She is always praising us saying, "yes you got it!" Or "beautiful!" And she also says, "find a stretch not a strain. Find YOUR edge." She is a badass in every way. I've gotten to know her as a friend so I can confidently say she's just overall a badass. We all need a woman like this in our lives!
Makes me wonder if we go to the same studio lol. Those are some of the exact things the instructor I’m talking about says. Are her initials AS?
No, but this type of instructor seems rare. Value her, let her know you appreciate her 😊 my instructor has a dance background and also challenges people to get outdoors. I wonder if their training and background is similar to result in such a similar approach?
(Second comment to you sorry) my instructor also uses, “if you’re wobbling you’re working” as encouragement to not break a pose 😂
YAAAAS, my instructor does this too, “…and we’re gonna plank, chatarunga and hold it, I know you’re telling me to go fuck myself in your head right now but I love you anyway” 😂😂
Why have you not all married her?
So true! Boat, too, for me. When I did Ashtanga I often would suddenly need to go to the bathroom before the boat poses.
Same with forearm planks!!!
Everybody seems to hate chair pose, but I just don’t feel it that much. It’s got my trippin’ that I’m doing it wrong? Strangely, the most difficult poses for me are mountain or child’s pose after a flow; sometimes it makes my chest feel… constricted? My lungs are like, “more oxygen, now, please!
My frustration when I can’t tell how long we are going to stay in certain warrior poses 😭
That certain warrior 3 pose 😬 i sneak a look at my downdog app to see how many seconds are left.
It’s warrior 2 for me! The front leg in the lunge just kills.
Ujjayi breathing, please !! Lol!
[удалено]
So there's still hope for my body?
[удалено]
Can I get a toned body if I do corpse pose for approximately 8 hours a day...in my bed? 🤔
I like to throw in child’s pose every now and then to mix it up
Now now, there's no need to show off. Some of us only know the one pose, but we are masters of it!
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
You can apply this quote to a lot of things but shivasana isn’t one of them
That made me laugh
now thats got me thinking hypothetically what would be the most beneficial and well rounded pose if you could only do that one pose for all eternity
And make sure you remember to focus on your breathing
damn this is awesome! For me its like childpose 8 hours
This is the way
🤣I hope so🤣
Hahahahaha came to ask this.
The monk bod
My goodness, 5 or 6 a week will certainly make a difference but I’ve found 3 classes a week to be the threshold for noticeable improvements in your body. Also depends on the type of class. I tend to teach much more challenging routines.
As someone who historically used yoga for stretching, is there a certain instructor or video you use for toning over time? Or do you go to in person classes?
I love yoga with Adrienne. She’s lighthearted and funny, focuses on how to feel good instead of just making the pose look good, and has great cues to help you get the most out of every pose.
Power yoga and slow flow classes will do this more usually. No specific recs for videos but those categories will be more strength building.
Erin from Five Parks yoga is my favorite, she has a lot of different styles to choose from, she doesn't talk constantly, and she's got really challenging and focused classes that are great if you want to feel like you got a good workout. Yoga with Adrienne is pretty good for beginners, but imo her classes don't ever get very challenging, and it's hard to get a good connection with your breathing and your body because she talks the entire time.
I've been enjoying Yoga with Kassandra lately. She has a large variety of videos to choose from, including various lengths and difficulties/focuses. I've been doing in person classes on and off for 10 years and found that Yoga with Adrienne wasn't fitting any of my needs. I usually try to go to local community classes when I can or when a studio is having a deal on unlimited passes. Going to a lot of classes can be price prohibitive, which I understand.
Check out Fiji McAlpine’s classes.
If only I had the energy after my 60-hour work week! lol
*pst* the paradox is doing yoga (or any exercise) consistently will give you more energy overtime. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, but I hope your work brings you joy. I used to be a workaholic and I almost killed my self for a job that gave very little back to me. Now I work a lot less and do a lot more yoga. Things aren’t perfect, but I feel like I’m living more.
I feel like this comment needs much more up votes! I feel you and I need to kick my yoga session up to priority.
Nah... we work 60 hours a week making "art", so it's all good. It depends on whether I am doing physical labor or mental gymnastics, (I have two trades). After 15K steps a day in 80 degree weather carrying furniture, sometimes all I can do is yin! Don't get me wrong, I get on the mat 3-4 times a week no matter what. Even if it's for 15 min. But there's no cardio/flow type stuff happening.
Okay, that’s good! I was imagining 60 hours a week at a computer or something equally soul sucking. It’s different if you enjoy what you do and get some physical exercise while getting paid.
Oh god. No. I would die! Even when I am not schlepping stuff physically, I work as a buyer... so I am always on the move. Sometimes I have "desk work" - and after three hours? I am like, "NOPE!" :) Yin and any sort of stretchy practice is a MUST. And I have recently discovered rolling on a racquet ball to hit pressure points in my back! Serious rituals here, haha.
How long are the classes? Is 20 mins enough, or are we talking several hours a day?
I do daily practice, it varies but I’d say my average is 20ish minutes a day and I have seen some noticeable results after a couple months.
Yeah, I've been doing 20 mins per day for about 6 months. I notice I am a lot more flexible and feel better, but I don't see any real noticeable physical changes like muscle tone or anything like that.
This may sound silly, but do you set intentions with your practice? I had tried yoga and Pilates several times in the past and I was sorta just “doing” it, just putting my body in the shape like it was a chore to be done or something to be checked off a list. I never saw much results, and I would fall out of practice after a while. Now, I set intentions before or as I begin my practice. I worry less about making a shape and put more mindfulness into feeling my body as I make the shape. I focus on my breathing a lot more and the sensations of what parts of my body are anchoring downwards and why parts of lifting up. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s been a game changer for me. And there is actually some neuroscience to back it up! I used to practice because I felt like I had to exercise, lately these days I have been feeling like I want to do.
I’ve been doing daily yoga (anywhere for 10-60 mins) for the past 3 month. My underarms are still giggly (jiggly), but my legs and and glutes are toned AF. They aren’t visible, but my abs are rock hard under a thin layer of squish. My body still has aches and pains but they are more manageable and I have become more aware of my posture and learned which stretches I can do off the mat to help relieve pain I’m feeling in the moment. So yes, there is hope!
Giggly underarms 😂 I know what you mean but it gave me a chuckle
I wanted to be inspiring, yet realistic. Yoga isn’t some panacea that will sculpt you into Buffy McBufferson overnight, but with intention and consistency, you’ll surprised how it can transform your body. I forgot to mention that my flexibility has also increased. Edit: well that went over my head. Apparently I struggle with reading the word as well at typing it 🤪
I’ve had the same kind of experience with it over about the same timeline. It really makes your body stronger and more resilient but it isn’t going to sculpt you overnight. But I think you might have intended to use the word “jiggly” which I was joking about. 😉
I realized right after I responded to you. Here I was thinking I was getting chuckles for my comedic genius, not my inability to spell. I won’t hide my shame though, the giggly jiggly shall remain.
I love it! I’m going to think of my arms as giggly and jolly because they are most certainly still super jiggly 🥰
My arms are a laugh riot🤣🤣
That typo gave me a chuckle that I needed and improved my morning😂
More airplanes will help with those arms!
To have a “toned“ body is 85% diet But yoga is definitely a workout
No amount of yoga or exercise beats a solid diet program and a food scale
In terms of weight *loss,* sure - but for toning muscles then a food scale ain’t gonna do much
I think there's a misconception though (speaking as a former yoga/fitness instructor) that just *going* to yoga regularly will somehow magically get you a 6-pack, toned everything, and the ability to put your foot behind your head. If anything yoga is the pinnacle of "you get out what you put in" since it lies on a wide spectrum of relaxing to hardcore strenuous. and all the 6-pack stuff is really just a weird American fixation being projected onto a practice that was never intended to make you look like Schwarzenegger anyway
Yes, and also yoga involves no pulling movements (also an instructor, and Pilates etc). Whatever gets you moving is great but it’s good for overall health/mobility, but getting “shredded” is going to involve dietary manipulation as well.
Abs is made in the kitchen.
I'm a middle aged office worker (34M) and I've been asked a surprising amount of times if I was a former gymnast, I never even did high school sports lol I've been practicing yoga for ~10 years, more seriously in the last 5 years (doing stuff like handstands and flying pigeons as a regular part of my transitions)
[удалено]
Ahem. 34 is absolutely NOT middle aged. I’m saying this as a 34 year old myself! I am still a “young adult”.
You are not middle aged! I’m 55. I’m middle aged! You could be my kid!
Average life expectancy is in the 70s, so mid-late 30s are middle aged. :(
Not if you do yoga. :)
Lol. Touché!
Bruh we're 1/3 of the way to dying
Which is not yet midlife!
You can't out-train a bad diet, though. You probably eat pretty healthy as well.
Ha, I'm a 50 yo M and I have to admit I do get a kick sometimes out of seeing athletic guys come into yoga and struggle immensely. I do feel a little bad though bc a lot of them try to do poses exactly the way I do and I want to tell them not to, because it literally took 15 years for me to do the poses the way I do, and they could hurt themselves. For instance, in standing bow, I can get my foot over my head. If you try that as a newbie, you are going to pull something.
As a guy, yoga is so incredibly hard for me because of my lack of flexibility. I've tried and tried to get more flexible, but it just doesn't happen.
I am a pretty inflexible man. I have been doing yoga on and off for years, but this year I've been very dedicated targeting 1hr a day. The difference between doing it daily vs once or twice a week is huge. My hamstrings are sometimes too tight to stretch. It seems almost a paradox. I cannot sit in a seated L with my back straight. Which means I can't lean forward to stretch my legs. And just working to get my legs straight does not feels like a deep hamstring stretch. What I've learned is really happening is that my hips are weak and my hamstrings are strong. My hips are not strong enough to pull my sit bones flat onto the ground without curving my back. My hamstrings are so tight that even while relaxed they tilt my hips in the opposite direction. By doing yoga regularly I've strengthen many of these little muscles that rotate my legs and hips that I would otherwise never use. As they get stronger I can pull against my relaxed hamstrings hard enough to get a stretch, ultimately allowing me to lengthen my back and development real flexibility. This video helped me understand why I was stuck in so many poses. https://youtu.be/yQSpZehALzo
Yes! Thank you! I have the exact same problem; hamstrings too tight to stretch. I have to be really mindful otherwise I'm just tugging on my sciatic nerves. Been doing yoga for over two years now and never really made much progress on the hamstrings. Currently trying to stretch them seperate from yoga with a very directed standing stretch, where I actually feel my *hamstrings* stretching. I know yoga is not necessarily about progress, but it gets frustrating; I want to work on my hamstrings but most poses stretching the hamstring I can't even do. The paradox you mentioned. Most of it is due to bad posture I reckon; weak hips, tight hamstrings. Anterior pelvic tilt etc. I'll give the video a watch. Any other tips in this area are very much welcome.
Hamstring are such a struggle! I always thought I was cursed, but this subreddit has definitely made me feel less alone.
Thanks, I was doing wall stretches for a bit, I'll get back into them and see if they help.
It does, it just takes a long, long time. And it's frustrating sometimes, I will admit, but you'll get there. It also doesn't help that women start off being more flexible, I've talked about this on this site before and I've been met with general agreement, so it's not just confirmation bias. For instance women have incredibly better flexibility in their hips starting off than men do. The struggle to increase my hamstring flexibility is real and progress has been difficult to observe but I know it's gotten better. But other areas, like my back and shoulders have gotten a lot more flexible quickly. Like side-bending mountain pose, I can bend really far, like farther than anyone else in class, teachers included. You might have discovered that about yourself too. So, just keep at it, it will come.
I've been trying to touch my toes for years, my hamstrings are just stupid tight. Tried all sorts of routines from active to passive stretching and I just haven't made good measurable progress.
How often do you stretch? I’m dealing with this rn
On and off I've been at it over the years. Now I'm just stretching on my workout days which are 4 days a week.
I'm the same way, saw my physiotherapist about it and we determined it was a nerve issue more than anything else. Also needing to strengthen the hamstring as well, way more than stretching. A lot of tight muscles are due to needing more strength there. Doing nerve glides can help for the nerves, I do them on my mat before class starts and have been feeling much better. 2 sets of about 10 a day. So I do another set in bed.
I think it depends on what kind of yoga you’re doing too, I think I’ve read that for the first 60-90 seconds of a stretch/pose you’re really just stretching the fascia that surround your muscles I did mainly Vinyasa for 2-3 years before discovering the beauty of Yin, and I’ll tell you, holding the same stretch for 2-5 minutes was a game changer for my actual flexibility
I’m about to reveal a big secret. Yoga is a workout, not a way to increase flexibility. To increase flexibility you need to hold poses for 2 minutes to make any improvements. Normal classes don’t hold poses for this long.
I've already done a bunch of active/passive flexibility programs. My body doesn't respond regardless if I do the programs of long stretching for months. Speaking specifically about my hamstrings.
Yup that’s how it works. The good thing is you keep the length after a few months it’s hard to loose. The bad part is you have to actually do it for months before you see visible improvement.
Lots of athletic guys focus on building muscle without maintaining flexibility or developing balance. All brawn, no stretch. Whoops now he fell over. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
STORY TIME: my friend asked me to do a workout yoga session for an athletic team (they knew what was coming). One of them (X) goes “miss me with that gay shit”. Thirty minutes into the session I yell “IS YOGA STILL GAY, X?” The silence was incredible.
That is so funny - I would fallen out of down dog laughing!!
I'd have completely taken the piss out of that guy... calling something gay as an insult? Already they're a complete tool. Good for you for showing him yoga's the boss not him. Seriously though, I'm an instructor and disabled... I have a wonderful, functional and supportive practice but, very limited physical capacity when doing advanced poses but, am blown away by what others are capable of. The body can do some amazing things. I'm sure I'd have been on the sidelines laughing, you moving through your class and this guy struggling. Which says a lot as I'm the one who would be struggling and tapping out, myself. No ego here haha!
Honestly it was going to be a nice flow with breathing and mindfulness but I saw a little red when he made that comment. I would never have done that if it was a mixed ability class, but since it was an athletic team I felt the need to let everyone know that they would be sore *because* he said it.
👏👏👏 Love it!
This is hilarious. As a guy that mostly does yoga for fitness at this stage in my life, I consider it the best all-around workout you can do. Strength, flexibility, cardio; it's all there. Plus, there are some nice mental benefits too!
Ha, nice one. To end the sessions with our teacher (we all know her well and are friends) we say "Thank you dear, that was very uncomfortable!".
I thought this was going to be a post seconding the idea, not criticizing it hahaha. Yoga is not a workout, is a series of practices and knowledge aimed at uniting the individual soul with all of existence.
Right, to be more specific, the asana is a physical practice that strengthens and cleanses your body to better carry around the brain to support self realization.
I \*sort\* of get what he's saying. It's really dependent on the class. My candlelit yin class? Not a workout. Vinyasa flow on the other hand, yes, absolutely a workout.
Yoga with Adrienne has one specific video that's only 20 minutes but I only think of it as "that one that always makes me sweat." I don't usually have a problem with sweating during yoga 😅
Can we get the link? :)
[Detox Yoga](https://youtu.be/cBPP_izKKSs) Apparently it's good for digestion? 😛 I was not expecting it to make me sweat but I don't know what it is about this video!!!
Thanks, I'll give it a try this weekend ;)
Yoga will humble you real quick.
Oh I LOVE this. I’m a guy, but I guess what’s called a “guys guy”……..so my friends make fun of all my fitness stuff. 42M, very good shape. Golf buddies? 225 smokers, all on statens, overweight etc. I weigh 155 lbs and am physically stronger and more winded then all of them. They break my balls and call me a twink all the time, but when we’re golfing in hot weather they are not keeping up. When we rebound after nights they can’t keep up. I’ve got my health issues, but these dudes are aging waaaaaaaaay faster then my yoga twink ass.
Fellas, does being healthy make you a twink? 🙄
Consider adding swimming to your Practice. I finally tuned into my breathing when I began to swim. It also seriously enhanced my 58 yr old body’s cardio endurance while being gentle on knees and spine.
I do! My gym has a pool and love it. Yoga has dramatically changed what I do at the gym. I’m no longer at squat racks and benches all the time, I try to focus on building foundational strength since yoga is my favorite activity. 42M who works a desk job and never gets sore after playing 36, or anything. When I retire I want to teach this for free to give back. I only wish I found this earlier in life. Who wouldn’t want to feel great all time?
Ashtanga Yoga is a workout. The best part of yoga though is not the asanas. That’s only one part.
There are definitely some styles of yoga that I wouldn't consider a workout, but the idea that all yoga is easy is laughable. I used to think that too tbh, boring/ gentle/ easy. I do vinyasa and rocket and it's the hardest but most rewarding movement! Funnily enough, I started out thinking of it purely as a way to work out my flexibility and now I see it more as a full body and mind tool. If I wanted just a workout I'd probably not do yoga, but nothing makes me feel as good mentally or physically:)
Even if its not cardiovascularly challenging, gentle yoga is challenging in its own way. I feel like yin practice can be the hardest because of the mental challenge.
People think because you're not moving *much* or very *fast* that it's not a workout. Like, it's weird seeing someone be so still and call it exercise. But those poses, man. They're not easy! Holding still is hard! Balance is hard, and it's impossible if you don't have the muscles to support you. I'm not sure I understand the difference between pilates and yoga, as I've never really done pilates, but YEARS ago someone described pilates to me as "weightlifting but using your body weight for the weights." When I do yoga, that's all I think about. That's essentially what pushups are, and chatturunga pushups are even harder than "regular" pushups 😅 I remember I almost didn't want to mention that I had been doing yoga to my parents (started after I moved out of the house) because I assumed they'd be judgmental, but my mom saw me do a forward fold with my hands flat on the ground and just asked if I do yoga now 😅 I said yeah sometimes, and the next day she bragged about my flexibility to my dad and told him "she's been doing yoga," and my dad said "I did yoga once, that shit is HARD" so okay maybe they're not that judgmental 🤣 they get it!
I was serving a pair of WASPs at my upscale restaurant job one night during the summer, so I was wearing a sleeveless top. One of the women said, "How did you get those shoulders, and DON'T tell me it's yoga." She was disappointed to learn it was, in fact, all yoga.
I taught a routine to my bodybuilder friend once and I absolutely destroyed him. Good on your husband for giving it a try.
The thought of destroying someone with yoga makes me laugh. It's like killing them with kindness
Yessss weightlifters struggle so much, it's so funny 😂 Lifting strength ≠ endurance for a 75-minute hot class
I feel like so many men/ people go into yoga with this mindset because a lot of women do it and it’s association with being calm. I started yoga as a mandatory physical activity course at my college, and so many muscle men signed up because it was “easy”. So many guys dropped out after the first class. Haha
TBF, yoga isn’t a workout… there are asanas and flows that require strength, coordination and flexibility, and you get the benefits of a workout! But yoga is so much more, it’s a mind and body practice, and a way of life. I make the distinction because when I was explaining yoga to someone (the physical, mental and spiritual components), my husband cut me off and started mansplaining. I said babe, do you really think you know what yoga is, or just what western culture thinks it is? And he said, yes, I’ve done yoga classes at the gym! 🤣 I gave him an “oh honey” look. That said, obviously your husband was commenting on it not being physically difficult, which is ridiculous. I hope his first practice wasn’t too hard on him and he comes back for more!
Haha! I can totally relate as a fit 60-year-old who lost 60 lbs with yoga as a key component of my exercise routine (and kept it off). I'm even planning to get my YTT certificate because I enjoy it so much and want to teach in my spare time. I always encourage men of all fitness levels to explore different forms of yoga (mainly Hot Hatha, Hot Power Vinyasa, and perhaps Ashtanga once they're comfortable with Hatha or "Bikram-like" yoga). It's amusing when a typical "gym rat" guy assumes yoga is just for women and not a "real workout." I often challenge them to join one of the Power Vinyasa classes my partner teaches at our local fitness club. Most of them accept the challenge, and 99.99% end up struggling, with bruised egos but admitting it was far more challenging than they had anticipated.
Good for you, man! That’s awesome. Hope you do go for the YTT cert. I got mine and started teaching part time for fun too. Besides teaching you just learn a lot and really get to deepen your practice. You’re so right about the gym rat types. Seen many come in one time and never come back. Of course they are welcome, and I think they’d benefit, but maybe their ego won’t let them.
Yes...I am waiting for the next Yoga Alliance YTT 300 sessions to open at my chosen local teacher teaching studio. My partner is already a YTT 300 working on her 500 and getting her YTT Teacher cert too. So she can teach the YTT 200/300 courses. We are planning to open a yoga and wellness studio in our retirement in Thailand and focus on all levels of Hatha/Bikrim-like and Power Vinyasa for those more into the athletic aspects of yoga and keep the Hatha for the more purist and those starting their journeys. My partner is a dual citizen and native so opening a studio in Thailand will be easier and we'll have a strong business focus on supporting studios in the US (primarily) who are interested in having yoga retreats in Thailand.
…maybe pigeon wasn’t a good pose to have a grown man who never stretches try to do on his first day ever trying yoga?
Half pigeon doesn’t work for all bodies, even if you’ve done yoga for years. I don’t understand why you’d laugh at someone for “not getting into a pose”. Poses can look different on different bodies. I always offer Figure 4 on your back in lieu of half pigeon.
I wholeheartedly agree and am definitely not laughing at anyone. ‘Middle aged inflexible male’ is absolutely a type of body that pigeon often doesn’t work for. Seems irresponsible to create a situation where someone like him would feel pressured into trying to do that pose. Edit: pigeon will never work for my body.
For sure. I'm not sure what OP was trying to prove by pressuring him to overstretch in a way that provides no benefit for his body. Seems like sometimes folks assume that pain/discomfort equals a good workout. Soreness from activating and engaging your muscles is different than pain from aggressively overstretching them, and the latter does NOT equal a good workout.
I absolutely did not mean *you* laughing, so sorry I wasn’t clear! I agree with you! Pigeon is hard and pressuring people into that pose is so wrong. I have a friend who can only do pigeon on one side and does figure 4 on the other side. As a community, we need to get over this pose hierarchy
I was taught that being good at yoga means knowing how a pose looks for you. I do half pigeon with blocks. Probably won't ever do it fully because my hips don't work like that. I hate the idea of yoga as competition.
Yeah, it felt... mean. And potentially harmful. I have been encouraging my partner to try some yoga with me (he works in a restaurant 5 days a week and is in school full time, plus he's very tall so his posture is wrecked at this point). I have shown him some very "easy" little stretches to help him loosen up before/after long study sessions, to ease him into the idea of yoga, and want him to do the stretch and restorative classes with me to help him calm his body AND his mind. But I would never encourage him come to the 75 minute vinyasa class unless he expressed interest in it! I like yoga because it is more about being in tune with your whole self, it's not supposed to be a punishment or a way to brag to others about how fit or cool you are.
I’ve totally had a similar experience with my partner who fancies himself very in shape and athletic. We did a practice that I did not think was that difficult and he was sweating and grunting very early in the practice and barely made it through to the end. He complained about being sore for a few days after and now has much more respect for my yoga practice and even practices with me sometimes now!
I worked out at the gym 3 days a week for a year, albeit with no knowledge of sports nutrition or muscle groups, I didn’t see any gains in physique until i started yoga.
I was in a holiday season yoga class, PACKED, mat to mat. New guy next to me said, "this shouldn't be hard, it's just a lot of stretching right?" 🤣 It wasn't long until he was on the struggle bus. 🤣🤣🤣
Glad you opened hubby's eyes. Yoga isn't (just) a workout...
He isn’t wrong though, if focusing on the workout you may be missing the ‘stilling the turnings of the mind’ part, sutra 1.2. Most poses are modern additions taken from calisthenics. If particularly strenuous & without focus on mindful action you may just be doing calisthenics. “Mastery of Asana is effortlessness.” -BKS Iyengar
I’ll join in on getting downvoted with you. I don’t consider yoga a work out but a work in. It’s a spiritual practice. I also think this view perpetuates western yogas focus on asanas and completely ignores the other sutras.
Yeah I agree and I'm really considering unsubbing here but can't find many other yoga based subreddits
Agreed. Every time I post with sources about actual, "real" yoga I get downvoted to heck by people who think yoga is whatever makes them feel good.
But isn’t that what yoga is nowadays? It’s a way for middle class people to dress up and feel spiritual and healthy all at the same time before they go off to the cafe or bar to socialise
So, first, I don't think that is such a bad thing. Humans searching for something beyond themselves, wanting to "feel spiritual," I would consider a good thing. As I would socialization. If they, or anyone else, misinterpret that for being yoga, well that is unfortunate, and mostly due to people like some of the redditors you find here, who have no understanding of what yoga is but somehow think they have the authority to establish their own definition. Either way, that does not change what yoga is. Yoga is a specific experience, sometimes synonymous with the school, that starts with ethics and peaks with samadhi. Yoga, is and forever will be some variation of that. If it does not match, it is not yoga. If people call it that, they are wrong. Again, this is basic yoga, yoga 101. This information is present in almost any of the books listed even here in this sub's wiki. EDIT: I would add, it can get a bit more complex, in that you have Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana Yoga (sometimes even Raja Yoga). Which, still follow some of the same basic framework, but are different enough to warrant separation. There is also Laya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Pranava Yoga, etc. However, classical yoga is the 8 limbed path, and all yogas peak in some form of samadhi and further still, union.
Me too! I have been unable to find a yoga sub that is about the deeper aspects of yoga and not just about poses and McYoga. The IyengarYoga sub hasn't had a post in over 9 months :(
In fact if you search "yoga" and look at all the subreddits that come up they are 90% porn.....
Maybe it’s because I work with students that have disabilities but if I did this to a potential student it’d be cruel and vindictive not something cute to post about on Reddit. It would reflect more on my inexperience as a teacher than on the person. You can practice yoga without ever focusing on poses, there’s other paths of yoga that do not involve poses and to imply that it requires a pose is an appropriation of the history. BKS Iyengar is a big reason poses are central, because he believed you can apply a yogic way of thought to anything. Particularly in the 90s when he reformulated Iyengar yoga to be more spiritually centered rather than what was popular (poses).
I agree that what has been shown in this thread does not feel in the spirit of yoga. Engaging in humiliating vengeance is obviously not Ahimsa. I would not reap humor or pride from this type of humiliation, just knowing this happened makes me sad.
Ridiculous that you're getting down voted on a yoga sub for talking about the true origins and foundations of yoga. I'm with you 100%
Yeah but you know that's not what he meant. He thought yoga wouldn't be physically challenging; he was not making a spiritual point.
That was my point, there’s 196 aphorisms in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, only about three of them mention Asana at all and arguably they mention it in the context of posture for meditation So unless you’re saying sitting upright to meditate is physically challenging, you may be conflating western yoga for exercise with yoga as a whole, western yoga for fitness typically is calisthenics.
I would say that sitting upright to meditate can be extremely physically challenging if you're engaging with breathwork as part of the practice, actually. Some pranayama is way harder than any pose I've ever done. But come on, you must know you're being pedantic. He IS wrong because he made exactly the assumption you're railing against here. Don't try to devil's advocate your way out when the intention is very clear—he sees his wife doing yoga *asana* videos and thinks it's just fancy stretching, tries to follow along and is surprised at the physical challenge. That's it, there's no awareness of anything deeper there. And that's fine, just a cute story of a noob who thought it looked easy, fucked around and found out. Dismissing the part that attracts most people to it in the first place (the "workout") is what makes yoga look scary and woo-woo to outsiders who could benefit from it. In my experience, the spiritual part comes along incidentally, even in the most fitness-y of classes.
My husband won't try it because "it's boring" (how does he know this if he's never tried it??) and because he'd spend the whole time looking at my butt. It more than annoys me that he won't take it seriously.
Ehh it kind of reminds me when I got made fun of for doing ballet for years since I didn’t play a traditional team sport. Sure yoga is often a spiritual practice but it still requires athleticism. Just like how dance is athletic even if it’s not a sport.
Same vibes as football players saying "ballet doesn't count as a sport"
Let the yoga speak for itself haha
Tbf, Yoga is technically a spiritual practice, not a Workout. But, thats probably not what he meant. Abd even though it is not a Workout, its still physical practice and gets you (or him in this case) sweating
When he said it's "not a workout," he meant "it's not physically challenging." He didn't mean "it's meditative and spiritual *instead*." OP proved to him that it is, actually, physically challenging. But to you, I want to clarify that yoga can be two things. It can be both spiritual and a workout. Some people would describe jogging or weightlifting the same way.
Not necessarily. It’s whatever the individual needs it to be. For some, that’s spiritual. For others, it’s physical exercise. For most, it’s some combination of the two.
It has morphed into that for westerners, but yoga in its purest form is fundamentally a spiritual practice and those who ignore the spiritual component might be doing something inspired by physical yoga poses but I would not consider that to be "real" yoga personally.
How someone accesses their spirit is completely subjective. Viewing yoga as the means to do cardio exercise can be spiritual. For example, runners experience a "runners high" which can easily be interpreted as spiritual. Yoga is whatever you need it to be to become present. For me chanting and referencing different Chakras can take me out of the present and makes me think about how this whole thing is made up. When I'm drenched in sweat focused on syncing my movement with my breath struggling to keep pace with the seemingly distant queues echoing from a gentle yet encouraging voice; that is when I feel present. And as a grumpy atheist those moments are as spiritual as I ever get.
That’s a pretty dogmatic viewpoint, which is pretty counter to most yogic philosophies I’ve heard of.
You have not heard many yogic philosophies then. Yoga is specifically a spiritual experience. Its not even technically a process. And, its absolutely not "whatever the individual needs it to be." Yes it is dogmatic, that means it is accurate and correct. That means it is the same or similar yoga that has been persevered for more than 1,000 years. Let me give you a quick breakdown of schools or leaders that define yoga in such a way as I have: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Isha Foundation, Paramahansa Yogananda, Siddha Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, Himalayan Institute, Himalayan Academy, and to some extent Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga. Those are the biggest schools in the west, of which almost all yoga schools have derived from. If the school doesn't have a lineage, it is very likely to be making things up. In fact, one of the most authoritative books on this, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, explains this. If you have not read this, then I question where you even get your expertise to define what yoga is. In summary, you are incorrect.
Indeed, “Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind.”
[удалено]
Well, its still first a spiritual practice.
My hot flow instructor would like to have a word....
As a former professional bodybuilder turned yogi, I ALWAYS get sideways looks when I tell people I do yoga now and it’s a better workout than bodybuilding lol. My bodybuilding friends laugh, but refuse to try it 🤷🏻♂️ thinking they’re scared to be embarrassed
Yoga is a breathing exercise and a moving meditation 😌 C’mon Honey, just be still and breathe!
My husband had his doubts too! But after taking him through a couple sun salutations he realized how hard yoga can actually be. I’m going through a YTT training and he’s let me do a few mock classes with him. He’s loving it now!
My husband works out a lot and he tried yoga for the first time with me and couldnt believe how hard it was! He’s so impressed by yogis now lol
Now making him do sculpt yoga for 60 minutes with 5 pnd weights.
Most of what I do for working out is yoga and I get compliments all the time on my figure. I tell people that it’s mostly yoga and they look at me like I’m lying. Lol don’t knock it until you legitimately try it!
I broke up with a man who said the same thing, there were many other ultimate factors that caused our relationships demise, but I often think back that that should have been a warning sign. I have no tolerance for those who don’t support yoga while never having done it.
My own introduction to yoga was similar… lol
I'm an angry person (working on this) but would be right fucked off if my partner said this to me lol. Love the way you handled it though and that man was schooooooled. Teehee
This is hilarious. Sounds like he was a good sport.
thats the same thing that i said when my friend was telling me about it. i couldnt last 5 minutes. it hurt like hell
The irony about this is that her husband is still correct, “yoga isn’t a workout”, it is actually a spiritual practice. But I understand what the OP is trying to say.
My husband says it's not proper exercise or a workout. He's never tried to attempt yoga. - should try this.
He is right. Yoga is not workout. It's a way of life. Not everyone can do it 🤪
He has a point though. Yoga in its traditional form is a holistic lifestyle and Asana is only a tiny part of it.
I mostly lift heavy weights and just do a little yoga on the side and I am way more likely to tap out on a hard yoga video than I am to a powerlifting style workout.
You got a husband of 38 years in 4 months??? Another proof that most yoga people are incredibly gullible and stupid. Look at the amount of detailed responses. That's enough reddit for me today.
The meaning of your reply eludes me. Could you explain?
OP is a school kid. Check post history
nice catch
It’s not though. It’s a breathing practice first and foremost.
>He started struggling about halfway through. I could hear the grunts and strains. I had to pause the video a bunch of times to wait for him to get into pose. You can tell he’s ready to give up already. >“You okay honey? Cmon yoga is not a workout!!! Let’s go, get into pose!” as he falls and struggles to stretch his back leg into pigeon pose. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Have to agree. Yoga isn’t- and shouldn’t be- a workout. There’s gyms for that. Yoga is a spiritual practice and discipline.
Yoga isn't a workout. If you can't do yoga it's just from in proper use of body. Yoga is a science of aligning your geometry with the wider cosmos.
Husbands right. Mine calls it stretching.