Yoga Beginner

Books and Tapes Can Get You Started. Books and tapes are an okay place to start, but if you really want to enjoy and learn about yoga, you want to take class from a qualified instructor. Even if you only go to class once a week, this will go a long way toward making your home study more effective. Shop around. There's a lot of variety in teaching styles. Group classes will be much less expensive than private lessons! Look at community centers and local college extension programs.

Get a yoga mat, some books/DVDs, and some friends!. It's really easy to start learning yoga at home if you have the right books/DVDs/equipment. As far as books go, I'd recommend the Sivananda Guide to Yoga (not sure if that's the EXACT title, but you should be able to find it) because it's really rigorous in describing the poses rather than just giving you a brief explanation. Sometimes it can be hard to motivate at home, so I also suggest getting together a group of friends (make sure you have room) to do yoga sessions together. If there's someone in the group who is more knowledgeable than others, great!

Podcasts. Download yoga podcasts to your iPod. Here is a link to a few videos one of the Wellsphere community members uploaded: http://www.wellsphere.com/personVideoProfile.s?id=15114

Visit your local library. The most inexpensive way to try out new exercise videos is to check them out at your local library. You can sample as many as you want without spending a dime. This way you can decide which style you prefer and if you decide to continue doing yoga at home you'll know which DVD's to invest in.

Yoga at home.. To do a home practice create a space for your practice. perhaps with music, outside or near a window. You can use books and/or dvd's. Another great tool is http://www.yogajournal.com, here you can create and download ideas for your practice. Another great place to practice yoga without paying a fortune is through your local parks and recreation department. Namasté

Having a teacher is best. While it may be more expensive, having a teacher is important when starting yoga. Books and tapes are great, but you may not really understand the poses. Best way to start is to save up for 10 classes so you understand what you are doing, then go for the at home with a video yoga.

i hope you enjoy!. Check out Living Yoga With Padma on TV. That's a great way to start, especially if you want to see how you like yoga before you commit to a class. You can buy her DVDs on her website too: http://www.padmameditation.com/ She comes to Toronto but I bet the workshops fill up fast! That's a great place to start but yoga is most enjoyable in a class. I found a yoga class at my local library that was totally affordable. Unfortunately, it's not offered anymore but I found a local teacher who taught out of her house for very affordable rates. She was an excellent teacher but when she moved, I found another class to take not far from the town I live in. Have a look around; you'll be surprised what you'll find.

A Yoga Teacher is Not Necessarily Better Than a Video. It's actually not necessarily going to be better to just jump into a live yoga class as opposed to starting at home with videos. I started at home with videos a long time ago. That gave me the background and confidence to take a class. So find some beginner's yoga videos and books and you will do fine. The reason why class is not necessarily better is because a lot of classes are *not* for beginners and teachers do not always help you. I was in a sample yoga class a few weeks ago where a woman behind me was literally doing downdog with her hands splayed out to either side and the teacher never caught it. (I had to tell this woman how to do it right.) If there is a beginner's course in your area (meaning, a 6-8 session course just to teach the basics) then definitely take that if it is affordable. Otherwise, paying for yoga classes, when they may not be right for beginners, is not necessarily the best way to go. Videos will be fine to start if you find ones for beginners and follow the instructions.

Hello Brendon.

Is there an easy and cheap way to learn calculus at home? Quantum Physics? Organic Chemistry? It can be done, a foundation can be poured, but the likelihood of "learning" Yoga from books or dvd's alone is remote.

If the student is set on studying at home without the guidance of a well trained teacher then I suggest the book Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health by BKS Iyengar. One can go slowly with that book, use at as a reference in many different ways, and develop some elements of an alignment-based asana practice.

If the student is open-minded enough to consider classes I advocate taking 5-10 classes of some variety at local studios. Take several intro classes. Find a practice and teacher that resonates with you and sign up for some classes. If finances are a problem either make better fiscal choices, manifest the additional funds needed to take your practice seriously, or volunteer a the studio in exchange for classes.

yogatoday.com

Last I checked, the classes were about an hour long and FREE. Most free stuff out there is maybe 25 minutes long, but these are full classes.

I am a beginner at yoga as well. About 6 months ago I purchased & watched a yoga DVD and my 1st observations were (a) if I do this incorrectly I won't receive the full benefit of the asanas (b) if I do this incorrectly, I could really hurt myself. I decided to check out the local studios to see what I could afford and work into my schedule. I have been able to attend one studio class each week and, for me personally, it has helped tremendously. The instructor demonstrates various levels of each pose and will come by and adjust what we are doing during the class. It may sound strange, but I can feel when I'm not doing something right and she can make the most minimal change to the way my leg/arm/body is positioned and things feel different/better. I try to augment my studio class with DVDs during the week. I hope that you find something that works for you! Maybe your local library has DVDs or videos that you could check out for starters.

One of the beautiful aspects of Yoga is that you can practice almost anywhere, with little or no special equipment. Get a Yoga mat, put on some comfy clothes that you can move in and plug in a DVD or watch a cable Yoga program for beginners. I keep "Total Yoga" by Tracey Rich and Ganga White at work - a few of my colleagues and I practice in a conference room at lunch. Just keep in mind, your body is different every day - some days you're more flexible, more energetic, more balanced than others. Do what your body can do on any given day and be gentle and consistent. It pays off in a big way!

Get yourself to some classes, even if it's only 4 or 5. Lot's of yoga studios offer an introductory special, I think I started for 25 bucks for two weeks of unlimited yoga, and you can get in a few beginer's classes in that period.

Learning about fdundations from a teacher and getting in class adjustments and correction is essential to getitng off on the right foot.

Because there's no real investment in equipment, I'd spend at least a little money on going to a class. A good teacher, and one you have the right chemistry with, is very important. That said, you can get all kinds of resources on tv, online, etc. Many local public access stations have a yoga program. I might try that - and it would be free!

Please take some classes. I am an acupuncturist and I see so many patients who choose to practice on their own who end up injured. Don't let this happen to you. Ask around, everyone is doing yoga these days, someone will have a referral for you. And some yoga studios have community classes that cost around $8/session. Thanks.

Tamara ZumMallen

Simple answer, YES.

READ. One of the first tenets of Yoga is svaadhyaya. Svaadhyaya literally means "one's own lesson" or the "study of self" this is commonly interpreted as the study of sacred texts. I would recommend Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Moving Into Stillness by Erich Shiffmann and Yoga Illustrated from Maran Illustrated (free on the web).

VIDEOS. Whether it's a regular television program, a DVD or something on the web. It's good to see how others move into poses BUT remember that the first law of Yoga is do no harm and that means DON'T HURT YOURSELF. If you can't reach your toes in a forward bend, then grab your kneeds instead. Yoga is practicing WITH your body and not trying to force it into some posture it's not ready to try.

FIND A PLACE. You need a place to practice. Hardwood floors are ideal as they provide good traction for your hands and feet (take those socks off!). You might want to buy a practice mat (I saw some at Wal Mart for $12 last night) but it's not required. If you must practice on carpet, do whatever you can to avoid thick shag.

Having said all that, practicing with a group is a marvelous experience; so, if you have the chance, give a class a try. (Some people do live in Yoga free zones...rural Utah being an excellent example.) Oh and keep us posted here!

DVDs are a great way to learn but I highly suggest taking a class with a certified instructor. You can only get so much technique and form from a DVD. A certified yoga teacher can help you adjust poses and give you tips in class that are helpful (plus you have a live person in front of you guiding you and you are able to watch closely).

You can look for classes at your local Y or rec districts. They sometimes offer lower rates (or if you're in high school or college you might be able to take a class through your school).

Absolutely! You can learn yoga as well as the breathing exercises.. This is a nice free yoga e-course contains the yogic asanas with their physiological benefits, plus deep breathing exercises: http://www.yoga-health-beauty-energy.com