Yoga Concerns (zoebird...); this gets long...

[pseudo_vegan]

I included zoe's name in the post just b/c from what I've gathered, she's (you!) a yoga teacher so...yeah anyway...

I really want to do yoga again. I started practicing a couple summers ago, at a newly opened fitness center in my small town (approx. 30K people). I practiced for...almost 4 months, and I adored every minute of it. Since that town has no culture or outside knowledge of ANYTHING (I'm not a fan...can you tell?) the class I attended was fairly small (maybe 10 people at most), and that really helped me to enjoy it more (I'm really self-conscious). One time, one of the instructors called me "The Gumby Girl" b/c I was able to pick up on the poses so quickly :o

Anyway, then I moved out of state to attend school. I didn't have the resources (read: MONEY) to continuing practicing. I tried doing it on my own time at home, but it just wasn't the same feel as a small group of people...I guess. So here it is, more than a year out of practice...I'm still in love with the concept and the doing that *is* yoga. And not that I have the money now really (I was looking around at different places here), but I'm really willing to budget it somehow so that I can do it because I enjoy it so.

So here are some of my "concerns", if you will, because I'm always a chicken...

1.) As stated, I've been out of practice for more than a year. How long does it take to "get back in the swing"? I'm nervous I won't be so...GUMBY anymore :-/

2.) I'm really sort of anti-social and I get nervous with a large group of people. I try not to be judgemental, but I wouldn't be a big fan of, say, a Bally's or 24-Hour Fitness class b/c to me, most of those people are just rich soccer-mom's trying to be "hip" and "with-it"...I want to take it serious, and not have it be for show...if that makes sense...

3.) For anyone reading who can relate, do you go solo? I don't really have any friends; the guy I exercise with (like going on runs) I don't think would be to in to it? Or maybe he would......but is it better to go alone or with someone? Again, I'd probably still be nervous even if someone I knew WAS with me...

*sigh* Sorry for LONGEST POST EVER. I just always get ants in my pants when it comes to things like these. I really want to do Yoga again but I've gotta sort some "issues" out first. Thanks SOOO much in advance, y'all!

:nigel: Cheers for downward facing dog (I remember some!)!!

[Jinga]

I'm obviously not Zoebird ... but if you did it once, you can do it again! :D

[rainbowmoon]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about the ability end of it. You should have no problem getting back into the swing of things after a month of sessions.
I am very self conscious too. I tend to think that wearing BIG baggy clothes while doing yoga is pretty uncomfortable, so I usually wear black pants and a tank top. For at least 1/3 of the class, I am thinking about what roll is popping out where and all kinds of crap! The thing about it is, I am sure that no one in the class is paying attention to that!! So try not to think about that aspect of things too much, if possible. Just get in there and do it for you.
On practicing alone, I like it but I find it hard to do! I'm always wanting to be validated by an instructor, to let me know I'm not screwing anything up.
I realize that I am just babbling and I don't know anything, just offering you some support!! :)

[vggiegirl]

I took about 6 yoga classes. I used to wear a t-shirt and kind of tuck it in to the front of my pants so nothing would hang out. Well one day I was doing some feet and hands on mat butt in air pose and the shirt came untucked and my stomach was hanging out. Some immature prick behind me actually started to snicker.
I never went back. :no:

[pseudo_vegan]

I took about 6 yoga classes. I used to wear a t-shirt and kind of tuck it in to the front of my pants so nothing would hang out. Well one day I was doing some feet and hands on mat butt in air pose and the shirt came untucked and my stomach was hanging out. Some immature prick behind me actually started to snicker.
I never went back. :no:

That's really too bad. I would probably be afraid of another experience like that, but it's soooo opposite of what Yoga is supposed to be...

You should have helped him with downward-facing dog... :junk: THEN he'd be facing down (doubled-over in pain...muahahaha)

:nigel: Cheers!

[brahmacharya]

Hey hey! Not Zoebird either! But a full brain of yoga-related miscellany. Hope I can help somehow, as one aspiring yogini to another.




1.) As stated, I've been out of practice for more than a year. How long does it take to "get back in the swing"? I'm nervous I won't be so...GUMBY anymore :-/

The great thing about yoga, and actually one of its major lessons, is that what your pose looks like really doesn't matter. That's gymnastics, or ballet. Yoga is all about what it feels like on the inside. Begin where you are, and just enjoy the internal sensations of stretching and opening up. If a teacher judges your extension in a pose only, I would have serious reservations about that teacher.



2.) I'm really sort of anti-social and I get nervous with a large group of people. I try not to be judgemental, but I wouldn't be a big fan of, say, a Bally's or 24-Hour Fitness class b/c to me, most of those people are just rich soccer-mom's trying to be "hip" and "with-it"...I want to take it serious, and not have it be for show...if that makes sense...

Sometimes those gym classes can be very surprising! Of course, and this is the long answer, the only way you will really know what kind of studio or venue it is is by going there and checking it out, which can be time and $ consuming. However, if you are looking for more of a low-impact or less physically challenging yoga, I might suggest Iyengar, which is very technical and alignment oriented, Kundalini, beginner's hatha, Kripalu, or a restorative class. Yoga Nidra, or yoga sleep, can be very invigorating and soothing as well.

The gym classes [and I'm going to go out on a limb here] are probably more what they call vinyasa, or movement-with-breath, style. Ashtanga or Power Yoga belong to this classification. Bikrams is the hot yoga and is pretty different in that way...there are many different types and if you have a questions about specific style please feel free to post it and if I can help I will.


3.) For anyone reading who can relate, do you go solo? I don't really have any friends; the guy I exercise with (like going on runs) I don't think would be to in to it? Or maybe he would......but is it better to go alone or with someone? Again, I'd probably still be nervous even if someone I knew WAS with me...

Having a yoga buddy is great. But I started going to my current studio alone and met people there and now I have NEW yoga buddies. It's hard for me to meet new people that way because I tend to take it very seriously but eventually the ice melted [could have been the hot sweaty yog!] and I really enjoy their company and the community at the studio. Just like here on VB, and veg*ns in real life, it takes all kinds but it's a good way to start, based as it is on spiritual principles of human interaction and introspection.

If you feel like you'd have to really fight to get someone to go with you, then there's your answer...this might be the PseudoVegan Solo Project. Yoga friends will start coming out of the woodwork don't you worry.


acing dog (I remember some!)!!

Cheers indeed. Super-cheers for yoga. I can't encourage you enough in this decison of yours, I know you will love it. It has completely changed my life, at the risk of sounding totally flaky...I don't know where I'd be without it. And now it seems that I am in the running for Longest Post Ever.

[pseudo_vegan]

:lol:

Thanks so much, B!! I will take all of your advice to heart.

:nigel: Cheers!

[zoebird]

sorry that i didn't see this sooner. i guess that's what i get for being offline for a day. :)

As for the first question, honestly it varies. I find that i can 'fall out of practice" with a pose in as little as two weeks, and it may take a few days or a few months to get it back. i remember doing a particular arm balance series at a shiva rae workshop two summers ago, and i could really go easy with it--it was fun. then, i was like--ok, i want to practice some other things. so i did, and i didn't do the arm balance series (every few days like i did before). The other day, i try to do the arm balance series (i'd done the balances, off and on individually of course), and i totally couldn't get there. Took an extra 45 minutes of practice just to get through that particular sequence. So, 45 minutes then.

There's really no goal, though. I mean, truthfully, you don't have to be anything to do yoga. you can be any size, any shape, any color, any religion, any sex/gender, any age, any level/amount of flexability. The practice is really about you and where you are *right now* and that's it.

as for the second question, your best bet would be to take a class at a studio. don't be surprised if you do run into 'rich soccer moms trying to be hip." many of the yoga teachers and students whom i know get into yoga to get a 'yoga butt' and 'look like madonna'--but truthfully, whether they know it or not, yoga is changing them in drastic ways that go way beyond the way their butt looks. And, truly, it's none of my business why they're there, i just support them because they're there.

I understand, though, wanting a class where you 'fit in' on an emotional level. There is a lot of ageism in yoga, and with the advent of it's popularity, there's also a lot of classism and consumerism and one-up-manship. it can be hard to keep up with this, to focus on your own practice--but that's still part of the challenge of the whole scenario anyway. I have to work on it very diligently. so, at a certain level, you're going to have to 'suck it up' because you don't really get to pick who is in your yoga class. But, a studio will probably narrow the field for you a bit.

as for the third question, i really don't know what you mean by "go solo." do you mean practice on your own or go solo to a class? in the beginning, many people find it difficult to practice on their own without the motivation of at least a weekly class to keep them learning and practicing. Even then, some people struggle for daily practice. It takes time to get there, and diligence of course, and just making a habit out of it.

as far as going to a class, go solo. it's fine. most people go to class alone. in time, if you're consistant, you'll meet people at the studio and befriend them--perhaps even like-minded folks. so, that's a positive thing. if you go with someone, you're more likely to end up with a little two-person clique and it's harder to get to know your classmates.

And here's another couple of elements that you may not have considered. First, many yoga studios offer work-study. so, you may not have to 'pay' for classes, and it will seep you into the environment of the yoga studio (the culture and all that) very quickly. It's a great way to get involved. I'm doing work exchange for rock climbing now; i did work exchange for yoga in the past. Second, you may want to set up a yoga club through your community library, your university, or church community. This is a great way to get a group of people together to practice. IN our yoga club, we paid teachers to come in eveyr month or six weeks and then during each other week, each one of us studied a sequence and taught each other. So, we met once a week and sceduled everything out. It was really great.

So, i hope this helps you out.

-------

RBM:

What you describe yourself wearing is waht i recommend, regardless of size. Sometimes, looser things are good, but i find tighter is better for freedom of movement. Really, no one is looking at you or judging you. And personally, i think that people who have curves look great doing yoga.

----

veggiegirl:

are you sure that he was snickering at you? a lot of times in yoga classes, people laugh at themselves, what they go through, etc. There is often a nervous energy for new students--particularly men in the classroom. Here they are in a room full of gorgeous women in tight fitting clothing with their butts in the air--and there he is nervous and tight (they tend to be very tight in the hamstrings) and out of his element. It could have been that he was laughing at himself or nervous. so, it could have been that he wasn't laughing at you at all--but that you took somehting personally that you shouldn't have.

and if he did laugh at you, then shame on him. it's likely that he isn't in class anyway, because anyone who is dedicated wouldn't have laughed. But if it keeps you from going to something that you enjoy (ie, yoga), then that's on you, isn't it?

there's always good reason to go back, if for nothing else, then for yourself.

[zoebird]

B:

That's a lot of good advice, i think. often, it's a good idea to test out a lot of places, and it's possible to do that for little or no money. some places offer "first class free" or a discount coupon on the first class. Other places offer free classes once a month. so, testing out studios isn't difficult, if you call around and ask when they offer free trial or discount classes, ask if they have student discount prices (many do), and see if they're willing to do work-exchange.

i haven't paid for a yoga class in about 6 years--other than one time zip-trainings, you know, one day teacher trainings just for continuing education as a teacher zips into town and then zips back out again.

i tend to teach predominently in gyms. Generally, there will be one 'hatha' or 'gentle' yoga class and about two or three vinyasa form yoga classes. I can teach either, though i tend to prefer vinyasa classes. I prefer to take them, so i also prefer to teach them--though, hatha/gentle classes are their own way. At one gym i teach at, they offer classes 7 days a week--8 classes total. only one class is a 'hatha' in the sivananda tradition. the rest of us are various vinyasa (astanga, general vinyasa, rasa/power, power yoga, and then me, the blended style). vthis tends to be the common scenario here.

gym yoga can have it's problems. A number of gym yoga teachers are not trained. some have no training, some have a weekend or a week of training. on the one hand, every teacher needs to cut his/her teeth, and a gym is a good place to do that. no one is taking it too seriously and no one is there to say 'that's not yoga' and 'that's not correct'--so the teacher feels less intimidated when teaching there. everyone needs to start somewhere.

but, i think that some teachers do start 'too early.' often, a teacher may have little or no experience. Sometimes, aerobics instructors want to add more classes to their schedules, so they add a new modality--a certification in bodypump, step, spinning, and then they add 'yoga' to their resume after they take a single seminar which may last an hour or it may last a weekend. With no prior experience in yoga, this is not enough training to teach. Likewise, the form taught is often a vinyasa form--a very difficult form to teach without experience in both practice (both alignment and in vinyasa practice) and in theory (adequate teacher training in both). So, there may be a high incidence of injury for students who start with these teachers.

but then, there are also teachers like me (highly trained/highly experienced) who teach at gyms and Ys because that's where the work is. i started at a gym to cut my teeth, and then i started at other gyms to add classes to my schedule and get work. For a while, i worked with a studio--which was great and somehow builds "cred" in the industry, but currently i don't work for any yoga studio. I love working in gyms--because i love my clients.

The benefit of working in a gym from the teacher's perspective is that the types of clients are different. For instnce, the gold's gym where i work, a lot of people there are very fitness oriented. they love the cross-training benefits of yoga. They're go-getters, and they love a challenge. So, i can really challenge them to hold poses and work alignment and if i tell them to do homework (ie, when you lift weights tomorrow, which i know is leg day, i want you to do this pidgeon series!) then they do it. I can also, over time, take them into really tough vinyasas and they eat it up like so many power bars. So, it's fun and challenging to me.

Another gym that i go to, it's a more family atmosphere. most of the people there are older or have kids and are looking for stress relief and fitness. There, i can work alignment, vinyasa--but i can also really work the breath and meditation aspects. So that's a different kind of challenge. Also, older clientele who are driven to fitness will push themselves, but their limits are different and that's a challenge.

i love to teach at the Y because the variety in a class is huge. my evening class, which i'm teaching tonite, is a large class of about 15 people who range in age from 15 to 75 and range in ability from totally uncoordinated to amazingly strong and flexible and openminded. I'll have a 30-something say 'no way i'm doing a hand stand' and my 75 yr old hypertention go "weee!" and up she goes. people there are less apt to work on their sun salutations--so they're not fond of 'pure vinyasa' but they like linking between poses to deepen openings in certain areas (hips, hamstrings, back, shoulders, etc). Rest time is longer here, and i get to do more one-on-one energy work in savasana. I also end up with lots of special needs clients at the Y--post rehab, post surgery, new to weight loss, etc. It's really great to have that kind of diversity to work with and be challenged by.

Each place has it's own flavor and it's own way of doing things. I tend to be a mix of mellow and challenging. People think i'm kind, sweet, funny, and very caring in class--but they also know it's 'do it right, or we'll do it until you do it right'--which on chaturanga nite is not fun! So, there is this double-balance as a teacher to keep it real and 'push' them to really face their music; but to also be there to support them as they need it, give them suggestions and adjustments according to individual n eeds and let them feel out where the pose is going wthout worrying about whether or not it looks like the model in the book or magazine.

It's a lot of fun and a great challenge being a teacher. I find that i learn so much more about my own practice from my students. It's really quite fun. :) anyway, just the other side of the room--you know, why teachers love teaching.

it's hard for me when people are afraid to go to classes. I won't bite you! really, it's fun, just come. And yes, it's really hard on the first day, no matter which style of yoga you're practicing!

[vggiegirl]

veggiegirl:

are you sure that he was snickering at you? a lot of times in yoga classes, people laugh at themselves, what they go through, etc. There is often a nervous energy for new students--particularly men in the classroom. Here they are in a room full of gorgeous women in tight fitting clothing with their butts in the air--and there he is nervous and tight (they tend to be very tight in the hamstrings) and out of his element. It could have been that he was laughing at himself or nervous. so, it could have been that he wasn't laughing at you at all--but that you took somehting personally that you shouldn't have.

and if he did laugh at you, then shame on him. it's likely that he isn't in class anyway, because anyone who is dedicated wouldn't have laughed. But if it keeps you from going to something that you enjoy (ie, yoga), then that's on you, isn't it?

there's always good reason to go back, if for nothing else, then for yourself.

Maybe it wasn't directed at me...but it was a "room full of gorgeous women in tight fitting clothing with their butts in the air" except for the one fat girl over in the corner :p so I just figured it was at me.

[pseudo_vegan]

zoebird, if you read this thread again, tell me something....more...hehe

How did you become a yoga teacher? I absolutely admire that and I think it would be something I could do and lead a very fulfilling life with. Do you have to have some sort of physical education degree? My plan is to major in BioChemistry with an emphasis on nutriton, because I am very interested in nutrition, etc. I like to think I take good care of myself and as stated, I absolutely adored yoga when I was doing it.

So yeah...how did you get into it and become a teacher? Did you have to work other jobs to "make ends meet" until you became certified and whatnot?

I just think it sounds like one of the coolest jobs ever :D

:nigel: Cheers and thanks for your responses so far!

[zoebird]

veggiegirl:

well, you need to stop judging yourself. and, 'fat girls' look great doing yoga too.

my guess is that he wasn't laughing at you at all. you need to get over yourself. 99.9% of the time, strangers, regardless of the situation, aren't thinking about you at all. they aren't judging you, they aren't thinking about you, and they aren't laughing at you. this idea should give you a lot of personal freedom to do what you want--since you dont' have to worry about 'what other people think'--because they're not thinking about you. most often, they're thinking about themselves.

so, if you want to go back, then go back. yoga is for everyone.

---

psuedo:

i have an undergraduate degree in English with a minor in women's studies (and three credits shy of a minor in religious studies). i have a graduate degree in law (JD). while i school, i apprenticed with different yoga teachers and gained my certification through them. I have a 500 hr certification, though i've done far more than 500 hours of training.

to become a yoga teacher, the first thing to do is to get a regular practice. Whether that's once a week classes, a daily home practice, or whatever, the important thing is to be regular. So, you have to find a style that you like and dedicate yourself to that.

Then, once you have a consistant practice (hopefully including a 'home practice' on your own), you can start looking into the types of training that you want. There are lots of ways of 'getting certified' in yoga. Personally, i prefer apprenticing because you can get a lot for free--work exchange.

Then, you start teaching classes. it takes a while for you to get into the swing of teaching. I've taught for ten years, but i feel like i got 'good' at it over the last five. the first five were a struggle for me--i didn't feel official or something. then you just start putting together enough jobs to make a living.

most single yoga teachers work two jobs--a 'day job' to pay the bills and then their yoga job. many yoga teachers are married--their husbands provide the primary income (that's my case), so they don't need to really 'earn' enough to support themselves. There are some yoga teachers who are teachers exclusively--and they're lucky enough to make a living. most of these teachers find some way to either run yoga programs (such as, working at a Y running a yoga program) or run yoga studios (own them). in these cases, they get a salary for work that isn't directly teaching yoga. Others have multiple 'certifications' and teach/do a number of things (ie, perhaps they're massage therapists or martial artists too).

hope this helps a bit.

[jAded]

I started doing yoga at a gym near my house and I live in a VERY trendy area. the gym however used ayurvedic principles and had a heavy emphasis on yoga & meditation so most of the people in my class weren't rich soccer mums [as it was a 6.30am class on a week day most had to run off to work straight after]. Mum introduced me to it and I'd been dabbling in it a bit prior to starting from a tv show they had on weekday mornings, before school. So I sort of knew what I was going into though it was an iyengar class and the one I'd been practising was ki or something. My instructor stopped teaching at the gym after a while though as it was a begginers class but we rarely got new people who came for more than 2 classes so she started to bring us up to level 1 as we were all ready for this stage. The gym however wasn't pleased and told her to keep it to a begginners level and she said this went against her principles as she couldn't halt her students progress so left the gym.

A few months later after my membership ran out I decided to follow her to the yoga studio she was based at. I went into an intensive 5 day course to get back into the swing of things as i hadn't practised in a few months and did this solo then went straight into a 9 week level one course. Since thats finished though I haven't enrolled in any other courses. And desperately need to get back into it. My hammy's are so tight I feel them pulling just touching my toes, ha.

Anyway the point of this is that as others said you can go back at any time. Some people in my class were going into fore-arm balance already and others were just starting on shoulder stands and no one cared what level you were at. I remember once coming out of shoulder stand I farted really loudly and was so embarrased but my teacher was just like "it happens to the best of us, don't worry about it" and no one else seemed to even notice. I couldn't stop giggling though.

[zoebird]

that's cool jaded. :)

[Cinnamon Girl]

For anyone who's gone through a certification program... how advanced were you when you decided to go for the cert? Did it matter if you were not an advanced student? I'd like to go through this program nearby and teach kids in the area.

[zoebird]

it doesn't really matter how 'advanced' you are--and advanced often means different things to different people/practitioners. i assume that by advanced, you're refering to an ability to do difficult postures such as 'scorpion pose' or 'head stand.' but, advanced could mean any number of things, and people can be 'advanced' practitioners and NEVER even do those poses.

most training programs want the potential teacher trainees to have at least one year of a daily, home practice before they start their teacher training. it doesn't really matter which postures you can do or how well, but that you are consistant in your practice. there are training programs where this isn't required at all--and in some cases, no experience in yoga is required.

of course, i have personal preferences. as a teacher-trainer myself, i prefer that a student have a consistant practice including a home practice. I prefer that this individual has at least one year of yoga experience. i also then look to why they want to be a teacher, what sort of teacher they want to be, and then i put them through an apprentice-like situation with me (i only train one to two teachers a year, if that) which is very demanding time-wise. i basicly want really dedicated people who are interested in working hard, learning a lot, and being experimental and challenging themselves.

but, i also like to get more training myself. when i look for teacher training programs, i look for programs where students are required to have a basic background in yoga before attending. I prefer programs where students ahve at least 1 year of yoga experience before hand. the reason is because everyone is basicly starting on the same page--and growing from the same starting point, roughly.

if you call the place about their training program, you can find out what their basic requirements are. then, you apply and they can choose to accept you into the program or not--their perrogative, right?

[Cinnamon Girl]

Thanks, zoebird! :wayne:

The place I am thinking of attending said it was okay for me to not be an advanced student, but I was wondering were they just 'being nice' or was it a norm that such programs are relaxed in their requirements. It's all so new to me, the certification and program things.

This program is so wonderful, I am excited to learn just for my own practice even. There are segments on physiology, theory, poses of course, and even sanskrit and philosophy. It seems fascinating and quite involved, so I do really want to learn!

Thanks for your info, it is just the types of things I was wondering. :)