Vinyasa Yoga?

[Catrin]

Is Vinyasa Yoga "beginner friendly"? I've looked it up on the internet and didn't walk away with any more understanding when I started. Of course I won't do anything that tweaks my knee or neck...

I am seriously considering changing fitness centers. My place is great, but quite expensive. The facility I am considering is equally awesome and in some ways even more so - and considerably cheaper since they have a corporate agreement with my employer I had rejected them 2.5 years ago due to not understanding what they had, nor knowing what I need and what I want. That has changed Frankly, I probably wouldn't have lasted there at the start.

One of the benefits is an assortment of free Yoga and TRX classes (and others). They also have "Yoga Flow" and "Sunrise Yoga" classes they offer, but that sounds like perhaps something more general and a mixture of styles perhaps? Vinyasa Yoga is the one offered during the week when I can attend after work, Yoga Flow (whatever that is) is offered on Saturdays.
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[indysteel]

Vinyasa basically means "breath synchronized movement" and has become a rather generic term used by yoga studios and gyms. It is often used interchangeably with "flow." It says very little abou whether the class is easy, intermediate or advanced, although I will say that vinyasa classes move fairly quickly as that is the point of the "flow." I don't know whether any of NIFS classes are geared for beginners; I would just make some inquiries. They share some instructors with my studio. Anha Hoke is particularly good. With your current injuries, I would be hestitant to recommend it until you are more fully healed and with the consent of your doctors.

[Catrin]

Thanks Indy, that is good information and I will check it out. I know I can do mat pilates and they also have several core and Bosu classes that look quite interesting.

[Crankin]

Just my opinion, but I am betting you would not like some of these classes. All of the yoga I have done in studios has been Hatha/Kripalu style yoga. I got some DVDs that are more Vinyasa style and all I can say is that I am glad I didn't pay for a series of classes like this. At one point, when I was taking a lot of classes at my last gym and later at a yoga studio, I felt pretty proficient, strong and I really liked the poses. They helped my back and they helped me relax. The Vinyasa yoga is very fast and just didn't seem to meet my needs.
That's not saying you won't like it, but I found it to be very different.

[jessmarimba]

I am very thankful that the woman I take yoga from now is a nurse. Our hospital system offers subsidized classes (I think, based on the price) and they're usually quite small and the teacher is very knowledgable about who should avoid what poses and what modifications are acceptable for common injuries. It is less of a spiritual class and more of a stretching-for-rehabilitation class, but that's fine by me.

[indysteel]

Just be careful about introducing anything new right now--be it yoga, Pilates, bosu, etc.--while you are still healing. I just think you're asking for trouble. I love yoga and enjoy vinyasa classes, but I don 't think they are for everyone and aren't necessarily a good place to start for a beginner.

[withm]

The New York Times Magazine has a very good article that offers some persepctive on the use of yoga. If it feels good, do it, but if not.... watch out.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/ma...me&ref=general

[limewave]

The New York Times Magazine has a very good article that offers some persepctive on the use of yoga. If it feels good, do it, but if not.... watch out.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/ma...me&ref=general

Huh. I was going to a yoga class briefly (and although she was certified, I did not believe she was an expert teacher). She was trying to get me to do stuff and my body just flat out wouldn't do it--I even told her I had back issues. I talked to my doc about it who has been working with me on my hips and low back (chronic pain from an injury years ago) and she was adamant that I should not be doing those things! So I quit.

I do a video, available on netflix, Candlelight Yoga. It's a very gentle yoga program. It's relaxing and I do enjoy it very much. But it is the only yoga I have ever been able to do.

[OakLeaf]

To me, the entire article can be summed up in the second to last sentence: "if you do it with ego or obsession, you’ll end up causing problems."

And you know what? That's not just for yoga. That's for weight lifting, running, and for that matter, scientific research.

I don't at all mean to suggest that there isn't a chance of serious injury in yoga, or that sometimes even the best teachers miss something. But it seems to me this article has a tone I often see in NYT fitness articles - the idea that practitioners of whatever sport they're talking about are "outsiders" of some kind. There's an underlying tone of alarm and mocking in that yoga (unlike weight lifting) is supposed to take the ego out of the practice, and yet many practitioners can't help letting it slip back in. Well, duh. That's why we practice for years trying to take it out...

It also reflects a lot of the reason why I'm souring on group fitness, both as an instructor and a participant. Some teachers are MUCH better than others (and I count myself in the middle there), and obviously smaller and skill-tracked classes are easier, but outside of one-on-one, there's just no way for a teacher to closely monitor every participant's form every minute of every class. And then there are always the participants who insist on doing a move unsafely no matter how many times I correct them or how many different cues I use...

[indysteel]

I have decidedly mixed feelings about the article. I will be the first to admit that the rise in yoga's popularity has led to an increase in inexperienced teachers and classes that cater to the masses. As a student, you have to be discerning, which is pretty difficult if you know nothing about yoga in the first place. Even when you have a good teacher, you have to resist the urge to follow their every instruction. It's your body and your practice. But I think that's true for anything involving a teacher, trainer or coach. You have to remain willing to think for yourself.

But I fault the article for making it seem like yoga is inherently dangerous or somehow unique in causing injury. Most physical activities can lead to injury if done to excess or incorrectly. Heck, they can lead to injury even when we're being exceedingly careful. Stuff happens, and sometimes we don't know our body's limits until we exceed them.

So, while I appreciate the caution suggested by the article, I think it should be applied equally to most of our physical pursuits.

[Crankin]

Oakleaf, +1 on your reasons for souring on group fitness. I felt exactly like you did, and I also put myself squarely in the middle of instructors. Well, maybe in terms of "skill (i.e. unique choreography)," not in safety or monitoring. I mostly taught smaller classes, because I taught early in the AM. I think part of the reason I got burned out is that there were a lot people who thought doing weird, hard stuff equalled "better." It's the same when I lead rides. I am a safety zealot and it pisses people off. This is why I actually prefer to work with beginners.
I am taking spin classes at my new gym. They don't have a lot of classes. Although it's 5:30 AM, I still would like a little variety. There's no warm up and all climbing is done standing, save maybe 3-4 minutes. Lots of jumps on Wednesdays. It's just boring. She doesn't correct me when I don't do stuff, as she knows I'm a "cyclist." It's making me want to get spin certified, but I don't want to go down that road again.
I had very good yoga instructors at my old gym and at the one yoga studio I went to. I have only done 2 yoga classes at the new place; one was fine and the other was really too easy for me, but nothing strange. She seemed to be noticing what people were doing. I may try the power yoga class today, just to see how it is.