I have been to one ashtanga class, which I hated and found myself feeling completely unbalanced after (all hamstrings and shoulders, nothing else felt like it had been used), and watched another ashtanga class. I know this is not the style of yoga I want to do.

I do yoga on my own mat in my sun room every morning when I wake up. I get up at 5:30 am on workdays to make sure I can fit it in. This is a very relaxing, stretching yoga that just helps to make sure I've done something, practiced my breathing and patience, and moved my joints around a bit. I also do many yoga poses as my stretching routine after weights, or cycling, or kickboxing.

It's a far cry from the yoga I used to do, where I learned various power poses - arm balances and the like, and moved much faster through the poses. It's been difficult to accept that I need to move slower and need to do this every day, but now that I do, I can't imagine doing something else....

Well, I can. I can imagine doing yoga for an hour or longer and moving from my usual routine into more complex poses....I just usually do not have the time to do it.....

As for emotions, well, yes, especially when I was doing the stronger poses, I would get very emotional. For me it was generally sadness, I'd just want to cry, and I would usually move past it by the end and would later feel somewhat drained, but better for it. Of course, I've noticed being emotional on a mountain bike ride or in a kickboxing class, too. During those I've found a bit more anger, in addition to the teary eyed feelings, and usually, if the class or the ride is long enough, I'll work right past those feelings and feel stronger and happier at the end.

I have another friend who tells me she can't do yoga because her chakras are blocked and she becomes an emotional wreck. She loves pilates too.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's a chakra thing....and if you want to keep doing yoga, you may want to try some chakra balancing exercises (anything from meditation to colour therapy), during or before or after your yoga sessions...but you may just need to do something more agressive to let that anger OUT.

I see it's been months since you posted this....have you been to any classes since?

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~