Yoga and benefits for cycling?

[Red Rock]

You all have mentioned some good things here, things that I had not really even thought about. Like instructor trainning. I have the DVD-was a birthday present- and have been doing that to the best of my ability. I guess having a gymnastic background has helped a bit because the poses are often called one thing and I knew it as something else from gymnastics.

I do not know if my small town has yoga at any of the gyms. If they do they probably will not see me because it is too expensive $$$$ to join. I have always had a hard time with paying good money for exercise when you can go right out the door for a bike ride, run, or hike. I guess I see what I can find out from the internet and anything else you wise people can say.

Red Rock

[NoNo]

Tonight will be my first instructor-led class. It'll be here at work for the next 6 Thursdays. I think it'll be a good introduction to yoga and maybe give me the basics so that I can do the DVDs and not hurt myself.

[Zen]

Pilates might be something to look into as well. Stretches tendons and ligaments while strengthening the core.

[Flur]

+1 on finding a good instructor. Your instructor should have at least 200 hours of training, should be familiar with contraindications and should know a lot about alignment. Anatomy training is a must.

I highly recommend that if you are embarking on a yoga practice as something you plan to do many days a week or every day (yoga can be practiced every day) that you start out with a highly trained instructor, not a DVD. Many of the benefits of yoga come from proper alignment in the pose, and if you are misaligned, like in any other physical activity, you run the risk of creating an imbalance, not reaping the benefits, or developing a repetitive stress injury. A trained instructor should be able to see any misalignments and help you to correct them. They can also provide you with alternate poses if you need them - no pose should ever be forced upon the body. A good instructor will also keep you focused on your breath - if you are not constantly breathing throughout the practice you're not really doing yoga, you're doing calisthenics that look like yoga. The breathing practice provides the most immediate benefits of the overall yoga practice, and if you do choose to practice on your own, make sure you're focusing on your breathing!

FYI - I have a daily home practice. I used to take regular classes but now that I'm unemployed I'm saving my pennies. I'll be back to weekly classes as soon as I get a new day job. Even as a teacher I really benefit from taking classes with more advanced instructors.

Keri Schneider, RYT-500