Yoga-beginners & advanced into 1

[jessmarimba]

I could have probably done all of those poses before but I won't attempt any of them now. But my perpetually beginner yoga class at the gym rarely gets into anything remotely close.

[shootingstar]

I wouldn't call myself competitive like that.

I just found myself giggling at myself..some colleagues around me joined in.

But hey, maybe crow position.
But maybe I'll be just happy crouching low on my haunches, bum off the ground.

[OakLeaf]

It's okay to laugh when you're attempting a posture that's difficult for you.

IMO, it's BETTER to laugh. And in my limited experience, the poses that bring out the most laughter are ... you guessed it ... arm balances and inversions.

I'm really competitive too in most situations, but it doesn't affect my yoga classes much at all. Maybe it's because the teacher usually warms us up with some kriyas. So by the time we attempt muscularly challenging standing poses, arm balances or inversions, we're already pretty deep, and we've already challenged ourselves physically with eyes closed.

[redrhodie]

I used to do Ashtanga, a self led practice, in a group setting. In this kind of practice, you go at your own pace, everyone learning the routine at their own pace. People at varying levels would all practice together, so inevitably, there would be someone in headstand or in handstand, in the middle of the room, which was completely crowded, each mat inches from the next. If you fell, you might take down 20 people. I never saw that happen.

[OakLeaf]

This thread and Catrin's thread about hip stabilizers and neutral spine really tied together for me - here's a crosslink to my post there (only the second half is relevant here - but also my earlier post about Pilates, "suck and tuck" and the flattened lumbar curve...)