Which yoga style to choose?

[Tanja]

I've decided to finally take up yoga classes and since I've never done it before and am a complete beginner, I'd like a bit of advice.

After a bit of surfing on the Internet, I understand there are many yoga classes out there, and I'm interested in a more fast-paced 'movement' oriented type.

Id' like to do yoga for fitness and to get in shape as well as to explore the mind-body connection.
So I thought I'd try out Ashtanga yoga or Vinyasa yoga.
Do you think these woud be a good choice for a beginner?
I understand they require a certain level of fitness, I'd say I'm average (slacked off a bit there), and actually hope that yoga will help me improve my fitness, flexibility etc.

Suggestions?

Thank you!

[joelr]

Any Hatha yoga or the types you mentioned are good for fitness, the instructor will let you know the level of fitness each class is.

Yoga could be anything from meditation to studying or chanting but in the West it's usually considered a fitness thing.
People say it's good to try different schools anyway. So you can decide what you like best. Take a class at each school.

[Tanja]

Thank you joelr.
I think I'll do that then, start out with the ones I mentioned and later try others as well.

[ginkgo]

Bikram's hot yoga is also known as torture chamber yoga. Anyone at any fitness level can do it. It is much more therapeutic for the body than any other kind of yoga. It brings about a super level of physical health. Bikram has helped many professional athletes.

I have been doing yoga since age 12 but when I read a story about this yoga, I switched to doing it. At Bikram's studio, there are picture's of him with many celebrities including Madonna and President Bill Clinton. Bikram learned it from from Paramhansa Yoganada's brother.

You can buy his book on it for less than $14. It tells about why it has the exact order that it is in and the benefits of all the poses.

Bikram Choudhury, author of the newly revised Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class and yoga guru to the stars, is on a mission to heal America through yoga. Bikram claims that faithfully doing his yoga routine, which consists of 26 hatha yoga asanas (postures) set down by Patanjali over 4,000 years ago, can fix everything from chronic diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis) to obesity and depression. According to Bikram, his beginning yoga class exercises 100 percent of the body, increases energy, and leaves you looking and feeling fantastic.

The book contains nearly 200 photographs illustrating each of the poses. Each asana is also accompanied by detailed directions on how to do it the right way. Can't quite twist your leg around your head or touch your nose to your knee? Bikram will tell you how to modify poses so one day you, too, can resemble a pretzel.

[Tanja]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

Bikram's hot yoga is also known as torture chamber yoga. Anyone at any fitness level can do it. It is much more therapeutic for the body than any other kind of yoga. It brings about a super level of physical health. Bikram has helped many professional athletes.

Thank you for the info. When I read about this type of yoga I always assumed it would be for people at a more ''advanced'' level and not for a beginner, but if you can do it at any fitness level I'll check it out too.

[AlmostGodess]

Ah, love this thread!

I have tried this year Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Hot Yoga and I loved all of them. Power Yoga is very cool because you do it almost naked and you get soooo excited afterword, almost could not sleep at night

I think th best is to go to different kinds of yoga yourself and choose the type that speaks to you most

[Tanja]

Thank you AG,! Yes, Power Yoga sounds very interesting

I've never tried yoga before but now I feel very drawn to it, I'm very happy and excited about it

[AlmostGodess]

Originally Posted by Tanja

Thank you AG,! Yes, Power Yoga sounds very interesting

I've never tried yoga before but now I feel very drawn to it, I'm very happy and excited about it

Oh sorry, the almost naked Yoga is Hot Yoga. Only thinking of this, clouds my mind They heat the room at 38 degrees and for one hour and a half you move. It is fantastic!

[Tanja]

Oh I see, that's the same thing ginkgo talked about.
Well, it's definitely on my list now

[Lovable]

I agree about Bikram! I have been going on and off since the start of this year. I find I get a real balance from those classes. I try and go 3-4 times a week and even though it is sometimes a pain to get to on days of low motivation I always feel so high afterward!

The benefits I have gotten from it personally, are very clear smooth skin! A very defined abdomen and such quick improvement of mainly all areas of the body (arms, legs, butt, back!) extra energy, and getting rid of old issues and toxins! Great flexibility too.

I love that at the beginning of each class you set your intention (for your focus in class but I also set my own personal ones as well) and at the end, in savasana (corpse pose.. Literally lying down and just focusing on being present and breathing) you reflect on those intentions before you leave the room. It's so effective and an uplifting way to start your day.

[Tanja]

Thank you Lovable, for you description, the benefits you got from it seem to match, to a large extent, what I'd like to achieve as well.