Yoga

[moser]

Anyone have any recommendations for good books or DVDs on yoga?

I'm using the yoga program mainly for strength training.

[sinisterpanda]

yoga rocks!! I did it for a year and learned some of the more complex moves!! When i get back to my apt i'll see if i still have some of the links for the websites I used. I did a lot of upside down, hand balancing stuff and i think that helps a lot and it's so much fun!

[John0101]

if you live in an area with losts of young asian people, this is a good place to meet yuppie asian girls. Like 21-25ish. I got a free membership pass to a decent healthcenter with my sister. I hit the weights and she went to a yoga class. She was driving me back home so I had to wait for her class to finish and noticed a ton of asian girls. The instructor was pretty hot too, hahahahaah so there was a lot of guys there to just check her out.

[fossilfuel]

I did Bikram yoga for a while. It's a lot more physically demanding than regular(?) yoga and will let you build a lot of isometric strength (not unlike the gymnastics workout I posted). The positions can be very challening. Anyway, a ton of places in California teach it. It's the "hot" style. Some places go nuts and insulate and heat the rooms and make people wear jackets while doing it so they retain as much heat as possible.

I can't vouch for any books or videos, but do a search on Bikram yoga and you will find a ton.

I don't think you're a guy... but yes the male/female ratio in yoga classes is crazy. something like 70/20/10. that's female/gay male/straight male. I think it's much better to just take a class, there will be someone counting the time for all the positions and you just feel more motivated. It's not embarrasing at all and in most yoga classes if you can't handle it, you can just rest.

[applehead]

but yes the male/female ratio in yoga classes is crazy. something like 70/20/10. that's female/gay male/straight male.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

anything from gaiam. they're great.
you would think it won't really matter
since the poses for yoga are basically the same.
but the cheap ones are cheap for a reason.
the music sucks. the lighting sucks. the set sucks.
the instructor isn't really good explaining poses. blah blah blah.

gaiam videos are rarely on sale. and if they are
it's not by much but it's worth the money.

oh and another thing.
books are bad if you use it to really learn the poses.
it's just too cumbersome.

[sageb1]

forget the hatha crap. it's for people into pain.

kria yoga where it's at.

vasistha's yoga comes to mind.

don't waste your money in hatha...

[heykitten]

Ooooh I love yoga! :biggrin:
I've downloaded a lot of yoga videos, so I know a few that are more useful than others. I recommend Yoga Zone beginner dvds to introduce yourself to the postures and breathing techniques. Correct breathing is essential in yoga, establish yourself with it before pushing yourself to go head first into any difficult postures. If all you want to do is do yoga, try out Yoga for Dummies (don't be turned off by the title!), it doesn't really incorporate much of the spiritual aspects. Rodney Yee's stuff is great but know the basic poses before you begin! Or else he will confuse the hell out of you (he did for me first time around)

Are you also going to classes? If you are doing for yoga for strenght training, look for classes for that are for Power Yoga and Ashtanga. Both can improve strength and flexiblity.

As with books, I've only recently started looking into that. Unless you know the correct way to go into the postures, I find it dificult to know exactly how just by reading, or from the still photos. A really useful site I love is http://yogajournal.com/. Tons of information there!