Robert Z Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I have no idea what I'm getting into, but from what I hear it seems a great way to meet women and people in general. It seems a nice addition to my exercise program and is alleged to be very helpful with stress. Sounds like a win-win-win. I hope I like it. Any comments, advice, suggestions...? Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Just make sure your yoga pants aren't too skin tight. You don't want them to rip down the middle while you're doing The Warrior pose. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
contact1 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Just don't be that guy that goes to a yoga class to meet women Yoga is really awesome and hard! So don't be surprised if the first few times you are dying out there just trying to do some of the poses. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
FitChick Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Just make sure your yoga pants aren't too skin tight. You don't want them to rip down the middle while you're doing The Warrior pose. Don't wear baggy short-shorts so the family jewels are on display. A friend told me about that one! 3 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Don't wear baggy short-shorts so the family jewels are on display. A friend told me about that one! LOL!! That is good advice! I've seen some strange mens' family jewels over the years, when I took community ed yoga classes that I'll never be able to un-see, because they wore baggy gym shorts. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Just don't be that guy that goes to a yoga class to meet women Haha, well, that is one of the motivators but I'm not going to be hitting on women like it's a bar at 2am. Yoga is really awesome and hard! So don't be surprised if the first few times you are dying out there just trying to do some of the poses. I must admit that I'm very curious to see what it's like. I'm in pretty good shape now but so is the sb. She just finished a hot yoga challenge and said it was a real killer. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Don't wear baggy short-shorts so the family jewels are on display. A friend told me about that one! I was debating what to wear. I was going to wear running shorts with jockey shorts but maybe I had better make sure that's going to work. Don't want those suckers falling out on the mat and rolling around. Link to post Share on other sites
sweetjasmine Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 My only advice, since you want to meet people, is to save the chitchat for before and after class. Talking during class is a big no-no, at least in the classes I've been in. If you're not super into a class, try a different instructor or a different style. I personally like vinyasa best, but I like to avoid classes that are heavy on meditation and just sitting there and breathing. I've also found that some of the yoga classes at places like the Y or fitness centers are more like your standard group exercise class loosely based on a tiny bit of actual yoga. Also, hot yoga is overrated. Way overrated. There's really no benefit to Bikram that's worth the cost and discomfort of going to a hot yoga studio. Link to post Share on other sites
dichotomy Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Be aware that sometimes "beginning" yoga classes are not. I went to one where the only other guy said he had been doing it for 7 years - and the instructor taught it like that. Also don't eat within an hour of yoga.....downward winds is not a yoga pose. Also don't know your height/width as a guy - but standard girly mats dont cut it for me and I bought a XL Matt on line. Martial arts pants are good for guys and yoga. Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Be aware that sometimes "beginning" yoga classes are not. I went to one where the only other guy said he had been doing it for 7 years - and the instructor taught it like that. Also don't eat within an hour of yoga.....downward winds is not a yoga pose. Also don't know your height/width as a guy - but standard girly mats dont cut it for me and I bought a XL Matt on line. Martial arts pants are good for guys and yoga. Hahaha! Downward winds during downward facing dog would be not so funny for the guy/gal behind you if you'd eaten a burrito before yoga class. True about when to eat. Definitely not right before class or you'll get stomach cramps. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) Be aware that sometimes "beginning" yoga classes are not. I went to one where the only other guy said he had been doing it for 7 years - and the instructor taught it like that.. Just got back. Firstly, you are dead on. When I signed up she said this was a great class for beginners. But as it turned out it was an overview of techniques, not an introduction. There were even instructors taking the class! So it kicked my butt pretty good. I was wondering until she explained what she had meant. I kept thinking this is pretty tough for an introduction. But I was able to mostly keep up without falling over. When I told people it was my first time they all seemed impressed that I was able to keep up at all... kind of sort of... I was soooooo confused sometimes. The hardest part was trying to watch the other students to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, without losing my balance. Wore long loose workout sweats. That worked out fine. The place to meet women! Holy crap, no doubt about that. I was one of only four men in a class of about thirty. Edited June 22, 2014 by Robert Z Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 We also covered some meditation techniques. When the instructor asked for a definition of meditation, the only young man in the crowd popped off with this long-winded explanation that was a strange mix of quantum mechanics and mysticism. It was made worse by his obvious lack of familiarity with the science upon which it draws, so the explanation was jumbled and confused, but I got the idea. He was suggesting that the calm of meditation occurs when you separate from all of your alternative selves in parallel universes! Okay, wasn't expecting that one!!! I go to Yoga and get hit with a hybrid Many Worlds Theory [the theory from physics that suggests the existence of parallel universes nearly identical to our own]? We also did a chi exercise that was interesting. I'm going to have to look up the prosaic explanation but I could definitely feel something. The meditation part was extremely enjoyable. I practiced meditation up into my early twenties but haven't done it since. This may rekindle my interest. Link to post Share on other sites
dichotomy Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) What the? Basic Yoga = Meditation = Be still and focus the mind on breath in and out. Advanced Yoga =Mediation = Quantum Mechanics, string theory and Mutiverses ? I will stick to basic yoga:lmao: Seriously though I do have a yoga DVD with an entire section on "real" meditation by the Dalai Lama and it does get a little more involved. Edited June 22, 2014 by dichotomy Link to post Share on other sites
down hearted Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 i agree with others, yoga is actually challenging, i took a beginning class and boy was that more advanced to me than anything else, you'll sweat more than running on a treadmill trust me its rough, and i am fit but my first time taking yoga was definitely a challenge, and i also would go with what another poster said, don't eat a big meal right before class, you WILL be sick if you do. Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpybutfun Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I'm extremely fit but I would rather run a trillion miles, fight a MMA fight with a Mortal Kombat villain and someone pluck my leg hairs rather than do yoga. My wife is all bendy and look at how easy this is....let's do the stuff on the shore as the sun sets...uh, no, never again. I don't bend like that...but it explains a lot in sex. Not bendy, G 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) I'm extremely fit but I would rather run a trillion miles, fight a MMA fight with a Mortal Kombat villain and someone pluck my leg hairs rather than do yoga. Don't candy coat things. How do you really feel? My wife is all bendy and look at how easy this is....let's do the stuff on the shore as the sun sets...uh, no, never again. I don't bend like that...but it explains a lot in sex. Not bendy, G But how will you ever balance your chi? Honestly, I felt noticeable euphoric after the class; not intensely so but definitely there. Edited June 22, 2014 by Robert Z 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpybutfun Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Don't candy coat things. How do you really feel? But how will you ever balance your chi? Honestly, I felt noticeable euphoric after the class; not intensely so but definitely there. My chi gets balanced by fishing. . G 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) My chi gets balanced by fishing. . G That gets to the heart of the matter for me. I didn't do anything but work for over twelve years. And even now I spend most of my time working a high-stress business. Now that I'm not going-out-of-my-mind horny any more, I am really in need of a stress reliever. But none of the things I used to do interest me any more. I guess 25 years of living in the wilds of N. Ca. was about all of the communing with nature that I could take. In the end it became a prison. ...and the female-to-male ratio is a slam dunk. One woman was already getting friendly... Seriously, by visiting all of the studios in the area, I can probably keep myself immersed in datable women for the rest of my dating life. So I am really hoping this works for me, on many levels. I do have a bit of lower-back pain today. That worries me a bit. It could just be too many hours at the computer lately and it has happened before. I will just have to wait and see. Edited June 22, 2014 by Robert Z 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dichotomy Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I'm extremely fit but I would rather run a trillion miles, fight a MMA fight with a Mortal Kombat villain and someone pluck my leg hairs rather than do yoga. My wife is all bendy and look at how easy this is....let's do the stuff on the shore as the sun sets...uh, no, never again. I don't bend like that...but it explains a lot in sex. Not bendy, G I am not sure there is a huge gulf between some forms of martial arts and some yoga. This guy founded a style of yoga which fuses the two. I have delayed taking a martial arts course until I felt I had some yoga to help me over come years - in flexibility and issues with my lower back. There is also another kind of fusion on yoga and some martial arts 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpybutfun Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I am not sure there is a huge gulf between some forms of martial arts and some yoga. This guy founded a style of yoga which fuses the two. I have delayed taking a martial arts course until I felt I had some yoga to help me over come years - in flexibility and issues with my lower back. There is also another kind of fusion on yoga and some martial arts Dichotomy, I'm a lost cause but thanks. I'm like a bulldog in a China shop...not graceful or limber. G Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpybutfun Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 That gets to the heart of the matter for me. I didn't do anything but work for over twelve years. And even now I spend most of my time working a high-stress business. Now that I'm not going-out-of-my-mind horny any more, I am really in need of a stress reliever. But none of the things I used to do interest me any more. I guess 25 years of living in the wilds of N. Ca. was about all of the communing with nature that I could take. In the end it became a prison. ...and the female-to-male ratio is a slam dunk. One woman was already getting friendly... Seriously, by visiting all of the studios in the area, I can probably keep myself immersed in datable women for the rest of my dating life. So I am really hoping this works for me, on many levels. I do have a bit of lower-back pain today. That worries me a bit. It could just be too many hours at the computer lately and it has happened before. I will just have to wait and see. Hey Rob, your lower back hurts because your core got a good workout. I've been boxing lately and even in as great shape as I am, my core was off a tad and my lower back hurt a little. Grab a medicine ball and push it out straight in front of you in three sets. Worked on my core and no more pain in about a week. G Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Hey Rob, your lower back hurts because your core got a good workout. I've been boxing lately and even in as great shape as I am, my core was off a tad and my lower back hurt a little. Grab a medicine ball and push it out straight in front of you in three sets. Worked on my core and no more pain in about a week. G It can be also inflexibility of the spine. My lower back hurt a lot at one point during boxing and that's because I couldn't find an effective way to stretch my back. I took up kundalini and iyenga yoga and they fixed my back issues in no time. It is an imbalance in strength, that much is true, but you can't just keep piling muscles on without maintaining flexibility. Brittle breaks easily so don't give up on it. Simple and effective: 3 Link to post Share on other sites
sweetjasmine Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 When I first started, I had a bit of lower back pain thanks to doing cobra and upward dog incorrectly. My back was flexible enough, but I was putting too much strain on it by not engaging my legs properly in those poses. Since I corrected that, yoga hasn't given me any back pain, so just try to pay attention to how you're doing things. It's always super helpful to have a great teacher who corrects posture. And if you find that certain poses trigger pain, skip them and go into a different one instead. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Robert Z Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 When I first started, I had a bit of lower back pain thanks to doing cobra and upward dog incorrectly. I was wondering about technique. I received no instruction at all, presumably because it was an overview class and not an introduction. I just had to wing it and try to do what everyone else was doing. So my posture was probably horrible. I was supposed to do my first intro class tonight but had to cancel due to work. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
GemmaUK Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) This is good for learning what you are supposed to be doing. Hatha Yoga Illustrated 9780736062039, Paperback, BRAND NEW FREE P&H 0736062033 | eBay I went a wee bit far and risked too much of a stretch recently when I had RSI and some dodgy trigger points. Stretches, even yoga ones can do more harm than good sometimes. I am out of yoga action and just doing intu-flow for a while. I'll be back to the yoga soon though. ETA: Dichotomy, You want flexibility in your back? Look up Intu-Flow by Scott Sonnen the martial arts expert. Edited June 23, 2014 by GemmaUK 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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