Tell me why you like yoga….. the benefits? Worth it?

[LongLimbs]

Thinking of starting yoga because I feel like my ligaments and joints are weak. I’m early 40’s have a sore hip, knees, shoulder and have no core strength.

I’d love to lose a few pounds too but more interested in yoga from a health perspective.

Why do you like it and what do you get from it?

I love it. It’s made me strong and flexible. Improved my posture. But mainly I love the mental benefits - emotions steadier, mind calmer, sleeping better. I can actually regulate my nervous system according to my breathing which I never would have thought possible. Makes the stress of life easier to navigate!

That’s what I’d like to get out of it. How long did it take you to feel the benefits of it would you say?

Like the Pp said , it make you feel better .
1/ it gets you out
2/ you can chat to other people
3/ helps with joints and gives you some flexibility back .
4/ it can help to calm your mind and soul
5/ new cool clothes to buy lol .
6/ you can work within your own limits then start to push yourself further when you've more confidence.
I find yoga really helps with my wellbeing and and gives me a buzz and I also feel quite virtuous exercising I'm quite lazy as I'm not too keen on the gym .

I love it too. I used to get back and knee problems but I don't now. I do feel stronger too but I imagine if that was your only goal there are better sports. Definitely good for flexibility but mainly great for my mental health.

I find it's most effective doing little and often so daily yoga. I started by doing a yoga with Adrienne January special so 30 days of yoga then kept going. I felt it was slightly easier after a month but really it's small changes. Suddenly one day you realise you could do stuff you couldn't or you haven't had a bad back in a while etc.

For me, it's the only form of exercise (apart from walking if you can count that) that I really enjoy and I feel 'takes me away' from the stresses of daily life and into a different zone.
I love how now there are just so many different classes to join - in person or even online.
You can pretty much so it whenever wherever.
There are also so many styles and degrees of the more spiritual side of it. in the last couple of months i have tried Kundalini and also yoga followed by gong sound baths (incredible).
I've never been to a class where everyone including the teacher has been anything but lovely, inclusive, welcoming.
You'd probably be best starting with a beginners haha class and trying other things from there if you want. Your teacher will ask you about any conditions or pain so you can let her (or less likely -him) know about these.

*Hatha not haha... haha!

I don't think there are significant heath benefits and yoga is very inefficient for weight loss, but it makes me feel good.

I started doing Yoga with Adrienne a couple of times a week to complement other exercise and ended up with a daily practice for the past 12yrs, as I love it so much. I really notice if I don't do it.

It makes me feel calmer, clearer and ready for the day - I do it first thing. I really love that there's so many types of yoga, that you can pick and choose to suit your mood. Slow, stretchy yin yoga to vinyasa or power yoga.The physical benefits are really a side effect.

I do a range of styles from yin to dynamic vinyasa/power/and rocket yoga. At that end of the spectrum you will definitely get a workout, but I combine this with barre and the running machine. It's been much more effective for me than HIIT classes because you are moving all of the time. I can hold planks for ages now, I'm 53. More gentle types of yoga, I do agree the weight won't come off/stay off.

I did 'power' pilates reformer for a while - that was good and similar in a way but I got fed up with moving stuff around/fidgeting with props and I feel fitter after regular yoga.

The best thing about yoga for me though is it's not bloody BORING the way the HIIT classes/body sculpt classes are. There's a lot to it, you can do a different approach each time, a nice balance between the steady poses and the challenging ones etc. Things to work to etc. I don't feel like I'm going to lose interest in it and therefore exercise more generally.

My classes do not necessarily have a mega spiritual bent all the time but I have done additional training around this, which I enjoy. It does make me think about my approach to life more generally, which I find valuable and is different from other sorts of exercise.

I would also add that I haven't encountered any 'alternative health' types promoting their views in the classes, which might be an advantage of doing yoga at more of a gym type space. My friend who was a yoga teacher in the US moved away from the community during COVID because she seemed to encounter a lot of anti-vaxxers. I've not come across this here. If you follow teachers' instagrams, some are a bit prone to woo (and no one likes a good sound bath more than I do) but nothing extreme.

I bought the Geri Halliwell yoga vid back in the 00s to get back in shape after DD1 was born, been hooked ever since!

Honestly cant big it up enough (yoga I mean, not ginger spice 😂)

If you're a bit tired or low on energy you can take it really slowly, or if you're having a feisty energetic day you can really ramp it up and get your sweat on

I have health crap going on so get a lot of fatigue aches pains migraines etc, but I've never ever done a yoga sesh and not felt better for it

Go for it! 👍

I love it! It has huge physical and psychological benefits for me.
Physically, I’m stronger, better balanced and more flexible. And my posture has improved.
Psychologically, it has taught me the benefit of taking time out, of working on my own improvement not comparing with others (my yoga teacher notices when I look around to see if I’ve ‘done better’ than my classmates) and knowing and managing you limitations.
It’s a brilliant habit to get into. And my 79 year old classmate is a poster girl for keeping it going into later life.

I always found it a bit boring and difficult to do, I went to a few classes and often did it online. However I recently went to a mobility yoga class and it was a game changer for me. I have no more hip pain. I don't wake up sore and I can exercise more efficiently. I walk a little faster and a few weeks ago I took up zumba again. I used to love it but couldn't manage with all the aches and pains. I didn't even get a twinge this time. I feel stronger and happier and am convinced this is due to Yoga. I'm in my 40s and overweight.

yoga isn't for fitness. Try pilates instead

Yoga took me from overweight depressed alcoholic to happy, healthy and doing handstands every day. I am now a yoga teacher (Rocket and Vinyasa) and I genuinely credit it with saving my life.

I started it on a whim as something to do while I tried to stop drinking a bottle of wine every day, and never drank or missed a day of yoga again. I’m 45 and thought I was past my peak and I’ve never been in better shape or health.

My abs beg to differ 🤣🤸🏻‍♂️💪🏻

It doesn’t get you very out of breath but it’s great for strength and flexibility.

I do both and find yoga ‘harder.’

Im always scared i fart during yoga, thats what puts me off

Thanks for all the replies! It sounds exactly what I’m looking for. I would love it to help with positive mental health too and it looks like it ticks that box.

Sign me up - YouTube here I come tomorrow (I’ll start a fresh tomorrow when I’m all bright eyed and bushy tailed!)

@ssd yes me too. Years ago at a class, the instructor addressed that, saying it happens sometimes and its fine. We've all farted, so what. She kind of gave us permission to fart. The class I'm in now have never mentioned it, I wish they would. I had a torturous session one eve trying to keep it in!

I like that it sorts out body and mind simultaneously. Good stretches of muscles and ligaments, poses that build strength and balance, improve posture and flexibility, all while being conscious of breath and mood and working towards feeling calm and focused and centred physically and mentally.

If I remember to do it in the morning - even just a 10 minute online flow – I am much more productive all day.

I find the exact opposite. I just never feel properly worked out after Pilates. Whereas after yoga I am stretched and a bit tender in the muscles.

You can google "yoga for hip pain/beginners/gentle flow" etc

I like Yoga with Adrienne. She has a calendar of suggested videos, one for each day, but I usually pick and mix which one to do depending on how much time I have. Calendar | Yoga With Adriene She'll post the July one soon as she does that a bit before month end.

I enjoy yoga for the stretching and breathing and also it was a great starting place to get back into more exercise

If you can, I’d recommend finding a class & telling the teacher about your physical condition so she can suggest adaptations. Hatha is a good place to start (Ashtanga is the hardcore end).

Whether it helps you lose weight depends on what kind you do, but it should be great for flexibility and toning.

It’s helped with my insomnia.
I am stronger.
My core is much stronger.

I don’t do it enough to be toned and I’m not very flexible however I can still feel benefits. We went to an event last week and I was sat on the ground for several hours at a time over the two days and I was able to sit up straight without having to prop myself up with my arms. That would not have been possible before, I’d have been slouching and leaning back on my arms, struggling to hold myself up.