You know couch to 5k? Is there something like that for yoga?

[ferriswheel]

I know about Adriene. I was thinking more something that you could repeat until you achieved it without falling behind?

What do you mean by falling behind? Classes are the best option for beginners as more encouraging than copying a video! (And you can stand at the back and admire everyone’s bendiness)

A good teacher will always offer modifications so you’re not trying something too complex. And there’s always the option to relax back into easy poses (like child, I’ll try to link) if you need a breather

The key with yoga is little and often, if you can do 10 mins of sun salutations each morning you’ll see a huge difference

Sun salutations for ten minutes. Ok. That sounds good. I feel so stiff and inflexible. What kind of difference do you expect me to experience?
With Adriene i loved it for about 3 days then felt i couldnt manage. Then gave up.

I can’t help but it’s a great idea!

Someone should Dragons Den it.

I'd definitely recommend going to a yoga class- a good teacher will help with the movements and give you adaptations to help you progress at your own pace.

On top of that, maybe getting a foam roller and use that a few times a week. It's massively helped my flexibility.

I had physio a few years ago and was told that you can rapidly increase your flexibility by integrating stretches through the day. I had tight quads from cycling, so he had me do quad stretches every 2 hours- doing 4 repetitions on each side, holding 30 seconds each time. I got some strange looks in the office, but it actually caught on. And it works!

Oh you can rapidly increase your flexibility?

I thought i was just stuck at having let myself go. It has been a mammoth five years. Marriage, 3 babies, four pregnancies and now divorce, not to mention all the extra weight and lack of free time. Id love to do a class but apart from the fact id be embarrassed i dont have the money or time. Off to have another look at youtube...

Would pilates be a better option? The postures are not quite so intense.

Oh i thought it was worse/more challenging?

I practice regularly, and going to classes as a beginner is really important - you can hurt yourself otherwise. The key is choosing the right style. For beginners, yin and Hatha yoga. As you get stronger and more flexible, upgrade to vinyasa and ashtanga. Give yourself time - your body will thank you for be journey.

I had very good results with Maya Fiennes.
I started from zero, could hardly lift my arms up, let alone keep them up and progressed very quickly to enjoying doing the full routine, and then moving on to the chakras practices.
I still enjoy doing her videos and have moved on to real life vinyasa classes now.
Good luck, Yoga is amazing.

This is all very encouraging. Thank you.

Im going to follow this with interest as I have been looking for something similar.

I have tried classes but due to life getting in the way the local ones are not at a convenient time and in honesty I find 1 hr too long.

Back to Pilates - maybe it was my teacher, but I certainly found it easier.