Any Yogis about?

[LemonSwan]

Sorry don’t know where to post this so chose the busiest board.

How do you actually go from competent beginner to doing much more advanced yoga?

I have been doing group classes for quite a while. My teacher is great and she really spices things up with moves, flow, themes etc. but how do you learn the really complex stuff like handstands, head stands, arm balances etc?

Having a hands on teacher who was able to offer cues for things like headstands was really helpful.

Other than that consistent practice, most days, has helped me to be more aware of my body and doing postures and flows which are planned out to help build towards a final pose is good. (Although I still can’t do headstands)

I now realise you might have meant literally, how do you do a headstand?

To master headstands and forearm stands I did a morning coaching workshop. It’s all simple biomechanics and can be learnt by anyone - but probably not in a generic yoga class.

If you have started, like most people, from unfit then quite a while! It takes time to build the core/shoulder strength needed to do those poses without injuring yourself. Are you practising every day?

Some of the poses have a sort of pipeline- puppy->dolphin->head etc

My goal was always crow. I still can't do it well. I don't mind now though.

When I wanted to do more advanced poses and balances in yoga I took up pilates for a year to strengthen my core.

Thanks all ☺️

I was never previously unfit so not starting from zero (for example used to work daily as a gardening balancing on top of ladders with hedge trimmers which takes a lot of core power); but had a babe in spring this year so have been working twice a week in yoga classes, once a week in 1-1 Pilates and then doing bits and pieces at home here and there.

I am super getting into it and have a way to go with core power (abs were trashed by a quite aggressive c section and working hard to wake the lazy post partum bum); but I am getting there and it’s been dawning on me that after I have my strength back I still can’t see a path to the hard stuff.

Good to hear that coaching sessions exist somewhere.

Clicked on this thinking it was a continuation of the bear tips...

Haha please what is the bear tips 🤣

And this is very helpful thank you. I will practice dolphin. I haven’t tried this before.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4724225-important-tips-we-might-not-know?page=1

I think the OP wanted life hacks and Top Tips, instead it turned into "101 ways to survive bear attacks"

Enjoying this thread too though as I'm interested in taking up yoga.

Haha that looks like a good thread read thank you ☺️

Sorry question on the dolphin. How are we breathing here? Soft in the stomach or strong with a contraction.

I stumbled into a class run by a fab lady....looks and dresses like Norma Desmond...turbans etc....it was hard...but she offers alternatives for all the poses...the class is mixed...its advanced but not labelled as such....its not a flow class...i dont like those...we use belts and blocks and bolsters...different stuff each class....i love it !

Strong, the trick with headstand is all the power is in the core. When you come to try it you put head on floor with arms either in tripod or dolphin position and feet on ground (like an adapted down face dog). Then slowly walk your feet in so that your bum is pointing more upright. Your core is really strong here. As you start lift your heels off the floor to get used to the weight transfer. Ultimately you’re aiming to use your core to lift both feet up together with straight legs into a headstand

This is probably kundalini yoga, quite different from Hatha which is what most classes are. Only ever done one but loved it

Join an Ashtanga class

My teacher runs a range of classes over the week, and one of them is a more advanced class.

I've seen one-day arm balance workshops, though not done one. (I consider it a triumph if I hold crow for as much as a whole second. My main problem is beliefs that I can do it, rather than strength.)

I've done handstands against the wall - stand facing away from the wall, and walk your legs up the wall. Then facing the wall, and just go up into a normal handstand, with the wall to support you if needed.

But probably the most practice was on a week long retreat, because there was just more time available, and we worked in pains to support each other's legs and the teacher spent time on each of us, too.

I think Adriene does some video for specific poses, but I'm not sure how advanced they go, so may not have all the balances.

If you can get to a yoga show they quite often have workshops covering this kind of thing that you can use to try it out / pick up tips. I learned crow this way

Practise, practise, practise regularly. Building strength (especially core and upper body), flexibility, breathing deeply/using breath correctly to energise you, and confidence.

I started a class with a teacher I loved five years ago and it really gave me the yoga bug. At one point in lockdown I had a daily practice going on for several months - there was not much else to do other than work, eat snd sleep at the time!

Now with rather a normally busy life again I do two yoga classes a week, and also do weights and cardio in the gym. They all compliment one another.

What I love about yoga (apart from it absolutely keeping me sane and on the straight and narrow) is that it's something I can actually get better at in my 40s. When I started the classes with current teacher I only did one class a week for a couple of years, and still my strength, flexibility, sleep and peace of mind improved immensely.

With headstands I did them on the lawn in the summer to start with where there was plenty of room and my muscles were nice and warm. I've also more recently been to a yoga day when we built up to doing a headstand against the wall with straight legs, then completely unsupported in the air for a few seconds. It was brilliant, but I felt that if I'd tried that years without having a solid regular practice and without the strength and confidence, it would have felt like my head was going to disappear into my shoulders!

Can't do a controlled handstand yet, but I will be able to one day.

There are lots of "how to" guides on Instagram
Crow www.instagram.com/p/CSKk2teJI8R/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=. Or www.instagram.com/p/BqRSCTcFMQW/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Headstand www.instagram.com/p/ChUGqhuD1Zq/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

No...not kundalini...tried that twice...its all chanting and swaying ...everyone dressed in white and white turbans....i think my class is more astanga.

Weights will help with upper body strength for arm balances and inversions.

Aah, usually the turbans is a kundalini thing, never seen another style teacher wear one. Ashtanga is the flow class, really athletic and Iyengar use lots of props.