Yoga - what have you found it's good for?

[sosofedupnow]

So I'm thinking about starting yoga, I know it's a gentle exercise but can be very challenging I need something to tone my whole body but especially my belly and thighs. Do you think this will work?

I have tried it before and never really got into it

Yes but there are different types of yoga and you need to find the one that works for you.

I do an active yoga class which is like a workout. It increases my heart rate and I can often be found red faced and panting toward's the end but it includes lots of work for my arms legs and stomach muscles.

I also do a yin class which is more about pushing the stretch and is extremely relaxing (I have been known to fall asleep in this class) but works more on stretching out aches and on the muscles we don't use so much.

It is worth trying a few classes till you find the one that works for you.

I like the sound of the yoga that feels like a proper workout - what is it called?

Although stretching would be very useful for me at the moment as I'm doing pole fitness and need to be more flexible

I've found yoga is amazing for giving you some flexibility and loosening your muscles. I work a desk job and am prone to neck spasms, but since I started doing yoga regularly I've had SO much less pain on a daily basis.

Yoga can be great for exercise, flexibility and overall health, but there really isn't any guarantee it'll help you lose weight in specific areas. There really isn't any way to do that! The best thing you can do if your goal is losing weight is to eat better, count calories and drink more water!

If you are still interested in trying Yoga, I'd check out the free trial for Beachbody's 3 Week Yoga Retreat program: www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/3-week-yoga-retreat-beginners.do

The whole program is designed to teach beginners the basics and with that trial you can get through 2/3 of it for free so you should have a good idea of how you feel about yoga by then.

I’d agree that if you’re looking to change your shape (I.e. tone / lose weight) yoga may not be the best for that. I love yoga so much, it’s a great thing in my life, but I have had periods of practicing for an hour every day and still didn’t really notice much change in my appearance. And I generally lose weight easily.

BUT I was very happy and bendy!

Look for classes with the words vinyasa, dynamic or flow on them if you are looking for a workout. Its not everyone's cup of tea, but I first got into yoga doing bikram. It's a great workout, worth looking to see if there's a bikram studio near you.

Kundalini yoga can be very dynamic and quite the workout. I mostly do yoga for my mental health, however.

I also recommend the Les Mills Body Balance class which is a mixture of tai chi, yoga and Pilates done to music.

I love yoga especially vinyassa flow but I think the body balance has really added something extra.

you can come over to yoga section on MN to ask your question:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/yoga

Try ashtanga or a flow type yoga. Ashtanga is fast and builds strength but feels like a good work out. Tends to be hour and a half of pretty much continuous movement. I love it. Ashtanga is the same every time but a yoga flow class tends to combine ashtanga moves with others and varies from class to class.

Have a look on YouTube at the Yoga with A friend channel. If you'ryou're after a workout her weight loss series is good although I'm not sure how good it would be if you hadn't done yoga before. The funny thing about yoga is the longer you do it the harder each pose gets because you'ryou're putting more into it and have a better understanding of what you are trying to achieve.

Ashtanga yoga is very dynamic and I've recently started Iyengar which, while slower, is very focused on precision and I really feel my muscles have been worked. Interesting point from PP about it getting more difficult in some ways the more experienced you get. Never thought of it that way before but very true.

Yoga with Adriene on You Tube has some fab ab yoga workouts, I did them a couple of times a week for the 6 weeks before my wedding/honeymoon and got a visible (ish) six pack. No Carbs too which probably helped!

In all seriousness there is a Yoga style for everyone, I have done it since I was 15 and my mum dragged me to a class in our village hall. I have found teachers I adore and ones I don't, now I feel comfortable doing it at home alone and when I want a guided work out I love Yoga with Adriene. Definitely try numerous classes until you find one that clicks, alternatively there are a ton of online yoga platforms with different instructors/styles.

It's really best for mental health over anything. I always feel wonderful after doing any type of yoga.

I’ve been doing Yoga with Adriene. It’s nice and she’s likeable. I’m only on day ten though and nowhere near to every day.

Yoga for me is a supplement (as much as I’d like it to be my only exercise, I find I lose cardio fitness too quickly if I do). Finding the right class/teacher was key for me - my teacher keeps it fun, but makes sure we’re challenged in every class, but still with nice bits too . She also doesn’t bring the more spiritual/holistic angle into her class which I appreciate, in an hour I don’t really want to spending 15 mins of that chanting.

I’ve also really enjoyed Yoga With Adriene’s 30 day series too for doing at home. I’d love to go to a live class of hers!