anyone do yoga?

[Cappuccino]

my quest to find a yoga-ing mner continues

I have just started

I think sometimes about doing it in the garden

and then a voice inside me says 'that's going too far, you mad old hippy'

I do, on and off and I think that when I'm doing yoga regularly I am a much better person and more calm and positive, and when I'm not I feel overwhelmed and panicked. The benefit of doing yoga is double for me: I benefit from the yoga itself and then I also feel good about myself because I'm doing yoga IYSWIM.

Classes are expensive and hard to fit in sometimes, and I tried and failed to do it at home, always saying: there's no space, it's hard to motivate yourself, it's too messy and distracting at home, but now I've persuaded DH to do it with me and we do it straight after dd goes to bed on Thursdays with my "basic yoga for dummies" dvd and it's been really good. it's one of the few positives between me and dh at the moment.

We are not as disciplined as I'd like tho, we sometimes skip a session and I'd like to be doing it twice a week.

My yoga teacher, when I go, is brilliant, and I'm tempted to go back and it is one of my long-term dreams to do a retreat and go on a yoga holiday....

Sorry for yoga ramble. Namaste everyone!

Another yoga-ing mumsnetter here - although I don't often post these days. I started about 7 years ago when I was expecting DD and have been doing it ever since. Gym, pilates and everything else have come and gone but the yoga remains!

I used to go to a quite gentle Dru yoga class with a lovely teacher but it got a bit slow and boring after a while. Now I go to a teacher who does hatha with a bit of ashtanga thrown in every now and then for good measure.

I love yoga. Hard to find the time though.

What kind do you do? I go to a lovely hatha class, but am pondering ashtanga, though have heard that is harder work. When ds starts pre-school am planning to go to a monday morning Iyengar class with the instructor that did my ante-natal yoga. She's great and roll on September.

I do find it a little embarrassing that I am completely inflexible . Can't tough toes, never have been able to and don't think I ever will. I think I just have very taut hamstring muscles. I always try and get to the back so can exercise unobserved.

ooh mrsb I would love to do that with dh

I think he would be up for it; I think it's a case of getting the right dvd. Is yours good?

years ago we bought a book called Yoga for Sex but it was so incredibly complicated - the warm-up took about 20 minutes fgs - who's going to have the energy for sex after all that lot?

also dh couldn't take it seriously because of the yoga bloke's hair

LOL, Capp - have had the same thought.
Went on hols to Maldives (bdc) & did sun salutations every morning on the beach - feeling like something off the cover of a yoga book ... but looking, no doubt, like an arse

i used to until they stopped local classesit was MY time,i loved it and would go like a shot if classes started again.i got a dvd but found it hard to find a time to do it alone.

I've been doing it for about, erm, 13 years. I now alternate with pilates, but think it is v important to have 1 stretch based form of exercise on the go. I do a few sun salutations every day - they just really straighten you out.

We have an authentic (and faintly bonkers) yoga centre close to where I live. fFr Christmas, DH bought me an intensive course that was held between Christmas and New Year. 2 hours of yoga a day between 6-8pm 27-30 December: not only did I get to lie down in a darkened roon for 2 hours, DH had to do children's supper, bath them, put them to bed and then start on our supper. Truly it was the gift that kept on giving - I was very relaxed after that!

I want to start as soon as I can find time.

I do meditate though - have you tried a guided meditation? I found them much easier to do at first.

I think a regular class really helps too. And it needs to be at a time where you will actually stick to it. Our daytime class is at 10am so I'm still feeling fairly energetic and it has a creche so that works well for me for the DD's.

Evening classes I've always found too knackering, I just haven't got the energy to go after long day of work/children. And there's the dilemma of whther you eat really early or wait until you've finished, meaning your tummy rumbles for the last half hour.

My instructor advised us it was better to try and do up to 10 deep breaths with a meditative focus than try and do a longer session and keep losing focus. Even 3 deep breaths in and out whilst focusing on the breath is better than nothing apparently - I manage to do this most mornings.

Can I hijack this from advice from any clever yogis? While watching the film Spanglish, I attempted to do the position the uber-fit Mummy tries in the bedroom- legs to one side lifted off the floor and supported by locked arms. A month on my elbows are still really sore- although it didn't hurt at the time. Symptoms like tennis elbow but in both arms. Is it a recognised position? When will it stop hurting?

why on earth did you do that Lambeth?

are you insane?

pooka - you will get more flexible

i had super tight, painful calves and they are much better now

I've done a bit, but I would love to start properly. We're about to move to rural Scotland, so I don't hold out much hope of finding a decent teacher.

Anchovy I am at your course.

MrsBBK, would you recommend that DVD?

I really want to get into yoga, but am too scared to join the classes at my gym. Don't want to be the new girl who doesn't know what she's doing!
Have bought the Shilpa Shetty yoga dvd, but so far have only watched it and not joined in. Don't know if it's good or not, have no frame of reference.

LOL Lambeth.
Haven't seen the film, but is it a position where your arms are underneath your legs? ie legs akimbo, straight arms at 45% underneath? If so, it sounds like tortoise...

Suspect it hurt because you didn't go into it right (elbows need to be beyond legs) ... or because um, you were pushing yourself into a wierd posture you're not ready for ?

Cappucino- it was insane! Worse than that it was only the following week when I remembered the film that I realised that's why my arms were so bad. Doctor very impressed/ confused that I'd managed to get tennis elbow in both arms. fp there was much giggling at the time!

IME yoga is the least scary class to join as everyone else is so involved in trying to manage the positions themselves they don't notice what you are doing.

I'm a Yoga teacher based in Worcestershire. There's loads of us round here! Mainly teach kids at the moment but do adults too. Just sorting out Antenatal Yoga and Parent and Baby Classes for September. I'm happy to post my lesson plans on here if other mumsnetters want ideas to practice at home. Good to use chairs & props if you're a bit stiff. I use things you can probably find around the house - rolling pins, scarves/ sarongs, kids hula hoops etc. I have 4 v young children, busy work and social life and a workaholic partner & find Yoga a preferable stress reliever to a bottle of wine and a spliff of an evening!!!

bumping thread for cappuccino: what podcasts are you listening to? i really love the meditation ones on satipanya.org.uk but i know half of them by heart by now so i'd love to hear any others you could suggest.

i listen to them to get to sleep, i figure it's almost as good as actually making the time to meditate, right?