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Original poster

How should it feel?

30 replies

ohlalalalalalalalala · 14/02/2023 22:24

I realise this is a ridiculous question but I’ve never really ‘got’ yoga. I’ve tried a good 3/4 times with Adrienne and even though I am so keen to love it I just haven’t.

Tried again tonight and landed on someone else on YouTube - didn’t see the name but a bearded man with tattoos. He was a bit less airy fairy about it all although did still talk about making room for the passenger inside of me. Anyway, I got on much better with him and managed to whole beginners video.

But my question is how should it feel? Just stretchy? There was one pose where I had to hook one knee then put my hands behind it and pull which felt very stretchy in my hamstring but I was a bit like ‘oh is this right?’ - it wasn’t painful just different.

How is it exercise though if it’s just stretching? Is it that it’s hard to hold your own weight in downward facing dog and eventually over time that will become easier? Because that did feel hard but maybe I am just unfit and rubbish? People talk about yoga as this amazing exercise but I think for me the lack of speed, breathlessness etc makes me feel confused about it.

I also struggled to breathe for as long as him!

On the whole though I definitely enjoyed it much more than the ones I had tried with Adrienne and will definitely do the video again a few times to see if I can improve.

I really do want to love it!

OP posts:
chickadeee · 14/02/2023 22:30

I've done yoga for years and find Adrienne really irritating and annoying but it's really personal. I love Yoga with Tim (also you tube)
There are lots of different types of yoga so it depends what you want from it. I love Pilates too as it always feels like a workout and my abs pop! butyoga feels like WD40 on my body, especially when I'm doing it regularly. (I'm 46)

Original poster
ohlalalalalalalalala · 14/02/2023 22:48

I’ll have a look for Tim!

Actually a bit glad I’m not the only one who didn’t gel with Adrienne! Was beginning to think it was just me.

Is Pilates harder than yoga then?

OP posts:
Iudncuewbccgrcb · 14/02/2023 23:00

WD40 for the body is a good way of describing it Chickadee!

it depends on the type of yoga you are doing but I've found doing it a few times a week has meant the different between able to put my socks/tights on with ease in the morning and having to sit on the bed and contort my way into them. I'm late 30s

for me it builds strength and flexibility, I really feel it if I miss a class, like I'm coiled too tightly.

I recommend going to an in person class as well as trying stuff on YouTube - I can never do shavasana properly on my own and my current yoga tutor does an excellent guided meditation.

I've done a bit of Adrienne but can never stick with it, my current class tutor puts up the odd video on YouTube when she has to cancel a class so I often use those.

thedevilinablackdress · 15/02/2023 07:53

It really depends on the style of yoga and the level of the class. You're unlikely to feel out of breath, it's not that sort of exercise, but perhaps exhausted after holding a difficult pose for several minutes. If you can get to an in person class with a good teacher it really helps understand what you're trying to do and using good form. Ashtanga yoga is usually more 'vigorous' and I like Iyengar for the precision and technical difficulty.

SplinteredRuler · 15/02/2023 08:00

I don’t like Adrienne either. Can you get to a class in person? I think that might make a difference to your experience in the short term.

I see three or four different teachers a week and they’re all very different. I definitely have a favourite.

Definitely helps mobility.

SplinteredRuler · 15/02/2023 08:01

I’m definitely out of breath in Ashtanga.

OffYouPopNow · 15/02/2023 08:07

Adriene started me off but I never really improved. She talks too much.
Yoga with Kassandra is my most used.
Fightmaster yoga leaves me feeling muscles I never knew existed!

If I don’t do my yoga I feel stiff and sore so I’d agree with the WD40 for the body.
I have defined muscles on my arms, legs and toned abs after doing yoga for 3 years. I look at it as keeping my strength and mobility so I don’t become doddery in my old age. It leaves my mind feeling peaceful and I feel happy for doing something good for m body.

chickadeee · 15/02/2023 09:34

ohlalalalalalalalala · 14/02/2023 22:48

I’ll have a look for Tim!

Actually a bit glad I’m not the only one who didn’t gel with Adrienne! Was beginning to think it was just me.

Is Pilates harder than yoga then?

Definitely not just you looking at the replies! Pilates is similar but different. A lot of focus on core strength too.
Five parks yoga on you tube is really good too. Tom does a 30 day challenge and a beginner challenge too.
And the down dog app is FAB - you can choose your level, the type of yoga you want to do and the time you want to practice.
Would also suggest an in person class but that's not always practical for everyone.
Good luck

FenghuangHoyan · 15/02/2023 10:39

Yoga is as much to do with mindfulness and connection with and understanding your body as it is "exercise". On the exercise front it keeps you (or gets you) flexible and it strengthens muscles, especially the core muscles. You shouldn't feel pain doing it. If you do, then you're stretching too far or holding a pose too long.

I stopped yoga as its been causing me BPPV (cat / cow seems to be the main culprit) which is a shame as I was enjoying it.

I've done pilates in the past and that bloody hurt afterwards. I had no idea that the muscles on the top of your feet could hurt until then.

FenghuangHoyan · 15/02/2023 10:40

Oh and if you want a more intense yoga, then look at Diamond Dallas Page and DDP Yoga. Its basically yoga, but with muscle tensing. He reckons its all he uses and he looks good off the back of it.... if true.

eurochick · 15/02/2023 11:09

There are different kinds of yoga and within that each teacher will have their own style. I started with Adrienne and have a lot of love for her but have moved on to other teachers now. On YouTube I like Kassandra and Five Parks. I occasionally try some Boho Beautiful but that woman in unfeasibly bendy (ex gymnast I think).

NoodleQueen90 · 15/02/2023 15:14

I would recommend going to an in person class to start with as the instructor will correct you or offer alternative poses if there's anything not particularly suited to you (eg my piriformis is so tight I can't get anywhere near half pigeon pose)
Once you've got the basics down, YouTube is great for being able to do a quick session in the house. I really didn't like Adrienne either but I like Kassandra. I'm not so much into the meditation side of it, a little bit is fine but for me it's mostly about stretching as I work sitting at a desk all day.

Iudncuewbccgrcb · 15/02/2023 23:58

I accidentally ended up in a series of kundalini yoga classes for a while.

that was definitely a different experience - I'm glad I tried it but now i'm back to more normal types of yoga I won't be hurrying back to the chanting and singing and awkward breathing etc.

SplinteredRuler · 16/02/2023 05:27

One of my classes is kundalini. I find it a bit weird tbh but very relaxing.

FluffyHamster · 16/02/2023 19:46

Oh OP, I'm so with you on the 'not getting' yoga!

I've done all sorts of exercise and classes throughout my life (now mid-fifties) and I even trained as a fitness instructor in my late 20s (as a hobby, not a career) but whenever I've joined yoga classes I've just ended up stressed and grumpy by them, rather than relaxed.

I think I simply have no time for all the 'woo woo' that so many teachers seem to bring to it. I went to one class and the instructor was wafting some kind of fragrance she sells as a side hustle around and about us. It sent me off into a coughing fit! And all the spiritual/ centring/ connecting stuff - it feels like a religion which I just don't believe in.

I really dislike being in a room with lots of other people too. And I have really ugly feet, so can't stand having to have bare feet (although I know there are yoga socks, but nobody I know wears them).

I feel like I'm missing out, but it really does nothing for me, beyond the stretching.

thedevilinablackdress · 17/02/2023 11:20

Not everything's for everyone. For example, I can't think of any worse activity than going to a spin class with banging music and an instructor shouting at you. Other folk love that.
(I do prefer low-woo yoga classes mind you)

Buttalapasta · 19/02/2023 18:32

My gran tried to get me to do yoga for years as she said it helped her so much especially in her recovery from two major illnesses but I never really "got" it. Now I am middle aged myself though it seems to have finally clicked. WD40 for the body is certainly true! I am so much stiffer and weaker when I don't do it. Maybe it's just not the right time for you yet!

Shitfather · 22/02/2023 08:13

I love group practice in a studio and never took to YouTube. Practicing in a group is very motivating for me. I absolutely love it and yoga is the only exercise I do (apart from lengthy walks). I do hot yoga, which is is addictive. It’s definitely more cardio than normal yoga.

Turquoisa80 · 24/02/2023 16:29

It's a vibe, every time you do an upwards movement you inhale and when you go downwards you exhale. You have to coordinate your breath with movement and that's when you feel the benefits. Having music on in the background makes it so spiritual for me and adds to to my energy. Ashtanga is my favourite as I get a good workout you can go fast or slow, it's a set of movements such as sun salutations and I know most of the postures(although not picture perfect). The dreamy and stretchy feeling after is wonderful. The Down dog app is good, it has interesting music too

Rafamad435 · 15/03/2023 21:53

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JamMakingWannaBe · 15/03/2023 22:10

If you want a bit more speed of movement and some breathlessness, try Les Mill's Body Balance. It's a mix of yoga, pilates, tai chi etc with none of the incense and chakras.

Disclaimer - I can't get to that class at the Leisure Centre anymore but I do still do yoga.

Yogachick · 13/09/2023 07:43

Try Erin Motz aka Bad Yogi. Or Sarah Beth Yoga,both on YouTube. Sarah Beth in particular has more challenging stuff and practices that pack a punch from just 10 mins. Another one is Livinleggings , outstanding instruction and stages of more challenging poses.Charlie Follows is another new one I’ve found.Lucy B yoga is wonderfully inclusive if you have a juicy body,though don’t think she’s on YouTube.I wander away from Adriene periodically ,I get bored and don’t feel I’m progressing& the chat irritates but I have the app and there’s more challenging practices on there with less chat so I always come back,it’s like my safe yoga space. I’m a nicer person when I yoga ,definitely calmer and glowing and now I’m getting older (58) I really notice if I don’t yoga,for basic stretching and mobility in daily life.

LunaNorth · 13/09/2023 07:49

It’ll strengthen your core, improve your posture and balance, and keep everything flexible.

If you hold your stress and tension in your body, it helps with that, too.

It’s a long game.

TimeForHygge · 13/09/2023 07:58

I used to live overseas and was able to try out lots of different styles of yoga, of which there are many. In the past I have done Iyenga, Vikram, Yin, Ashtanga, Hatha.....there are loads. I've tried them all, and they are all very different.

Back in the UK I struggled and became a bit disillusioned with it all because where I was living it was a very disciplined practise, and it positively impacted on my everyday life. Here, it seems that your local aerobics instructor can do a day's course and they are then teaching yoga. I have finally found yoga that I love, and surprisingly it is Les Mills Body Balance which is a session of mostly yoga, but with a bit of Tai Chi and Pilates. This suits me because I like a very dynamic yoga session, and I only like to do Vinyasa. I also love Yin.

To answer your question. When I have had a good yoga session I feel healed and nourished (as in my muscles and ligaments all feel stretched out after other exercises), I feel very calm, I feel detoxed (drink water to flush it all out), I feel detached from bullshit and non important things, and I feel like I am taking really good care of myself. In a nutshell, I feel serene. Quite a lot eh?

Try different classes.

TimeForHygge · 13/09/2023 08:02

It’s a long game.

This ^ Plus if you do it long term, you are going to grow old with a very flexible body IMO.

I also forgot to say that the breathing techniques are very good for everyday life too. If I have got mega stressed I know how to breathe to bring it all down. When I had my first amniocentesis, I used pranayama and the doctor said he was so impressed with my composure that he was going to tell his other patients!