... anyone got any insights? I need to cross-train and I would like to find a yoga practice that focused on strength and flexibility. I would try them out, but a few studios don't allow drop ins so I don't know what fits me.
I understand the natural reaction is going to be like, "you just need to try them out," but I would love some direction so I don't pay for 8 classes of something that isn't what I'm looking for. I haven't found any great descriptons online.
WHat do you prefer? There's Kripalu yoga and Ivengyar (sp?) near my house...
Well, ALL yoga is based on good old fashioned Hatha Yoga - all other kinds of asana practice (Hot yoga, Iyengar, Ashtanga, etc etc ad nauseum) are variations of the traditional form. So you really can't go wrong with taking a Hatha class. If you really want to make yoga part of your practice, start by learning the traditional form, getting acquainted with the postures, the philosophy behind the practice, and building your strength and flexibility without props (Iyengar) heated rooms (hot) or rushing through your practice (Ashtanga and Power seem to do this).
I think Hatha has an undeserved reputation as "easier' yoga than the other forms. Find a class with an experienced, traditional teacher, and you will find that Hatha is far from easy. The only yoga class you want to avoid as a healthy, mobile person is "restorative Yoga'. That is usually done by people with serious injury or mobility problems, as you are propped on cushions in many of the postures.
Good luck!
I take a class in ashtanga vinyasa flow that helps with building strength.
Even if the class doesn't offer drop ins, you might ask about an introductory course. I know at my shala, all new students get a week free.
whatever class you do, enjoy!
love.
ali
SHe doesn't need to avoid Restorative because she is healthy... it is a wonderfully relaxing and refreshing yoga... for anyone. Will it do something for her in respect to bellydance, well .. probably not (meaning it won't really help her directly) .. but it would be a great yoga to experience after an intense bellydance workout!!!
I am a fan of Yin yoga.. It is a mostly seated yoga in which you remain in poses for several minutes... it gets in deep to the connective tissues and I think it is wonderful for bellydance in partnership with other yogas. Yin is very lower body intensive... not much upper body work although you could incorporate it on your own.
There is an amazing and wonderful post from Raven in this thread about all types of yoga and how to choose: yogaandtheindigo.tribe.net/thre...7df31
awwww thanks jennifer~
That makes me so happy that all my posts spoke to you.
hope it was of service or help to the community in some way...
(sometimes i geek out on yoga and can babble for hours!)
I'm an experiential learner.. meaning, i gotta try something myself to know if it works for me. And again, what works for me, may not work for someone else. I think that is, in essence, the key to rich, potent yoga study and practice, recognizing and honoring the individuality and unique nature of every being... that a practice 'towards optimal health' may look different for different people, depending on where they are at, their strength, flexibility, bone length, spiritual practice, etc. etc. I highly recommend just trying out different classes/teachers. It's like bellydance: you'll know when you find a match--when you find a style and a teacher that resonnates with you. Then, the magic begins. :)
There are so many different styles out there these days, it can be confusing. But, at the core of it all, it's all Yoga, and i believe you can get good things out of any class, if you can approach it with beginner mind, stay connected to breath, and stay open to your experience.
If you're new to the practice, i really encourage just starting 'a practice' consistantly... just beginning--somehow, someway--i think you'll see benefits in your life and in your dance.
Megan: Iyenger and Kripalu are different styles, but i imagine you will get lots of benefit out of both/either of them. I don't know your personality well enough yet to have a hit which one would ressonate more. For me, much of a class depends on the teacher. If you find a teacher you like, you will probably be more likely to go back!
Iyenger focuses a lot of alignment. and uses a lot of props. (if that helps. )
If you're interested in deeper study, with a master teacher... i highly recommend certain books, workshops, trainings with specific teachers...
if ya like, you can email me off line for more...
you're in chicago right?
I'm coming there this fall..
let's tawwwwk!
xo
deb
This is something I've really been wanting to look into also. I really liked the different links posted here! but in the threads all of the back n' fourth convo's about the variations in styles made it kind of dizzing to try to read! So I looked this up on google and found a cool site:
www.matsmatsmats.com/yoga/yo...nes.html
It seems like it does a good job of breaking down each style down into a cohesive description (from what I understand of yoga anyways! i could be wrong) and is a good compliment to what everyone's talking about in the other threads! It helped me out anyways, lol =)
Oh for sure - nobody needs to 'avoid' restorative yoga if they're healthy - perhaps those were the wrong words to choose. I suppose I was answering her question from the POV of someone trying to build strength. I mean, sitting in a chair is restful too, but I wouldn't use it as a way to improve dance practice. But everyone could definitely use a good "pampering" session in restorative yoga. Mmmm...cushiony :)
Jivamukti is really fun too - very energetic! I love these threads. They inspire me to go out and try a style of yoga that I've never done before.
Anyone heard of 'jade egg Yoga'??
(chillmudra.squarespace.com)
i am wondering how the practice would benefit bellydance.....
I'm not sure it'd directly help bellydance, but it sure helps
other activities ;) !
The egg can be part of healing tao practices, both to enhance things
for your partner (think majorly enhanced ?kegel exercises...)
but it stimulates your own energy too (sort of
internal reflexology...)
I got an 'egg' recently due to finally getting a chance
to put it all into practice with a new man.
If anything, bellydance probably helps prepare for
the jade egg - we already know how to feel and isolate
various muscles...this is sort of an extension of that...
mind you, personally I'd far rather to stick to book and
cd instructions than join a class!!
i think jade egg yoga is different than the jade egg exercises themselves..
i think this 'fusion' style (if you will) combines yoga practice with the jade egg practices..
i'll check it out and let ya'll know!
Everything everyone else has said has merit: hatha is good for flexibility and form; ashtanga adds strength and flexibility. As was stated by another, all yoga flows from hatha, so it's really contained in the ashtanga. I would take a good ashtanga course, and add to my personal practice a couple of old yoga sets from the Yogi Bahjan Style Kundalini Yoga: flexibilty and the spine and abdominal strengthening. You can talk a Kundalini teacher into just emailing you those sets from old books, most likely.
I practice Ashtanga, and I definitely don't rush through it! True, it's done at a more brisk pace then some other hatha classes, but it is a form of hatha that works really well for me, and I find a quicker pace works for me as long as I'm being mindful and staying connected to my breath. I've seen incredible increases in strength and flexibility--but not all at once. I've found that benefits come with patience and a dedicated practice.
Try a few styles and teachers, and see what works for you!
to reply more directly to your question megan-
i have had an amazing year of iyengar practice(i do a more vigorous form about once or twice a week as well).
I love the skeletal alignment benefits i get from it and my understanding of what i'm supposed to be doing in other forms is greatly enhanced.
i am unfamiliar with kirpalu yoga so i cant speak to that but i've found the iyengar approach(or at least my teacher's approach) to be quite explorative which really works for me. i like using props to really get the alignment of postures correct and even though it's not a "flow" class i can be quite worked the next day, especialy when its a "breakthrough" day...
i hope you are able to find what you need from your practice- it is a journey!
Try out different styles and see which suites you the best. Iyengar is a bit stringent, but good for alignment. Being a dancer myself, I prefer a more 'organic' style of yoga, but, again, it depends on the teacher. Shop around, try different teachers, and see which resonates in your own body. Look for descriptions like Vinyasa Flow. Shiva Rea is a good example of a flow-y, dance-y style. See if you have a student of Dharma Mittra (NYC) in your area - very open and organic. Yin yoga is a good compliment to the more 'yang' styles of yoga and exercise, but you don't want to do it every day - a bit stressful on the joints. Being a yoga teacher, I have found that breathwork (pranayama) practices have hepled tremendiously in increaing my stamina, too. Om Shanti. Peace.
I love yin yoga, combined with qi gong as well which introduces movement as well. Both have a lot to do with opening the body, gently, allowing the qi or prana to circulate more readily through it, helping to center and quiet as well the mind. This is the original intent in yoga (Patanjali's first statement as to what the nature of yoga is to still the restless mind). Yin yoga integrates actually various models -- Indian, Chinese and Western aspects of understanding the body and mind and their interrelationships.
And there are asanas that address upper body, too, upper back, chest and so forth, as in other forms. Many of the same asanas found in other styles, such as "camel" (ustrasana), but they are done in a more 'yin' fashion, trying to reach the deeper connective tissue which form the pathways of the subtler energy (qi or prana).
For more information on Yin Yoga, there is the book *YinSights* by Bernie Clark -- which actually is an awesome book to understand more of the theory behind *any* form of yoga. And what is even better, is that one can read the entire book for free online! www.yinyoga.com, so one can investigate it with out having to invest in even a book. ;)
I also have a DVD with Jennifer Kries "Yin Yoga," which has three practices of yin yoga and also some discussion of the relationship between the asanas and the accupuncture meridians.
And may we not also forget that dance itself is, broadly speaking, also a form of yoga? ;)
