I recently started doing Yoga, and it feels great! Does anyone else do Yoga and have some feel-good positions to share?

I've been practicing Yoga for about 40 years and even taught for about 4 years.

Are you taking classes? Learning the basic from books or videos is ok to start, but you really need to take some classes with a good instructor. You're not looking for a "feel good pose" but rather a series of poses (asanas) that flow naturally from one to another. Once you really get into it, you won't even have to think about what you are doing. Your body will know what it needs and wants and if you let it, it will just move on its own. There's no feeling like it. It's terrific!

I would love to try Yoga or Pilates but i have several medical conditions that make exercising painful.The Last time i said forget it and went for it... working out on tread mill and ab work.. i ended up in the hospital. I often wonder if i started slow withYoga if i would be alright. So afraid to try again. Sorry for the sob story. Maybe i will find an instuctor and discuss these issues with them. Asanas.

Hey we all have Dom avies so far!

Stircrazy, that's the excellent thing about Yoga. I started doing it because I have degenerative arthritis and just moving is painful at times. With Yoga, you don't have to do more than you can. If the posture you are doing normally calls for reaching your toes, and you can only reach your knees without pain, then you are still getting the maximum benefit for YOUR body. But if you keep at it regularly, you will find eventually you can reach your feet, at least sometimes. We teach "if it hurts, you are going it wrong"

Thanks for that bit of info... I will definately look into it. Has it helped your arthritis pain?

I did it when I was pregnant and its great! Right now I've been slacking since Anaïs got here. I should probably start up again.. lol.

I am so afraid of hurting myself again.. but i hate being out of shape more

I admit that Dominic and Ian had a bit of influence on me when I decided to take up Yoga. My sisters Denise Austin tape has a bit of Yoga...some basics that suite me fine until I start a class thru my college's gym. I've always had major back pains (it gets so bad that I can hardly stand) and horrible period cramps. Since I started doing Yoga it has helped my back pain (I don't experience it as often and can shop from opening to closing without being in dying pain!) and my horribly bad period camps are gone.

This thread is turning into a support group. Thanks cranky old elf!

Always glad to help, especially on a topic I feel so strongly about. My arthritis was diagnosed when I was in my teens, and the doctors predicted I'd be confined to a wheelchair by the time I was 30. I was a fairly serious athlete at the time (runner, gymnast, competition swimmer, biker, vollyeball nut) and it was suggested I try something like yoga to keep my joints from freezing up. I started with a couple books (this was WAY before the era of videos and DVDs) and eventually signed up for a couple classes which made a big difference. Eventually, I even ended up teaching. :biggrin:

Many, many years later, I do own a wheelchair, but I only use it when I need to stand or walk for any period of time. And I still do at least some of my asanas daily - in the evening when I'm not so stiff.

COE

That's incredible COE. Thanks for sharing your story... i wish you many more years of good health. :)

I guess i will share mine. I have endometriosis and fibroadenoma. After 3 years of complaining about pain, CAT scan, ultrasounds, hormonal injections, and mention of hysterectomy at 25, my gyn removed an endometrium the size of a hockey puck. It had been growing outside of my reproductive organs in between a layer of skin and fat. Less than a year later i was diagnosed with fibroadenoma after an open biopsy.

since my medical conditions are worsened by stress i feel that Yoga would be a way for me to kill several birds with one stone. Exercise and relaxation.

My mom loves yoga. She made me do it with her once but I just couldn't get into it like her.

I started out doing the Birkam or 'hot' Yoga. Despite getting a little nauseous the first couple of times from being in such a warm room, I was far more flexible and my joints didn't ache.

I really need to get back into a class. I still do a little at home, but its more fun and encouraging being a part of a group.

my mom teaches Ashtanga yoga in a few studios here in chicago...she's pretty good, too. she took classes from like 100 year old yogis, or whatever.lol. she desperately tries to teach me, and i do some surinamaskar (spelling?) A's and B's every now and then to stretch out..good stuff.