<p>I have heard that yoga is good for stress. Have you had personal experience with it helping you? I am interested in beginning with DVDs in my home - any suggestions?</p>
<p>Is there a particular style of yoga that is more beneficial for stress?</p>
<p>I did not find yoga changed my stress levels. It was so slow paced and I found the religious aspects of it annoying (I am an atheist). I find that it takes fast-paced vigorous exercise to help me with stress.</p>
<p>YMMV.</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> A.M. and P.M. Yoga: Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Steve Adams: Movies & TV](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/M-P-M-Yoga-Rodney-Yee/dp/B00007JME6]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/M-P-M-Yoga-Rodney-Yee/dp/B00007JME6)</p>
<p>The AM portion of this 2 DVD set is a wonderful introduction to yoga. The PM portion includes a couple of poses that require more flexibility than most beginners might have. I do use yoga as a stress reliever.</p>
<p>questbest, I heard that too. But it never worked for me. DD and I signed up for a yoga class at a local community center. The class started at 6 in the evening, so that meant that I had to push my way through the rush hour traffic to be able to make it, and that was definitely not nerve-calming. Maybe I’m such an A-type personality, but during the relaxation exercises I could not help myself not to think about work, what to make for dinner, etc. Instead of visualizing world peace, I was making mental shopping lists and thinking about my failed experiments!! </p>
<p>However, pumping weights or running a 5K works for me as a nice stress reducer. YMMV.</p>
<p>I couldn’t have gotten through the last 10 years without yoga. I absolutely love it. There are many, many different kinds of classes and teachers out there, so it would be good to try different classes. I personally don’t find the dvd’s very engaging, but it might be a good way to familiarize yourself. Yoga can be very gentle and restorative, or it can kick your butt harder than interesteddad’s worst Russian slavedriver. It can be more or less on the religious/spiritual spectrum. Also, the quality of teachers varies a great deal. </p>
<p>The type of yoga you might enjoy has more to do with your temperament and personality type than your body type. If you want to do something rigorous, I’d recommend vinyasa, power, ashtanga, or bikram (hot) yoga. Anusara yoga can be either vigorous or gentle depending on the class. If you want something more soothing, you could try viniyoga, iyengar (it is a slower class but definitely NOT easier), kundalini, or integral yoga.</p>
<p>One recommendation I would offer is that no matter what type of yoga you try, give it at least 3 or 4 chances. It can be so different that many people have trouble with letting go, especially ambitious, hardworking types (CC anyone?).</p>
<p>I have been doing yoga on & off for about 5 years. As a former athlete I immediately wanted to push myself to do everything to the max as soon as possible, this resulted in some sneaky pain as I pushed my much older body to stretch and strengthen in new positions!</p>
<p>It also took a while to learn how to best enter some of the positions, some position, but much more comfortable. I have done bikram and I do ashtanga, I would definitely recommend starting out with a few classes in person, a good leader can help you attain the right position, without mirrors and knowledge you could be practicing wrong stances and not even realise</p>
<p>Like mousegray, DVDs don’t do anything for me, although I sometimes use them when I can’t get to the yoga studio. I also tried classes at the Y, but I could never get into yoga there, either. It wasn’t until a friend literally strong-armed me to a yoga studio that I finally understood what all the fuss about yoga is about. The right instructor and a calming environment away from home made all the difference for me.</p>
<p>Yoga can be every bit as strenuous as the most vigorous, fast-paced exercise, and it involves lots of stretching that is especially beneficial to middle-aged folks. I can walk into the yoga studio with my mind running a mile a minute, and walk out an hour-and-a-half later with a complete sense of calm and well-being.</p>
<p>My studio offers varying classes from beginner to advanced levels. As mousegray said, the advanced classes will kick your rear end! I’m in pretty good shape, but I’m still frequently sore for days after a good yoga session. I definitely recommend starting at the beginner level. If you don’t already know of any yoga studios in your area, you can probably find one by doing a google search. </p>
<p>My yoga classes usually have about 10-12 people in them–mostly middle-aged women and a couple of men. At least half the people are there because their doctors encouraged them to try yoga for stress or a physical problem like lower back pain or knee pain. Before class, the instructor always asks everyone if they have any particular areas they want to work on that day. </p>
<p>Good luck to you, questbest!</p>
<p>I have never been able to get into DVD exercise. I need a group, I need a structure. But maybe you know it will work for you.</p>
<p>If you live in one of these cities- chicago, Scottsdale, reno, or a bunch of places in California- I HIGHLY recommend Dailey Method. Absolutely fabulous combination of yoga, pilates, resistance training, stretechign, ballet barre work that is the perfect solution to stress reduction and mental well-being (IMHO). Can not live without it. I think my body has lost 15 years of aging since I started.</p>
<p>Ive been doing hatha flow yoga- great for stress.- not so great on my feet or hands- but then nothing is.
( I have pretty bad arthritis)</p>
<p>I have been doing yoga for about 3 years and it helps tremendously with stress. I go to Yogaworks in Orange County. I have taken a variety of classes, and definitely prefer the faster paced Vinyasa flow or Power Yoga. I don’t care for DVDs and am more of a group fitness person. ANd definitely the teacher makes all the difference. I tend to prefer the fast-paced rock and roll music type yoga classes vs. the slow-paced, meditation, traditional music classes. The classes I go to are a good work-out and fun. My posture has improved and I have found it much easier to get through stressful situations.</p>
<p>The thing with Yoga that is so important to stress reduction is the BREATH. Learning to breathe deeply, slowly, fully and to lengthen the exhale is the key. The postures are great for the bod but it’s the long slow breath done consciously (you keep your attention on it) that really rocks the practice. Yeah - the mind wanders - that’s the challenge. Come back to the breath. Let go of the mindstuff. Again. Again. It’s a Practice, you do it again and again and again. Come back to the long slow breath. Notice that when you’re stressed, you chest tenses up and you hold the breath or breathe shallowly. This interrupts all kinds of proper physiology. So learning to consciously come back to the long deep breath is really very advanced and requires practice.</p>
<p>There are many different types of yoga these days: gentle, moderate, vigorous; heated vs. not heated; long holding of postures vs. constant movement and “flow” (different posture with each in and out breath); yoga for pain; yoga for backache; restorative yoga; circus yoga; laughter yoga; Anusara yoga; Ashtanga yoga; Kripalu yoga; Yin yoga; Power Yoga; Flow Yoga; Bikram Yoga. And more every day. </p>
<p>Some are more guru based (you follow a particular person’s way - like Bikram, Anusara, Baptiste, Ashtanga (not so much a person but a sequence) - and some, like Kripalu, teach you to find what works best for you in your body at this moment on this day at this time in your life. I love Kripalu Yoga [Kripalu</a> - Kripalu Articles](<a href=“Resources | Kripalu”>Resources | Kripalu) in that it embraces all styles and distinguishes itself by focusing on allowing each individual to use their body as an exploration - find what works best by practice practice practice and deep quiet attention to the subtle feelings in the body, breath and mind.</p>
<p>The trick is to find the type of yoga that works best for you at this point in your life, and to find the teacher that instructs in a way that works for you. If one class/ situation doesn’t do it for you, try a few different places / teachers. They really do vary dramatically, even tho in the end you wind up doing much the same postures. It’s the approach to the practice that differs from one place to another. And like everything, one person will love one teacher/type and another person will prefer another. Also, finding a place to practice - whether at home or at work or at a studio can be a big part of what makes a class great for you. Try a few different studios. It’s nice to find a place that makes you feel good as soon as you walk in - where the “vibe” speaks to you.</p>
<p>Yang (muscular) types like Hot yoga such as Bikram or Power Flow will be great for a vigorous, sweaty, work it type class.</p>
<p>Yin type yoga with slower transitions will provide long (5 minutes at a time) holdings and is great for folks who want to stretch deeply working more the tendons, ligaments and joints than the more muscular yang classes.</p>
<p>And of course there are many different places/teachers in between - some flow and some long holds.</p>
<p><em>All of them teach the breathing.</em></p>
<p>It can be great to find a place that offers different types or few different places that do so you can mix it up and try different types.</p>
<p>The Kripalu website has tons of great info. Kripalu is a retreat center in western Massachusetts that draws teachers from all over the world and offers all different styles of yoga to people who come to visit and stay for a weekend, a few more days, or months at a time. I live in MA and the place is like a second home - my friends and I go for a weekend a couple times a year. It’s fabulous!</p>
<p>Some good articles on yoga from the website:</p>
<p>Why Do Yoga? </p>
<p>[Kripalu</a> - Why Do Yoga?](<a href=“Resources | Kripalu”>Resources | Kripalu)</p>
<p>Breathe your way to health anf wholeness:</p>
<p>[Kripalu</a> - Breathe Your Way to Health and Wholeness](<a href=“http://www.kripalu.org/article/275/]Kripalu”>http://www.kripalu.org/article/275/)</p>
<p>I’d call myself a beginner-intermediate when it comes to exposure to yoga. I’ve done a few classes, although on vacation rather than regularly. I have several DVDs. There are other avenues I’ll get back to in a minute. I wanted to mention that I’ve never noticed a religious bent to any teacher, live or recorded. Some are a little more into the mental/philosophical aspects, but you can embrace those or not while doing the breathing/poses. </p>
<p>While I’d love to go to a regular class, that’s one of those things I’ve put on my “I’ll get around to it after the kids leave” list. I do like the DVDs I have. I only recently realized <doh!> that iTunes has yoga episodes (under “TV”). So does Netflix on their instant watch. My current favorite in terms of pace and countenance is a yoga show on the Veria channel if you get that on cable or satellite. Not sure when in the day they show it (twice, I think), but my DVR records all episodes. [url=<a href=“http://www.veria.com/yoga-for-life.html]Veria:”>http://www.veria.com/yoga-for-life.html]Veria:</a> Yoga for Life<a href=“Although%20I%20think%20I%20preferred%20%20his%20older%20episodes–newer%20ones%20are%20kinda%20tough!”>/url</a></doh!></p>
<p>DH is a big athlete who used to do yoga for balance/flexibility. I think like many males, however, he tended to overdo it a bit–to the point of doing some damage sometimes. I’d only remind you that yoga is supposed to be gentle, isn’t supposed to hurt <exactly>. I wish it were a bigger part of my life.</exactly></p>
<p>Here’s a list of many of the benefits of yoga:</p>
<p>[77</a> Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga](<a href=“http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/24/77-surprising-health-benefits-of-yoga/]77”>http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/24/77-surprising-health-benefits-of-yoga/)</p>
<p>If you’re interested in general stress reduction, you might check to see if there’s a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program in your area. It incorporates several techniques, including yoga, and has been scientifically shown to reduce stress and physical pain.</p>
<p>[Mindfulness</a> Based Stress Reduction](<a href=“http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php]Mindfulness”>http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php)</p>
<p>[UMass</a> Center for Mindfulness ? Other MBSR programs worldwide](<a href=“http://w3.umassmed.edu/MBSR/public/searchmember.aspx]UMass”>http://w3.umassmed.edu/MBSR/public/searchmember.aspx)</p>
<p>I understand that many yoga instructors do not bring yoga’s religious roots into their yoga instruction. However, yoga has deep roots in Indian culture and Hinduism: <a href=“Hindu Group Stirs Debate in Fight for Soul of Yoga - The New York Times”>Hindu Group Stirs Debate in Fight for Soul of Yoga - The New York Times;
<p>My instructor chose to emphasize those roots and I (personally) found it annoying. However, as I’ve since become aware, yoga in its totality is not solely an athletic activity (although it is often practiced that way). For my daughter, the spiritual and religious aspects of yoga are one major reason she practices yoga. </p>
<p>While I like the mindful stretching part of yoga, it did not reduce my stress, because it was not (for me) distracting enough from my day-to-day life. As BunsenBurner said, I was still able to worry about what I was going to make for dinner and the bills that needed paying. I have several activities that I do that DO provide me with the complete absorption I look for when trying to reduce my stress levels: I bicycle, and I train and compete in dog agility. </p>
<p>Again, YMMV.</p>
<p>I actually found that yoga that helped me the most with managing stress was more vigorous rather than gentle. I did Ashtanga yoga for many years, and something about the routine (you do the same sequence 6 days a week, down to the breathing pattern) turned something on (or off?) in my brain that was holding me back. You learn a LOT about yourself when you do the same movements every day. I found myself struggling with boredom and its flipside, being overly ambitious and competitive. Working through all that built discipline and learning to pay attention to the here and now. (When people find that they don’t like yoga, it’s often because of that part of the brain that is planning and racing ahead.) I think that “be here now” taught me more about equanimity and stress management than anything else. So, for me, it wasn’t about gentleness or pretty music, but the complete concentration of effort that ashtanga requires. I often found that at the end of class, I felt like a child, and when I looked in the mirror, I even looked a little like one – no frowns, no anxiety lines!</p>
<p>One caveat – go easy in the beginning, or you will injure yourself, especially in the flow type classes. The poses use muscles you never even knew you had, so it’s good not to overdo it and cause muscle strain.</p>
<p>If you want to try it out in your city, be sure to join Gropon, Tippr, and Living Social. I see a lot of yoga and fitness offers of a month long deal to try it out for a low price. You might try a couple of different places that way to find the one that works for you.</p>
<p>As we say so often on CC, it’s all about fit.</p>