Oh how fun! Good for you! Yes, yoga is wonderful, takes strength, and you'll get better (not that you are bad!). You feel like you've had a massage from the inside out. Of course, a good instructor makes all the difference.

I've kind of given up on it, sadly, because I'm not sure the twisting and bending is good for my back. But I have enjoyed it for many years, from the early days when I worked out with Lillias on TV (70's).

Good luck with your surgery. Maybe yoga breathing can help you through any difficult moments you might have.

I plan to start at our senior center NEXT week. Tell us what you did in your class.

I did a yoga class twice. The first class was wonderful-I felt relaxed and energized by the end. The second class, a week later, was awful. i did terrible and all the poses/movements were difficult.

the last couple months, a girlfriend and i were going to a yoga class at one of the local colleges but we both stopped going midway thru. it was kundalini yoga and not really very physical w/ poses, it was more breathing and chanting LOL not us. it was relaxing but i really wanted more workout/stretching and so did my friend. my dh and i are starting tai chi in a couple weeks, he needs the stress relief LOL ~ liz

Caryn (DD#1) has been doing yoga once a week since about Thanksgiving. She really likes it. She also does kickboxing once a week.

I have a friend that did yoga her entire pregnacy. She got right back into it also. She really kept her figure...but then again, she was really worried about getting "fat"! @@ ~rolling eyes~

Both of my DD's do yoga one at a yoga studio and the other at the YMCA~~I think when you go to a studio they offer many more types of classes and lots of different levels but it cost alot more. I just paid 12 dollars to join the senior center and the classes are free:) After I am healed from my surgery I want to go to my DD's studio and do a mediation class. I like her studio they talk about spirtual things and how to quiet your mind and be more mindful in your actions.

I can not tell you what I have learned so far I can not remember the names and honest forget the poses when I leave. I do know we did upward and downward dog tonight. Of course I was doing the wrong one and did not know it since my face was in the mat LOL til the instructor put her hand on my back LOL!! My wrist hurt alot doing that so I did not do well. The instructor will tell you ways to do it if what they are doing hurts you just try what you can and leave the rest.

I have left both classes feeling great:)

Bigfoot I want to do tai chi too they have that at our center on Fridays~~~and at a local park on Sat mornings. let me know what you think of it??

Jannie you should try the class with another instructor they should be helping so you are comfortable.

I did some Yoga at home a few years ago. Bought the dvd in the link below. It's a nice workout while still being gentle. I got bored with it, but need to start up again.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kripulu Yoga

I have been thinking about taking Yoga classes and I have a strange question.
What are you supposed to wear? I would hate to have to wear tights !!!!! LOL
Lois

I started doing yoga, just about daily, about 25 yrs. ago after I seriously sprained my lower back. After much PT (TENS) & months on steriods, the PT Dept. head told me that after I healed, I needed to do yoga to strenthen my muscles. She was RIGHT!!! I used to have boughts of sciatica, too, b/f I started yoga. Haven't had a problem with my back since I took up daily yoga. I've recommended it to kids, their spouses, my boss, etc. for yrs. DD started 2-3 times/wk recently and LOVES it -- it helps her to keep her mind calm, too (she's being divorced.) Pat

I do yoga on and off at the YMCA. I just wear shorts and a tee shirt. Walgreen's sells inexpensive yoga pants-they look like capri length sweats. Liz-do you live in Orange county or Seminole??? Blanchard Park YMCA is open free of charge every Sunday to all Orange county residents (bring your license). There is a family yoga class at 1:30 every Sunday.

I did yoga many years ago and kind of let go of it as the family grew. Last year I took it up again and loved it but with several medical procedures the last few months I haven't been able to continue it as I should. I'm hoping soon to get back into it.
You can buy the "Idiots guide to yoga" and it has all the levels, poses, terminology etc. in it...it is handy to have when you "think" you remember how to do something at home but not quite sure.

For yoga I like to wear something like loose capris or pants and a t-shirt. If you wear loose shorts, they can fall "up" in certain poses which may expose more than one wants to expose. Just make sure whatever you wear is stretchy and does not bind, and don't eat before class.

Yoga DVD/tapes are nice for occasional use at home, but the variety and challenge a class offers is best. Don't worry if you cannot do every pose just right; it's not a competitive sport!

I am just wearing what I wear to CURVES capri sweat pants they have a bit of stretch and a large tshirt. My DD's wear all the cute tight things not me that would scare people. I also went to Target and got my own mat~~the center has mats and blankets you can use but my DD told me to get my own since it is not sanitary to use ones others use:)

Taigen thanks for the idea of getting the 'Idiots' book, that way I can remember what poses I am learning in class I do want to practice at home.

If Yoga is to difficult you might try Tai Chi. I took several classes, but I felt to self concious in a class room. Just me. So I will probably end up with a Video Class.

I provided a link for Tai Chi information.

Gayle

Here is a link that might be useful: Tai Chi

Gals, thanks for the "what to wear" information. I can handle sweatpants and tee shirts so now maybe I'll be brave enough to try.
Lois

lisa i did not know that! believe it or not we used to live down that back road that runs along the westside of the Y (just north of the dam where people fish) and around the back corner in a townhouse subdivision, from 1999-2001. until a couple of yrs ago we would drive back to jay blanchard on sat & sun to walk our dogs there. we go occassionally now. my dh was bite by an alligator there lol.

we did our class at SCC sanford and that is where the tai chi course is starting late March. i am right by red sun(formerly red door) yoga in winter springs and if i knew i'd go alot i'd join there for $100 a month unlimited. they are famous for their classes in several types of yoga & meditation.

i wore sweats, tee shirts and sweat jackets to yoga. i can not be cool at all, i like to be warm and we were in a large workout room that was cool. definitely bring your own matt or atleast a towel to throw on a used matt for the first class. definitely go, i was surprised at how relaxing it was lol ~ liz

Here is a link that might be useful: red sun yoga