I used yoga sporadically for years as more of a stretching and flexibility aspect to enhance my regular running and weights routine. After being told I had to give up running b/c of my knees several years ago I went in search of a new outlet. I found myself doing yoga more and more. Finally, I realized that yoga had become more than just an excercise routine but really enhanced my entire sense of well being. There's a definite difference in my overall mood and outlook if I miss a day. I have reached a point now that I actively encourage everyone I can to practice. I can't even begin to explain to them the difference it can make. I feel so strongly that it can change so much of a person's life for the positive I even occasionally toy with the idea of becoming a teacher so that I can bring the practice my very rural area.

Summer Hagge, thank you so much for sharing that! I can totally relate how difficult it is to consistently practice yoga, or start any other kind of habit.

I think you're doing it right in that you're acknowledging how much better yoga is making you feel. This kind of affirmation is so, so important to create a habit. Also, be sure to lean on the Grokker community for support! We're all here to make sure we all become better versions of ourselves =)

As a parting gift, here are a few of my favorite yoga videos you may enjoy:

Backbends and Balancing Yoga Poses for Beginners
Beginner Hips and Shoulders
Strengthening Your Foundation

A friend of mine posted this article on Facebook: (about all the most common reasons people dont do yoga)

http://blog.theclymb.com/out-there/6-rebuttals-people-claim-cant-yoga/?utm_source=facebook_social&utm_medium=driver&utm_campaign=6_rebuttals_cant_do_yoga

Immediately after reading I decided to give yoga practice another, and more serious, try!

I have tried it a few times before, but found myself quiting after 1 session due to these very excuses.

Today is only my 5th day of starting my morning with a yoga video...and it has been such a different experience for me than any other time I have tried to get into yoga. I am already noticing differences in how my body feels, my body awareness, and my general mood throughout the whole day!!

I am so excited to have found this site, and am hoping it will lead me into a yoga lifestyle that I can continue for years to come:)

My Pleasure Deborah..thanks

Debra Mcculloch - I really like how your define your goal as "successful aging". It's not about trying to be 25 again, but living your best life now. Thank you!

Nick Galicz - I love your story thank you for sharing it! It's inspiring that it was your home practice that helped you find your own personal way 'back' to the yoga practice you loved. And now off to SE Asia for 6 months to teach! Wow!

Always being athletic when I was younger, I never stretched really. But as I am getting older,
In order to still mountain bike, surf, and farm without injury, I started a sporadic practice.
And soon noticed there was a difference between when I practiced and lived my active life then when I didn't.
Niot just physically, but many areas benefitted such as concentration, and a lower level of stress or over reaction to it.
As a nurse in an OR there was a large benefit in keeping more calm in tense situations that were noticeable too.
Now at 53 I feel more strong than ever in many ways, and am confident that I will heal s/p neck fusion more quickly because of
The yoga I Practice regularly. My goal is successful aging, and I believe yoga can help make that happen.

That last comment was for Hannah...I thought I replied to her but it just posted at the bottom.

Be very careful with with "heated" classes. Yoga is best when you produce the heat from the inside and their are many ways to do it safely. Outside heat can give one a false read and can trick your mind into thinking you can go deeper then you safely should. which exposes you to injury. Their is a lot of easy info to find out there concerning the external vs internal heat in Yoga. I have explored many kinds of yoga as well and in the end I have found most have something to bring to your practice so it's a journey worth the time and effort. No worries, if you keep at it you will find your practice and it will still continue to grow/change as you do over time regardless. Peace/Namaste

20 Years or so ago I knew one day I would dive into Yoga cause it just made sense even without knowing much about it and I'm not sure I can explain that feeling. It kept popping up and I noticed it when it crossed my path in life. I remember buying a Yoga book and looking at it and tried a few things but I wasn't ready yet, I remember when Sting was on the cover of Rolling Stone and thought hey he looks healthy and his love of Yoga was expressed. The fact that Yoga seemed dominated by women and here was Sting touting Tantric Yoga was a nice change and good to see as a male brought up in the competative testosterone filled world that was my life. ( I was an active US Marine from 18-22 as an example ) The irony that Yoga was once male dominated and only males did Yoga originally was something I found out much later. Then I took a spinning class and the instructor did some yoga at the end and it felt really good but it took another 7-8 years and retiring my business at age 45 to finally decide now is the time for me to really dive into Yoga. I loved it from day 1 and practiced regularly working into 5-6 practices a week before too long and my ego took over and was doing things I never should of been doing that first year..within 3 years I went to India and stayed at an ashram obtaining my YA 500 Hr cert. In many ways like many things I do in life I I went to far to fast and burned out by the end of that trip and was confused as to what Yoga really meant for me..the difference between the traditional teachings and todays modern yoga are stark and vast and I actually did almost no yoga for a year after I got back as the classes I used to love and respect were no longer working for me. About 4 months ago I got out of my Tamas state and began my home practice and fell in love all over again and it feels deeper and more rewarding then it ever has and now feel it was all just a part of the process. In 3 months I head back to SE Asia to teach Hatha Yoga on basically my own terms at a Yoga wellness center on a tropical island for 6-7 months and I expect it will also be a profound experience. I am more balanced then ever, more content then ever and more driven ( but not by ego anymore ) then I have ever been...Right now I only want to spread my knowledge freely to anyone who wants to listen so thanks for giving me the forum to do so and thanks for the free site because IMO true Yoga should be as free as possible. Peace/Namaste

It is, Deborah. And all the teachers I met are wonderful women too. There's a great spirit in this dance community.
Have a good day! :)

Marie - that's so cool! tribal belly dance sounds like alot of fun!

dancing!

I discover yoga through tribal bellydance classes. Yoga is used a lot by tribal dance teachers. Since, I try to keep practising by myself and to keep on dacing as well. :)

I had a mastectomy. Movement is important keep the lymph fluid moving, and keep the scar tissue from constricting my chest and arms. It looks like the yoga movements will do what I need. As a beginner, I will be seeking the videos that demonstrate how to do a modified pose or use a prop. I like it when the instructor tells you where you should be feeling the stretch. If I am not feeling it in the right spot, I know that I need to adjust my position.

Irina Goldman - so glad to hear Grokker is helping you discover what will work best for you!

Hannah Lynne - It is hard to "see" your own progress because it happens a little every day. Good for you for doing a little something each day - esp when you don't want to! I find the hardest part is just starting...bc once I do I'm glad I did!

The hard thing for me was overcoming the idea that it was okay to a) not know anything and b) being "bad" at it. I sort of assumed that people were intrinsically good at it, and if I wasn't one of those people, then class would be embarrassing and I just shouldn't go. Once I realized no one cared (beyond the instructor) how "good" I was as different poses, it became much less intimidating.

One thing that's hard for me about continuing to go is the slow progress I feel I make. I don't really appreciate how far I come until it's been a while since I have gone, and upon my return I realize I've slid back from where I was before. I try to remind myself of how frustrating that feeling is so that I do at least something each day, even when I am exhausted or don't want to.

One of the biggest challenges for me has been finding the type of practice that resonates with me. There are so many kinds available, it can be overwhelming to narrow down which kind to try! Do I want to do the same poses each time? Do I prefer heated? What kind is best for beginners but would still give me a great overall workout? I've tried several different kinds which haven't clicked, but after each I was able to pinpoint what I liked about it, and what made me wish I could spend the rest of the class in childs pose. I'm really excited about Grokker because it makes the process of discovery seems less overwhelming and finding the best practive for me much more attainable!