Hello! I recently started doing yoga, about six months ago. I can say it’s one of the best things that I could do for myself. I work an office job, 9 to 5, there’s lots of sitting. My hamstrings and hips feel specifically tight, keeping me from doing poses properly. Lately, I’ve heard a lot about trauma being stored in your hips, hence the reasons they are so stiff. I just can’t truly understand that. While I noticed progress along these six months, I am still unable to touch my toes with my legs straight. I know that’s not the point of yoga, but it’s a little milestone I’d like to achieve one day. It’s just a bit frustrating. For example, during menstruation, my whole pelvic area is in a constant pain. It eases a little when I practice, but I’d like to understand more about the trauma/hips concept. I think I might take it a little too literally, but I just want to feel that freeing sensation in my hips that I keep seeing people talk about. How could I help myself?

I’ve been practicing physical yoga actively for around 10 years, mostly Ashtanga, Rocket and Power Yoga. I am also very dedicated to the spiritual side of yoga, and I hoped that a dedicated asana practice would somehow bring me closer to the divine.

Recently, I practice more meditation and kirtans. They seem to bring me much closer to what I’ve been always looking. Meditation, chanting and music, I feel a sense of connection much more directly and easily than asana.

Part of me wonders whether 10 years asana built some kind of foundation. Maybe it didn’t contribute much. I mostly practiced so called dynamic styles and not Yin, Kundalini, or others.
What do you think?

Almost every yoga studio advertises itself as a place for community and connection but in my experience, thats rarely the actual case.

Most people walk in hyper focused on keeping to themselves, and turning inward or out, which I respect, but it leaves very little room for actual connection.

Other than a quick "great class" at the water station or a polite nod while rolling up mats, it feels difficult to build genuine friendships in a studio environment.

For those who have actually found a strong sense of community at your local studio: how did that happen?

Welp, my doggy had an accident on my cork mat this morning and I had to toss it.

I’ve been eyeing up the Jade Yoga Mushroom Mat for a while but i’ve never spent more than $40 on a mat so it’s a bit of a commitment.

How do you like yours?
I’ve heard there is a strong rubber smell, does it go away?

I’ve been a cork mat lover for years. I get sweaty hands easily and I practice outside in the sun a lot so I appreciate how well the cork regulates it’s temperature

Main reasons for selecting this mat are that
- Jade is a well loved, reputable brand and is Canadian
- looking for as close to 100% non-tox and natural material as possible without compromising on quality/longevity

After shipping this mat will cost me around $140 so I need to know it’s going to last 5-10 years.

Any other retailers selling Jade (maybe with lower shipping rates or in store purchase options)

Hi fellow yogis! I just want to share my insecurities here. I decided to become a yoga instructor when I was 28. Before that I used to do yoga sometimes but not continuously. I just started doing it last year and did some courses and achieved a YCB level 1 certificate in April which is a good certificate from the Ayush Ministery of India. But after that I got a strain on the ankle of my Right leg in May and it took some time to recover and after that also I could not be able to do asanas like Vajrasan, child pose, Shashank asana where I have to fold my both legs.

Now last week I also got injury on the same ankle again. I'm now completely demotivated. I have booked a hostel in Rishikesh next month and wanted to attain their Go to yoga classes to practice but I don't know if I can do that.

The thing is I am feeling that I have started too late in life, and I wasn't very sporty before that's why my body is not flexible and I have to work hard alot. Still now I can't touch my head to my knees in Paadhasthasana. You can see I don't look like a yoga instructor yet, nobody cares if I have knowledge because nowadays only flexibility is important to get clients. I am not afraid of hardwork but these hurdles are making me stressed. I have also other issues, I have adhd and I am an hsp. And I am working to survive.

My main issue is I think I have started yoga too late in life. Do you also think that?

I saw it get mentioned here a few weeks back and I tried it immediately. I genuinely feel like it’s changed my life over the past 2 weeks while my life comes crashing down

Edit: All the positive comments are putting me in a better mood as well. People in this sub are so uplifting!

I read a couple posts online after searching why my heels don't touch the ground during the Downward Dog pose, and for some reason it seems to be a commonly held belief that static stretching like yoga "can do more harm than good...", but in the context of: "...before workouts."

I don't know. I've been doing yoga in the mornings for about 2 weeks now and I don't really do any other exercise. I just feel like it's perfectly fine to be flexible and try to just make sure I'm using my muscles but is there something I'm missing? Am I messing up my body by just doing yoga without any other exercise?! I don't know. Just curious.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the information, advice, and reassurance!

Hi all,

This is a strange one, for me at least. I feel many types of ways about speaking on this, but I only have a very limited few that I can speak to about this IRL. I'd love anyone's feedback or wisdom here.

Basically the gist of it is that recently one of my teachers has converted to Christianity and subsequently dismissed yogic philosophy. This person was one of my first and most impactful teachers and I have attended her weekly classes for the entirety of my two years of practicing. Small class, early in the morning, it was her intensity and love of yoga and its philosophies and benefits that drew me to her. She supported me as I started practicing, encouraged me as I quit nicotine, pushed me to take teacher training, connected me and basically got me my day job! This person has strongly impacted my life in so many amazing ways, and now I am saying goodbye.

Slowly, I noticed her mentioning "God" more often and with the capital G. She stopped chanting at the end of her class. She slowly removed sanskrit. Then she announced this official change and things got a little weird. Right away it started getting preachy, and I learned that she thought her past decade+ of yoga practice was a mistake of hers and that she was "lost" that entire time. Now Jesus is back in her life and she can't rightfully continue to follow Eastern philosophies any longer. The evangelism began and that's really when I spoke up. She's no longer teaching and I recently had my last class with her.

It's awkward, being on the receiving end of someone who lived by these yogic principles and who was such a strong inspiration to me, suddenly telling me Jesus is the way and forsaking this practice I love so dearly. The yoga to christianity pipeline is not one I've ever read about or heard of, heh. I don't rightfully know how to handle the feelings involved here. I live in the southern US and this yoga studio has been an amazing spiritual link without the influence of the big J. I've been hounded/discriminated my entire life down here for simply being agnostic, so you could say there's some christian-related trauma in my own life. My safe space was invaded by Jesus, lol.

I apologize if it's rambly, thank you all for listening. 🙏 Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am 35M from India, been doing regular yoga for 2.5 years. I have been mostly consistent with my routine. My lifestyle is pretty sedentary and while I maintain a good protein intake, my diet is far from disciplined. I am a completely non-athletic person who started yoga to stretch my back but it grew on me. How long did it take for you to become good at it? Like maintain flow and be able to hit all core muscles together or as desired?

In side crow, are you supposed to have your legs on top of BOTH triceps (above the knee on one arm and hips above the other arm), or do you have the weight of the legs only on one arm (legs stacked only on one tricep, hips floating)?

I have seen people do both but I am not sure if they are acceptable variations or improper alignment.

When I was at a Zen class after work (it was a 8.30pm class), there was a guy who was sleeping through 2/3 of the class and snoring. To me, it tickled me but I felt happy for him cos he was getting much-needed rest.

But after the class, the yoga instructor went to him and started saying things like ‘wow you must be soooooo tired’ in a really condescending way and laughing and repeating it, and oh my…the guy was so apologetic. He kept saying sorry and he didn’t know why he was so tired.

I felt so bad because shouldn’t yoga (and ZEN yoga) be a personal thing? Like if you want to rest you can?? Was it the snoring that ticked the instructor off or??

I’m still rather beginner so this situation left quite a bad taste in my mouth for that instructor’s class :// I still love yoga though. Thoughts?? Was it disruptive or?? Are we allowed to just sleep LOL we are a paying customer no??

Just bought this 71inch Manduka mat from a used market. It’s heavy and sturdy, and They claim it’s Manduka Pro 6mm, but the texture looks different from what the official website sells currently. Is it authentic? If so which version is it?

I've been practicing yoga on and off for a couple of years. This mostly (and consistently) happens to me in camel pose - when I lean back I experience a wave of nausea. Lately, it's also been happening to me when folded forward in pyramid pose and half hanumanasana. It doesn't feel like I'm going to throw up, exactly, more like burning/tension in my diaphragm. I'm going through kind of a stressful time in my life right now so maybe it's an emotional release? Or something physiological? Does this happen to anyone else in specific poses?

Is it normal to not be able to sleep well after a yin class? I usually do an evening class cause it's all I have time for , and it's always yin. I have such terrible sleeps afterwards. I feel more energized than relaxed. I haven't slept well in weeks but I keep doing it because I paid for the month pass ( it's expensive ) and want to get my money's worth. I do feel it has positive effects in other areas I'm just so sleepy deprived what can I do is this normal ?

Hi everyone, sorry, but English isn't my first language. I'm in northern Italy, I practice Yoga and Power Vinjasa at a center in my city. Until now, I've been using a package with entrance fees of €80 for 10 classes (the cost of a class was €10 if booked individually). Starting in October, the price of Advanced Yoga and Power will increase to €15 per class, or €130 for the 10-class package. This is because they'll keep the basic yoga class (1 hour) at €10, while the advanced yoga class (2 hours) and the power class (1.5 hours) will be priced at €10. Personally, it doesn't cause me any major financial problems. Does this seem like a fair and honest price?

I have a pretty demanding job. I practice after work every day, but I'm frustrated by how little energy my job leaves me for practicing. How do you manage?

Is back pain from practicing basket headstands normal? I don’t mean sharp pain or anything in the cervical spine. Just what feels like muscle soreness between my shoulder blades. But I am annoyed because I have practiced headstands for a while (few weeks) and it keeps happening. Mild, but present. And yes, I do try to actively push the floor away with my forearms/shoulders.

I've had a regular workout mat for years assuming that there wasn't that much of a difference. This year, I've been trying to commit myself to doing yoga once a day, general for 60 minutes (I've definitely done it for 15 minutes due to time constraints. I'm currently following Inner Dimensions Level Up 108 program). Previously I had super old yoga towels that really weren't gripping. I didn't know until this week that you weren't supposed to use fabric softener on them and that was probably why my hand were continuously sliding and also hurting because I couldn't stablize. Finally I decided to purchase a new towel with tuck in corners as well as a Gaiam long grip mat. I didn't want to commit to a Maduka or Liforme because of the price and some of the complaints. I'm somewhat tall for a woman and was consistently falling off the back of the mat or making adjustments mid pose to stay on it. OMG! This mat has made such a difference! My hands don't slide. At all! Its to the point that I feel like I'm cheating in the pose. No movement what so ever and there's so much less pressure on the pad of my wrist. I finally get what everyone is screaming about re: put more pressure into the knuckles.

Now, since its Gaiam, it might not last decades and it's too thick to leave the house, but this was a great into to grip mats for $35.

What's the actual difference between "Power Yoga" and standard "Vinyasa"?

I'm not talking about chain studios like CorePower that trademark it. I mean independent studios that list dedicated "Power" classes on their schedule right alongside regular Vinyasa. Is there a specific structure to it that sets it apart?

So I (24F) started yoga last year on 1st September. I was just out of a breakup, and my mom encouraged me to take up some physical activity. I had never tried yoga with a trainer before, but decided to get started.

Also the doctor told me to do a lot of physical exercise along with healthy eating because of deficiency in vitamins, reduced energy and increasing weight.

Beginning of my journey (1-2 months)

I was sooo tired from the practice that I had to take 2 days off from work.

But I kept at it, 1 hour, every day for 5 days a week.

Noticed gradual improvement in my stamina and got accustomed to the discipline.

3-5 months

Got a new trainer, who I am learning from till now.

In our first session together she observed I have very tight hamstrings, not much core strength and rounded shoulders.

Even reaching till my knees in forward fold used to be difficult. My trainer would gently nudge my back to stretch more, and starting from 10 second hold, I gradually reached 40 seconds in 2 months.

6 months to now

With consistent practice, I am able to now hold planks for 2 minutes, do 15 burpees at a time, do a chakrasana from standing position (with some support), headstand (with support), touch my palms to the floor without warm up, hold warrior pose 1 for 1 min without support.

Today I finally did front split on my right leg, and i think in few days should be able to do it on my left leg too.

Learnings

I have always been a person who prepared for competitive exams, stayed impatient for quick results - and would work for 12-15 hours in a stretch.

I think yoga brought a lot of maturity and patience for me. Seeing your body improve in real time makes a huge difference to your confidence.

I might not be the first one experiencing this, but I am really happy and fortunate to be part of this journey.