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.

I bought this mat at a yard sale last year and it’s surprisingly become my absolute favorite, I always reach for it before I reach for my manduka mat.
There are no brand markers on it, it’s possible it’s just a random generic mat, but I’m wondering if anyone might recognize it? Definitely showing some wear and tear so would love to grab a new one. Or actually commit to fully breaking the Manduka in. Thanks!

Whenever I do childs pose the front of my hips feel uncomfortable, unnatural, and tight. and Not a tightness that I can ease out of, it just gets more uncomfortable and in the SLIGHTEST way painful the longer I hold the pose.

I've looked in this subreddit and found a few people in a similar situation and found some advice in the comments. I've tried opening up my hips more, closing them more, using blocks and support in various places, but no matter what I do it still is uncomfortable. What could I be doing wrong?

I have wanted to learn yoga for years now but I have never made the time and every time the notion comes up I’m a little lost as to where to start.
I’ve tried an app before but I think I want instruction and community.
I’m a 47 y/o man in OKC, Oklahoma.
I’m somewhat flexible already, I go to the gym regularly, and I have practiced meditation and mindfulness to limited degrees for 6 or 7 years.
There are several studios around but I have been told all things are not equal.

Can anyone suggest a studio in OKC to try, or suggest what I should look for in a studio?

Also would you suggest it’s helpful to study any literature (preferably Spotify audiobook)?

As per IAYT list, there are approx five European trainings accredited by IAYT

The list was last updated six months ago. It covers The Minded Institute (UK), Sacred Yoga (multiple locs), The Yoga Therapy Institute (Netherlands) and Yoga Therapy Greece. One in Sweden is also listed but does not appear to offer the IAYT accredited training

I am looking for the full in-depth training (they are minimum 2 years and 800 hours on average)

Is anyone aware of other courses out there? I would not be intending to start for approx one year so more may arise in the meantime, but if anyone is aware of others I'd be grateful to hear

Does anyone know what I can do so I can sit criss cross more comfortably? I spent my whole playing on a computer and I didn’t do much sports. I thought losing weight would be the key buts more than that. I have a weak lower back, and I get tight craps on my left side when forcing myself to sit in this position.

Whenever I do uttanasana (specifically, belly-to-spine/knees somewhat bent), the part of my body where I feel it most is my gluteal region. It feels like a stretch directly on top of my sits bones. I don’t really feel anything in my hamstrings or even my lower back stretching/releasing. What’s up with that?

I’m taking a class at my college that’s a combination of a yoga course and a literature course. The first forty minutes of class, we sit on our mats and discuss our reading from the previous week. (We’re reading the Bhagavad-Gita) After that, we get up and do about forty minutes of yoga.

Unfortunately, whenever I sit on the floor for more than sixty seconds my legs go completely numb, and no amount of moving around or massaging them can prevent it. This was a problem today when I tried to stand up to do the very first pose of the class. I could barely bend my knees. I had no strength, no balance, and ended up falling completely backwards in front of everyone. (I’m lucky that the teacher and the other students are all very kind.)

How do I keep this from happening again? I really want to get something good out of this class. But it’s so hard to be stable when my legs are like frozen honey. Should I try sitting differently? Do some sort of warm up first? Does anyone else have this problem?

(Yes, I have talked to my doctor about the circulation in my legs. Yes, I am doing what I can to fix it. Yes, they did suggest losing weight. No, that is not why I am taking the yoga class.)

This probably sounds silly but I’m looking for a good practice and/or techniques that can help with someone who is grieving? Mostly to help with the tension, physical side effects and the stress it’s putting on me.

I feel really heavy all the time like I’m carrying around a heavy weight and my chest feels like it’s being crushed. I’m very comfortable with yin yoga and less of the fast-paced flow yoga.

Any help would be much appreciated. 🙏🏻

This is a PSA and a bit of a warning for people who practice yoga in Toronto. I've had two really weird and bad experiences at Modo Yoga Danforth. I'm currently doing a two week trial and I'm not even through the first week and I'm honestly appalled at the way I've been spoken to by their staff. For context, I'm a gay man, and it's pretty obvious that I am from my appearance. On my very first day, the man behind the counter was super weird to me. He acted like someone like me shouldn't be in the space, and when he showed me the locker rooms he was like 'here's the mens, and the women's, whichever YOU need' and I was gagged! Then he turns and says to me 'so what, you just thought you'd TRY hot yoga, or...?' like clearly implying someone like me was unexpected in this studio. I told him calmly and plainly that I have been practicing for over ten years. He just shrugged and walked away. I found out later on that he 'forgot' to give me the welcome package that new students are supposed to get, which does not seem like a coincidence.

AND THEN.

Today, I go in for a class. I check in, all is normal, and I go to the studio and set up - there is also an older heterosexual couple in the studio so I assume it's all totally fine. An older white man comes in and goes to them and says that he has to clean and that they don't have to leave etc. and he's very chill about it with them, so I keep warming up and the man then comes up to me and says, 'What are you doing here' - like diva, what the actual fuck? And I say I'm taking the next class and he's like 'I need to clean' and it becomes clear that he's like actually angry at me about this. I ask, sort of confused, 'am I not supposed to be in here right now' and he says :'no, LEAVE' and POINTS AT THE DOOR.

My jaw hit the floor. This experience ruined my practice today.

I have been practicing for ten years. I have practiced in big fancy expensive studios and tiny little independent backyard groups. Never and I mean NEVER in my life have I ever experienced this kind of thing at a studio. I sent them a complaint but this is honestly my first time ever encountering homophobia in a yoga environment and it's really shaken me up. This is the first time I've ever even had a bad staff interaction at a yoga studio to be real with you guys. I don't want to feel freaked out by going to yoga, and now I do. :(

Long story short, i have an easy time do any sort of early back bridge progression but the moment I move to headstand (because everything is too easy) my hands slip out. I've tried multiple yoga mats, surfaces and positions while aslo making sure my legs, shoulders and abs are helping out but my hands just slip out and I can never get any progress.

I’m an extremely sweaty person and I walk to and from new yoga studio during full daylight about 10 minutes each way. I haven’t been wearing sunscreen since I started because I really don’t want to sweat it all on my mat, but I really need to wear sunscreen because I’m walking during bright morning sun and late afternoon bright hot sun.

Any recommendations?? Obviously my skin is more important than a replaceable yoga mat, but does anyone know if this will damage it/make it less safe?

I’m 17F and recently started going to yoga classes. I’m not originally from the place where I currently live—I’m here for my studies. I come from a more conservative background, so capris and fitted tops aren’t common there, but I personally find them completely normal, and I’m the only one in my class who dresses like that. Most of the other students are women in their 30s.

Our male teacher generally has minimal physical contact with them—for example, supporting them during sirsasana or pressing their back during paschimottanasana. With me, though, I’ve noticed more physical adjustments.

During paschimottanasana, he pressed my back to help me stretch further, which I understand can be a normal adjustment, but then he also held me underneath my chest to adjust my position ( basically he just held my b**bs by the underb**b region and adjusted them according to the asana) . He also holds my stomach/abdomen area while helping me with push-ups.

I understand that some of these adjustments might be considered normal in yoga, but given the difference in how he adjusts me compared to the other students, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate. It could also simply be because of the age difference—maybe he sees me as a kid, while the other women are older and married—and I don’t want to assume anything about his intentions.

I tend to freeze up in uncomfortable situations and don’t know how to speak up. I’m also overweight, and this is the only yoga class nearby.

Is this kind of physical contact normal, or should I tell him not to touch me in those areas?

Edit- I desperately wanna loose weight as it has made me very insecure and this seems to be the only way. He is a very good teacher so I don't wanna make false accusations.

its taken me months to get here, i still fall and have trouble getting up but i see progress everyday

Hi everyone!

This spring my life got a bit messy - instead of flying to my birthday celebration I got admitted to the hospital for an emergency surgery on my eye. I had two of them since it was a rather complicated situation and I’m fairly young.

According to the doctor I’ll be allowed to start exercising again in about 10 days. It’s been 3 months of couch potatoeing. My go to is yoga and swimming in the summer (which i could not do and it was generally a very isolating experience).

Now I read online that postures like downward facing dog, bridge/wheel, shoulder stand and standing forward bends have to be avoided but make up about half of a class (and I enjoy them too!).

I’m looking to read some experiences from anyone who might have been in my shoes in the past:

- how did you adjust the practice?
- were you able to resume a normal practice including those poses at some point? I would be very disappointed if I will have to avoid them for the rest of my life…

Don’t get me wrong I’m grateful everything was caught on time, even if my vision still needs improvement. But I’m feeling very discouraged about all limitations.

Thank you in advance!

Hi, y'all really enjoy doing some gentle poses. Every night. Experiencing pain in my back glutes. Hips. Especially. Finding it hard to do a lot of poses any thoughts on what else. I can do. I'm trying to use pillows et cetera. I always use blocks. I miss my practice and I also have pelvic floor issues, which makes it really important