Meditation, Yoga?

[Birchwood]

Do you practice daily meditation?

Do you practice Yoga?

Any opinions?

 

[Whisper66]

Do you practice daily meditation?
Do you practice Yoga?
Any opinions?

Don't practice either but recognize that different people use different techniques to achieve better mental and physical health and happiness. For me, sports and my religious faith / prayer achieve some of these goals.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Both. They are big parts of my life.

 

[zinger1457]

Yes, for the meditation. Have done some yoga but not on a regular basis.

 

[tulak]

I have a regular yoga practice, with varying intensity. I started yoga about 5 years ago to manage low back pain.

I practiced regularly, taking a good number of flow yoga classes and was able to build up a lot of strength. I backed off over time, taking less intense classes, but still practiced regularly. Lately I decided I want to ratchet up my practice and have been taking more intense classes.

Yoga has worked well to manage my back pain. A big plus for me is that there's a lot of variety in asanas, so I never get bored.

As for meditation, I don't practice daily, only occasionally. Based on my experience, meditating is a great way to unwind. It'd be great to meditate daily, but some days I can't fit it in.

 

[mystang52]

I just signed up for yoga this morning! I did it several years ago and enjoyed it, so decided to do it again.

 

[CoolChange]

I am a firm believer in the benefits of both practices but have not been able to stick with either one consistently.

I try to get two sets of yoga inspired stretching in each day, morning and evening. And, I definitely notice it when I slack off of this. But, I have not been able to stick with the associated breathing exercises, meditations, etc. contained in a real yoga practice.

For years, I have tried to meditate for a few minutes each evening. But, for some reason, I don't keep up the practice. It does seem to improve my overall quality of life (stress level, general happiness/satisfaction, etc.) a bit when I am doing it regularly.

This may all be placebo effect; but, I am fine with that: Neither seem to have much downside risk; so, I am perfectly happy harnessing the placebo effect to my benefit.

 

[48Fire]

I am considering both

 

[KB]

I've been considering yoga too. Can anyone recommend a beginner yoga DVD or a good way to start yoga? Thanks.

 

[audreyh1]

Yoga - more for physical health - balance, flexibility, strength, and stretching out those muscles that have been abused in other sports. But the breathing and quiet poses do provide a calming effect, and if I do a longer yoga session I always end with the savasana which is a lying down meditation.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Yoga - more for physical health - balance, flexibility, strength, and stretching out those muscles that have been abused in other sports. But the breathing and quiet poses does provide a calming effect, and if I do a longer session I always end with the savasana which is a lying down meditation.

I do hatha yoga when I need it but not regularly. It helps me if I am wound up and can't sleep or if I overused my muscles.


He's dead Jim (see picture).

 

[audreyh1]

I've been considering yoga too. Can anyone recommend a beginner yoga DVD or a good way to start yoga? Thanks.

I strongly recommend classes for a beginner. It's really difficult to learn the basics unsupervised - form is really important. Look for a basic Hatha Yoga (traditional) class.

 

[Birchwood]

I'm the OP. Thanks for your posts. I started about 5 months ago and did a 4 days a week lessons. I did the classes after a daily 3 mile run (Ellipticals), then a 1 mile walk. hahaha, Obviously I changed shirt before going to the Yoga. I felt more relaxed and the stretching help with muscle soreness and flexibility.
Unfortunately, I started to have some muscle soreness near my left shoulder and decided to quit for about one month, for fear that it may develop into a rotator cuff injury. I am coming back once a week, and hopefully will slowly acclimatize back to doing it about 3x a week.
I am 65 and realize that some of the poses are dangerous for my age and have to do only what my body allows. If there is pain stop for a while.

 

[tulak]

I am 65 and realize that some of the poses are dangerous for my age and have to do only what my body allows. If there is pain stop for a while.

I think it's wonderful that you are doing yoga. Keep in mind that all poses can be dangerous, regardless of your age. One of my favorite instructors practiced ashtanga yoga and advanced very far until she ripped an inner shoulder muscle. I don't know the details, but the point is she pushed herself too far until her body finally gave in. That's never worth it and her classes now focus on listening to your body and staying within your comfortable range of motion.

If you're having issues, then I would try to find classes that are accommodating. You should always be able to modify your poses so you are comfortable. If you feel any discomfort in a pose, then I would immediately back off. A good instructor should be able to help you with modifications, but if not, there's no harm in passing on poses that are not comfortable. Personally, I'd never stop practicing because of a specific issue, but I'd try to work around the problem to get the maximum benefit from the practice.

I hope your able to get back to a regular practice. Good luck and namaste!

 

[Birchwood]

Thanks, I came back to a class, and notified the instructor, that I had past shoulder issue and will limp along on certain poses. It was fine with her. I turned around to the other younger students and said: I'm just a senior citizen on medicare and yoga, so bear with me. They laughed and got on with it.

 

[imoldernu]

Don't know if Tai Chi fits in here, but it works for many of us old timers. Our local hospital has turned one of the local mall's closed stores, into a community gathering center, and in addition to regular health seminars, twice a week offers Tai Chi... The turnout has grown to about 60 seniors for each class.

Guessing the average age of participants... perhaps 65, with many of us into our later 70's and early 80's.

Old bones don't adapt as well to yoga positions if it hasn't been a regular program, but in Tai Chi...for the older folks, using a folding chair for balance allows everyone to participate. Part of the program is meditation, but am thinking for most of us, this is more of a rest period.

Local TV has 7 AM programs for both Yoga (cute girls) and "Sit and be Fit"...http://www.sitandbefit.org/

Our mall opens at 8AM, and supports a mall walking program before the stores open at 10AM. One of the benefits of living in a smallish town... You get to know the people who have similar interests and habits.

 

[growerVon]

I've been doing Bikram (hot!) yoga off & on for about 10 years. It is the only silver bullet I've found for my lower back pain. It has also been effective in reducing my blood pressure and accompanying meds. My problem is the Bikram studios in my area keep closing. I've had four fold shop underneath me in the past two years, and now need to find another at present. Great exercise, though Bikram is less about the meditation.

 

[zinger1457]

I've been considering yoga too. Can anyone recommend a beginner yoga DVD or a good way to start yoga? Thanks.

Some of us live in rural areas where attending a regular class isn't practical. I have the DVD "Crunch Candlelight Yoga- Sara Ivanhoe" and like it. It's designed for people at different levels so a beginner or more advanced user can use it. Other videos that I looked at were more advanced and not good for the beginner or someone not flexible enough to get in the positions.

 

[antmary]

I meditate every morning for about 20 minutes...then off to the garden and for a walk. I need to get back into yoga...there is a fitness center nearby with a "silver sneakers" program, that includes yoga. I really do need that daily discipline!

 

[Philliefan33]

I have gone to yoga classes in the past, but lately I have been using an iOS app called "Yoga Studio" ($2.99 when I purchased it in the App Store). It has beginner thru advanced classes, 15-60 minutes in duration. I find I practice more often when I can just go to a quiet room and unroll my mat, rather than having to drive to a class.

But I agree with a previous poster who recommended an in-person class for someone new to yoga. I had many studio classes under my belt before switching to the app.

 

[KB]

Thanks for the recommendations. Crunch Candlelight Yoga is on youtube so I'll try it first and see if I want to buy it.

 

[truenorth418]

Yoga class every Friday morning.


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[O2Bfree]

I've practiced meditation for about 10 years now, with dry spells here and there where I don't do it for a couple months at a time. I've also done 20 week-long meditation retreats and dozens of weekend-long retreats.

For me, meditation works best when I can keep up the spirit of the practice all day long, which means not carrying around unnecessary thoughts, not thinking about things unless I'm actually doing something about them. I find I have more energy, better memory, and better sleep, when I do this.

 

[ElizabethT]

Yes to both, and both add to/counter things done elsewhere. Yoga helps after a long run/hike/bike ride to alliviate the inevitable stiffness that sets in afterward. Meditation helps to slow the incessant recycling in my brain of those little stress points that occur in life.

For those looking for sources to follow for either one, youtube has scores and scores of both.

 

[Sarah in SC]

O2, the weekend retreats sound interesting to me, as someone who'd like to have a meditation practice, but have only done it a handful of times, though I've read a ton of books about it.
Any resources for choosing something like that, suitable for beginners? I was thinking that it might give me the push I need to make the commitment to doing it more often.