Yoga & Meditation

[WhenWillILove]

I need to know from those hard core yoga and meditation practitioners.

 

Is it really all that healing and yada yada?

[lonelyheart2]

I love yoga it's amazing I always feel a lot calmer after going, but then again the place I go to is really nice too. It is a bit pricy though so I don't go all that often! Try it out a couple of times, it's definitely worth it

[His Annamchara]

I'm an avid at home yoga practitioner. It is a lot less expensive and allows me to go at my own pace. I suffer from anxiety and adult ADD and yoga has turned my life around. I am off of my meds most of the time. I truly believe in the healing powers of yoga. I'm not sure whether it's a placebo effect or actual "healing" powers of it but it has turned life around for me.

Hope this helps!

[Fudgie]

I don't do yoga but I meditate and have done so for the past 4 years or so. It's had a great effect on me. I'm relatively level-headed and much more calm. My dreams at night are also a lot more vivid. I just feel more at ease and peace, even during times of stress.

 

I meditate once every 1-2 days.

[WhenWillILove]

I'm an avid at home yoga practitioner. It is a lot less expensive and allows me to go at my own pace. I suffer from anxiety and adult ADD and yoga has turned my life around. I am off of my meds most of the time. I truly believe in the healing powers of yoga. I'm not sure whether it's a placebo effect or actual "healing" powers of it but it has turned life around for me.

Hope this helps!

 

I know there are various forms of yoga. Is this the slow paced yoga? I have practiced qi qong for several months but it wasn't what I was looking for. What yoga do you practice? I have also tried yoga numerous times but only through the DVD versions and it was way too aerobic for me and not much meditative (Rodney Yang and Merill Hemingway, if I remember correct).

 

Also, have you anxiety attacks decreased over time with yoga? Thanks!

[WhenWillILove]

I don't do yoga but I meditate and have done so for the past 4 years or so. It's had a great effect on me. I'm relatively level-headed and much more calm. My dreams at night are also a lot more vivid. I just feel more at ease and peace, even during times of stress.

 

I meditate once every 1-2 days.

 

Is there a DVD that you use? Music on? Or off?

[MakeItCount]

For what it's worth, yoga has been shown over and over in studies to be very helpful with health. Both mind and body. Just gotta find whatever fits you best. Wouldn't do hot yoga on your first try

[petite]

Yoga can heal mind and body if you are open to it, and if you are dedicated, the more you practice the more you want to practice. I am a Bikram yoga (type of hot yoga) certified instructor (I don't teach as I have a full-time professional job but got certified because I wanted to teach during my time in university and also because I wanted to be taught by the best. I help out my friend that owns the studio where I practice every now and then if one of her teachers can't make it to class or if she asks me to teach a one-off), taught by Bikram himself, I practice yoga daily, sometimes minimum 90 minutes which is how long a Bikram class lasts and sometimes I practice double sessions or practice at home a different type of yoga or at a different studio. I practice several types of yoga, all of which have some sort of benefit for the mind and body. Try a type of yoga you might be interested in, I always recommend going to a studio where the instructor can help with poses and I find it's always easier for beginners to see the more advanced users practice. You're in a big room, but everyone is concentrating on themselves and their yoga.

I know some people say that beginners should first try other types of yoga before getting into hot yoga because of the humidity, but I believe that being a beginner gives one a better advantage of wanting more, and it's easier to give up if you have another type of yoga you enjoy and you're more inclined not go back to your old ways than giving the hot yoga another try. Sure, the first class feels like you're going to vomit (and some run out do - whilst we were being taught in LA we literally had vomit buckets, days were long) and some would even say a fleeing of dying and cursing oneself that you'll never come back again, but the feeling after Bikram yoga is one that can't be beat, after you have your shower, you feel a sense of achievement, satisfaction, and you feel, really, really GOOD. Even the most advanced users struggle on some days with the heat, but they keep coming back because of the after feeling. Once you start realizing how good it feels, you keep coming back, and you want more and more of that good feeling. Every type of yoga is great, some people aren't designed to practice many types of yoga, you need to find one that you will fall in love with, and you will notice the mental consciousness and well as the physical benefits. Yoga for me is like therapy, just like running I can have the worst day and go to a class or go running and it will help, I'll still have my problems like I had before class but the horrible feeling that was on a scale of 10/10 has decreased to 8/10 or less.