Yoga

[msmemory_archive]

My doctor, who is a smart lady, suggested I look into taking a yoga or pilates class, or get myself a good yoga dvd to work out with. She says I should look for the words "gentle" or "relaxation" in the course info.

Any suggestions for good yoga classes/studios in the suburbs? Woburn or Burlington would be ideal for me, but I’d go to Arlington, Stoneham, or Winchester for the right class. I’m looking for Complete Beginners Handholding. (Alternatively, how expensive IS a private session or two to get started?)

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I would not start yoga with a tape, unless your ability to imitate a visual with perfect body kinesthesia is amazingly above average. It's good for suggesting sequences of poses you already know, but not for learning. I make this as a very strong suggestion - a lot of yoga is putting your muscles and tendons to their limits, and a small slip of alignment can breed pain.

Yoga private lessons are quite expensive, and not all that necessary.

Two of the very best places I have taken yoga, were Mystic River Yoga (very best for beginners) and The Arlington Center in Arlington.

The classes I took at Mystic were when I was starting out. They work an a semester-subscription system, where you start slowly and build a vocabulary. At first, you do very few poses, but each student is checked and adjusted and helped. It was fantastic.

I went only a few times to The Arlington Center, to take classes with Chip Hartranft after I broke my leg. He is a phenomal teacher, very gentle and fun. The classes felt like reunions, as so many students were regulars. I've heard only good things from his students about him, and the other teachers there.

I've had good and bad individual teachers at gyms and such. I've not been practicing for a while, so I have no current names.

I'd urge you to look at either the About.com web pages on yoga or perhaps Yoga.com, and the different forms and styles of yoga teaching, and settle on a style that sounds appealing to you. I'm a big fan of both the Hatha style (gentle yoga) and Iyengar (which can be gentle or not, but uses a lot of straps, props and tools that my not-at-all-flexible body really benefits from).

An interesting book on yoga, with modifications for various body types, surgeries and injuries, is "Yoga For The Rest Of Us", and there is also a video that you can probably purchase, borrow from the library, or rent.

If you are going to use videos, borrow them from Netflix or something first.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

You are one of the people from whom I specifically hoped to hear. Thanks!