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Yoga Skills For Dummies

January 22, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Yoga

Yoga classes can benefit athletes looking to improve strength and flexibility, pregnant women hoping to stay relatively fit and relaxed, stressed out business professionals, hyperactive children who need to slow down, elderly people with chronic pain and anyone seeking spiritual happiness. You may want to phone your local gyms to see if they offer pilates or yoga classes included with membership cost, or you could attend a special fitness center for – per one hour session. Many centers offer package deals as well. Here is some more information on where to find the right class for you.

First of all, you might be wondering what kind of yoga classes you should be looking for. There are almost limitless options and traditions and the best way to discover your favorite is to just try them! But basically, most beginners start with Hatha yoga, but Iyengar yoga is often appealing because it focuses on proper body alignment, allows instructor-student interaction and uses props like mats, buckles and blocks. Intermediate to advanced yoga enthusiasts get into Ashtanga and power yoga, which are more physically demanding. Bikram yoga is focused on internal cleansing and is practiced in a room that’s 95 to 100 degrees, which causes a purifying sweating process. Kundalini is a type of yoga meditation and practice based around “spiritual awakening.”

YogaFinder.com, the largest internet directory of its kind, can match you up with classes, events, retreats, products, jobs and teacher training opportunities. You can get the yoga center address, phone number, website, browse available styles and read a general description of what’s offered. This directory pulls results that others may not have and worldwide retreats are listed. The site is colorful, easy to navigate and very comprehensive!

Yoga.com lists studios and classes near you by address, phone number, styles, levels, cost and yoga certification information. You can also check out yoga vacations, read articles, listen to yoga music, browse the store and participate in forums here. It’s a simple site but can give you all the basic statistics quickly and easily.

FindYoga.com is another expansive, well-designed site with multiple search engines to find yoga workshops, teachers, retreats, classes and training centers (within the US). If you’re really busy, you can even search for classes by the days and times you have available! Results are listed by school, suburb, day, time, style, level type and teacher. There are many resources for people looking to learn more about yoga, get their corporation involved in a yoga program, or to find a mentoring program.

New York yoga instructor Sharon Gannon tells us, “You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you why you are resisting your natural state.” By taking yoga classes, you will not only strengthen your muscles, but your spirit as well.

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