You hear yoga is good for body and mind, but you may wonder if your body and mind can do it. Yoga is much more than a trendy exercise for limber young people. Yoga can be slow, soft stretching. Yoga can be used in physical therapy. Yoga can be a guiding principal teaching mindfulness and balance in all things. And with over 100 types of yoga, there is a yoga right for every body.
There are several yoga styles, so how do you choose?
"You have to choose both a style of yoga and a teacher," says Mary Lauttamus, director of the Master of Science in Yoga Therapy program at Maryland University of Integrative Health in Laurel. "There are so many different variables," she says.
Lex Gillan of The Yoga Institute, the oldest yoga-teacher training and national certification course in the country agrees.
"You have to kick some tires," Gillan says. Visit several studios to find the classes right for you. He advises trying at least three classes. Many studios offer a free first week of classes, so you can see if the style and the teacher are right for you.
Lauttamus recommends choosing a nearby studio. You're more likely to go to classes regularly if you're within 20 minutes of where you live, she adds.
Additionally, Lauttamus suggests finding out where the instructors were trained and if they are certified. She recommends at least RYT 200 certification, which means the instructor has a minimum 200 hours of training at an accredited school and has registered with the Yoga Alliance.
Gillan says to look for classes with closely individualized instruction or classes intended for people in your own level of physical fitness and experience with yoga. Inexperienced older people and people with injuries should not jump into a fast-moving class geared for more agile and experienced yogis, he cautions.
Finally, Lauttamus recommends considering whether the other students are a good fit. After all, if you're going to spend time every week with a group of people, they will become a kind of community — one you want to feel comfortable in.
Here is a primer on yoga to help you in your quest for the right spot.
Classically, yoga focuses on physical postures, breathing and meditation, says Lauttamus. Ancient Indian sages intended the discipline to make the body fit in order to free the spirit from mundane concerns. The word "yoga" means yoke or unite, as in uniting ourselves with our highest nature.
Much of American yoga is hatha yoga or what Gillan calls "modern postural yoga." "That's the movement and breathing with no meditation and no philosophy," he says. "It's really become an American fitness routine."
Vinyasa, or flow yoga, which evolved from hatha yoga, refers to a more vigorous form that synchronizes movement with breathing and flows uninterruptedly from one position to the next, almost like a dance.
The basic techniques of yoga can be practiced in a wide variety of ways. You can take classes in everything from traditional forms as practiced in ancient India to chair-based yoga to recent introductions such as "glowga," practiced in darkened rooms under neon and black lights. Yoga is also used in therapy — as an aid to people recovering from injuries, managing disabilities, living with chronic pain or illness, and dealing with anxiety or depression.
Techniques range from gentle flowing rhythmic postures to intensely vigorous workouts requiring strength and stability. Some studios emphasize meditation and mindfulness more than others.
—Leah A. Zeldes, Tribune Brand Publishing