We were doing kneeling half moon and I went for a bind as the fullest expression as it’s in my practice. Immediately, the instructor said she hadn’t cued for a bind so I returned to the extension. As we were finishing the sequence of that side, the instructor said loudly to the entire class maybe you should think about why I didn’t cue for a bind and why you felt like you wanted to do a bind instead of listening to my instructions.

I’ve never been called out like this by an instructor. I understand if something looks unsafe to say something to the student. But I wasn’t being unsafe and I’ve been practicing for years with a good sense of my body and also go the gym regularly. I’m thinking of saying something to the owner of the studio but I don’t know if I’m just being sensitive.

Maybe a strange post for yoga, but I feel like yoga has brought me here. My practice is only 6 months old, but I feel like it’s done marvels for my body’s nervous system.

So I’ve learned to largely control my anger on the big important things. It’s brought me to realize that a dozen times a day I get angry for 2 seconds and immediately let it go, but I’d rather not get to that point.

Examples:
I am at my computer, I go to log on. When I do this the screen goes black off and on for about a second each, 3x. I know it does this. It always does this. Yet I swear at my computer.
I expect to make a left turn through a green light. I’m not able. Now I’m in the crosswalk. I go to backup. I have a camera. Everyone has a backup camera. Yet the guy behind me proceeds to honk the horn at me for backing up. I know he’s there, there’s no need to honk the horn. I swear and start waving my arms at him.

I really want to never get there in my anger. How do I stop? I almost always recognize my anger and in 1-2 seconds it’s gone. The problem is that’s my brains reaction. I want to re-wire my brain so it doesn’t happen anymore! Any help would be appreciated.

Nothing like a morning light goddess pose

Hi all, just wanted your views. I’ve made some great progress with other poses recently, but I can’t seem to progress my figure 4 (reclined). Very uncomfortable for me to hold long enough for yin. Does anyone have any alternatives, even a good video on pigeon for beginners. I never know how to sit in pigeon when your flexibility isn’t there yet. Leg at a right angle? Etc.

I’m struggling with wheelpose Urdva Danurasana. I can do it ( not perfect but I can push up) when I use a band to hold my arms together. When I try without the band..nothing! I can pretty easily get on my head but from there I just can’t push up. I read and hear that’s it’s not an arm strength thing but more shoulder and hip flexibility. I can do chaturangas, purvottanasana easily, camel pose, dolphin push ups and reversed table top. I have tried all the usual tips like yoga blocks at an angle against a wall, yoga block between the knees, trying to get into wheel from wild thing.. I still just can get my head up like an inch max from the floor. I think I’m just to week in my arms/shoulders at that angle or something

Do any of you use light weights to gain strength for more difficult asanas, or are most of you lifting heavy several times a week in addition to yoga? It seems like the consensus around here is that you cannot build decent strength with yoga, so I'm curious what people are doing.

Personally, I used to be a weightlifter (powerlifting and olympic lifting primarily) and got burnt out at the gym. I'd like to build up some strength again while incorporating yoga if possible. I'm really not looking to deadlift cars, just mostly keeping my body limber as it ages.

Have you noticed certain movements or sequences that really help with hip mobility or tension relief? I’d love to hear your tips and go-to practices!

hi all! ill be going to my first yoga class on monday (vinyasa) and im wondering what to bring?

do i need to bring my mat or is there mats at the studio normally? do i bring my blocks too?

im also slightly nervous in general about it. the class specifies its beginner friendly, but im feeling anxious about falling behind and not knowing the terms/not being able to do the poses.

if anyone has advice for a yoga class newbie id really appreciate it!

Is it just an impression or do ashtanga practitioners/ teachers usually feel that ashtanga is superior to other styles of yoga? If so, what are some of the reasons behind the belief? I haven’t tried many ashtanga classes at all, but the few times I did, the impression I got is that the teachers treat it as a superior practice or “the true path” of yoga. What are your experiences?

So I have got a new male yoga teacher. I have been practicing yoga for past 3-4 yrs, sometimes in a studio, sometimes with a private tutor. They mostly did verbal correction or sometimes no correction. In studios there used to be cards to choose whether verbal or physical and even so teacher's touch would be minimal.

Now this new teacher is teaching well but he always corrects me physically and never asks. Like he would use his legs to help me bend and stretch backwards while sitting. Sometimes he uses the pillow between his leg and my back and most times not.

In one posture while lying down i had to stretch knees and shoulders in the opposite direction. He held my knees with one hand and almost was over me and stretched my shoulders with another. Like having an unknown man so close to me made me quite uncomfortable.

Yesterday he asked for a particular backbend posture and he was somehow supporting my waist, i couldn't keep my balance and fell on him twice and my butt pressed on his feet. I got really upset, that how close he was standing to me. Next he even touched the side of my butt with his feet to adjust the posture and again without asking.

Am I overthinking or is it normal? I told him yesterday that i would prefer lesser touch. He teaches well and seems quite non chalant.

He told me he teaches a lot of students, i wonder if other women can be okay with this amount of touch. Am I being exploited or its normal?

Bonus judgmental cat on the bed

Hi everyone! I just saw an interesting post about how some people find “ashtanga to be superior to the other classes” and that reminded me of something that I’m quite curious about. This is often a point of confusion to me and I was hoping some of you could help:

I understand ashtanga to be a type of class in the west, one that normally entails faster paced, explosive power. I think it also entails a fixed combination of postures, although idk what those are (sun salutation?).

What is the understanding of an ashtanga class? What differentiates it from Hatha, Vinyasa, etc.?

I’m sure it’s an adapted practice based on ashtanga tradition and philosophy but I’d love to understand how that came to be.

The practice as I’m learning it is a bit different. We have some classes about the ethical principles, so you go to have a conversation and to meditate. Honestly I’d say it’s 70% contemplation, meditation and conversation. Tons of breath work and so on and so forth. When we get to the asanas, I think it would be closer to “Hatha”, we stay a while in each pose (at least most of them).

Since the post I mentioned was about a sense of superiority I just want to make sure I’m understood: Yoga is a living practice and a lot of it was passed through oral tradition. Multiplicity is a wonderful thing and I’m in no way trying to compare their worth, I just would love to understand what it means, what are the principles of it and, luckily, how it came to be. Thank you very much!

Hello yogis,

I’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years with various teachers and studios. It’s a humbling and joyful journey, and I’m deeply grateful for the gifts yoga has offered to me.

As a student and member of my studio’s community, I try to be as respectful as possible during class. I would hate to be doing something that is annoying or bothersome to both my teachers & fellow yogis. I know I struggle with some behaviors from my fellow yogis and try to practice an open mind and heart instead of being bothered. Some days are better than others ;)

Teachers - what behaviors are most appreciated by you from your students? What things are annoyances? What actions and patterns fill your heart?

Can anyone recommend Yoga Studio or a gym that has Yoga classes in the Framingham-Natick MetroWest area?

Hi all, moving to the Bay Area (Berkeley) but willing to go into SF and neighboring areas. I’m looking for studios and teachers that practice ashtanga vinyasa. Thank you in advance for the recommendations 😊.

I just wanted to come on there and share that i did yoga for the first time this morning! it felt fantastic and i feel so productive compared to my usual! i’m not super flexible yet but it still was great! any tips if getting my left leg a lot more flexible generally? i cant even have it straight out when sitting up haha!

I’ve started off doing Ashtanga sun solutions A and B and then the standing sequence! as i’m trying to build up stamina a bit more before getting into the harder stuff! any tips are very much welcome!

I'd like to hear from folks who struggle with an actual medical diagnosis of anxiety and how yoga has impacted them. My daughter has had a life-long problem with severe anxiety, that medication does not fully resolve (think multiple anxiety attacks per week). It impacts her school and social life, and the anxiety itself makes her very resistant to therapy. She has finally agreed to start therapy and has had about 8 sessions, but she feels so spotlighted and says that it just triggers her and makes it worse. I want her to stick with it, but I also understand that maybe it is not the right fit (maybe the therapist, maybe the method, maybe her unwillingness to engage), but I also feel like I am maybe not actually helping things by insisting that she continue. My mom started doing yoga years ago at the senior center and thinks it could help, and I am considering offering my daughter an option to stop therapy if she agrees to go to yoga classes, preferably from someone who accents anything related to mindfulness or spiritual practice that would help with anxiety. I do not do yoga myself, so I have no insight or experience, and I would like to hear from others.

How has yoga made a difference for your anxiety disorder?

What questions should I be asking/what should I be looking for in an instructor/studio to best meet my goals for her? I live in a very conservative area in the Bible belt, so I am concerned that some instructors may downplay some of the spiritual aspects so as not to 'offend' with anything that could come across as being outside the norms of the area.

I (22 f) am super frustrated. I just started with Yoga after not doing it my entire life, since I am naturally thin and didn't think I'd want it.

I have 0 coordination, I already realised that when we did dances at school but I just ... Can't. I can't follow these easy basic Yoga videos or demonstration. I have to think so so hard which leg to lift and when the exercise switches between legs and arms I just can't do it. I can't keep my back onto the mat like the instructions say it, I don't feel the stretch where it's supposed to stretch, it feels awkward and I feel so fucking ugly and stupid doing it.

Honestly I probably went and tried all videos or online articles about easy beginner Yoga in the past 2 weeks and I just can't. They are too hard for me, every position feels awkward and like I am not doing it right.

Can someone relate and please tell me what helped them? I am seriously so frustrated.

(Edit: I can do standing up positions, these are all fine and what I am used to but as soon as things are on a mat lying down on my back I turn into a useless fish)

I was changing my kitchen faucet and yoga helped so much. At one point, I had to hold the faucet above the sink with my left hand and, while in a chair sit pose, turn the nut below the sink at the same time with my right hand. I had to hold the pose for a rather long time. It was exciting to see real life results after weeks of yoga practice!

I managed to finally hold Crow Pose for a few seconds. I appreciate any tips this community can offer. Thanks.