Category: Best Online Resources for Yoga

Purposes and Types of Yoga

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In my research about different types of yoga I have found five basic purposes for doing yoga.  I have also found over thirty different types of yoga.  Below is a list of the purposes of yoga and the types of yoga I found.  Meditation and Pranayama (breathing exercises) are also important yoga practices.  See also the sites below where I found this information.

Five Reasons for a Regular Yoga Practice: (in no particular order)

1. Stress release, better sleep  (yin, hatha are good for this purpose)

2. Better focus, concentration, energy (meditation and Pranayama are best, see below)

3. Pain Management, healing from an injury – (Iyengar)

4. Fitness, Weight loss – (ashtanga/power)

5. Sprituality, preparation for meditation – (yin, hatha)

Types of Yoga: (in no particular order)

The most popular types of yoga are Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga and Iyengar.  Over the years yoga has evolved and changed (in some good ways, and some not so good ways).  See my post on Yoga History.  Some of the many other names that have been given to types of yoga are found below, for interest’s sake.

Sattva, ISHTA, Integral, KaliRayTriYoga, Bikram/HotYoga, Hatha, Vinyasa/Power,

Kundalini, Ashtanga, whitelotus, Iyengar, Baptiste, Anusara, Restorative/Yin,

Svaroopa, Jivamukti, Prenatal, Kripalu, Sivananda, Viniyoga, Tantra, Ananda,

Bhakti, Jnana, Laya, Karma, Raja, Mantha, Moksha

For more information on these types of yoga see the websites below.

Some helpful sites about Yoga:

mindbodygreen

Gaiam

matsmatsmats

Health.com

Hellawella

DoYouYoga

Yoga.com

What is your favourite type of yoga and why?

This week’s Yoga Practice: March 19

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This week’s Self-Evaluation

This week I was able to fit in three sessions of Yoga with Adriene (Yoga camp, Days 8, 9, 10).  My practice definitely increased my energy, positivity and ability to deal with stress.  I felt calm and relaxed.  Each time, my practice helped my body to loosen up and feel more comfortable.

Please see my post this week on Buying Cruelty-Free, Vegan, Socially Conscious and Environmentally as this relates to a Yoga Lifestyle.

Online Resources for Yoga

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Since I began focusing on my Yoga Learning Project I have researched many online resources.  I would like to review the sites I have tried as well as tell you about the pros and cons of Online resources versus in-person resources.

The best resource I have found to date for my own personal preferences is Yoga with Adriene.  Adriene’s site is through Youtube.  See more about my thoughts on this site in a previous post Week Four – Yoga Progress.

Some of the other resources I have tried are:

YogaGlo.com

SattvaSchoolofYoga

Jason Crandell on Youtube

I also enjoy going to local yoga studios when I can.  We have many in Regina.  Below are the three studios I have tried out over the years.  They are all fantastic.

Mind’s Eye Yoga Center

Maha Yoga

Bodhi Tree

However, I prefer to practice yoga in the comfort of my own home and without having to spend money.  I believe we should all be able to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle without spending a dollar.  Yoga was not created thousands of years ago with the intention of making anyone rich, only healthy, happy and more aware.  This is why Yoga with Adriene is currently my first choice.

I certainly understand that Yoga Instructors need to make a living.  And I am glad this option is available.  Without having an instructor in person, you do miss out on having someone to help you make corrections to your poses.  You also miss out on the relationships and energy of others in the room.  Having a community is certainly an important aspect in learning and progressing at anything.  I am currently trying to build an online community.  This also fits into my busy lifestyle more easily, as it is challenging getting to a studio for scheduled classes.

I would love to hear from other yogis out there.  What are your thoughts on paying for yoga classes? And what are your favourite online sources?

Week Four -Yoga Progress

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This week I’m excited to tell you about some of the progress I have made in finding ways to fit my yoga practice into my life, my success in researching online sources for Yoga and how I have learned to accept my current ability level as a yogi.

Previously I had sampled some yoga videos from Sattvayoga and YogaGlo. I tried both of their free trials for two weeks.(SattvaYoga costs $10/month and YogaGlo costs $18/month). In both these sources there was a lot of choice and the instructors of the videos I watched seemed very good. I’m sure these sites would be beneficial for anyone wanting to practice yoga. However, after consideration I decided it is unnecessary to spend money in order to practice yoga.  There are plenty of sources for free on the internet.

In my search for free sites I found an absolutely wonderful resource: Yoga with Adriene: 30 Day Yoga Camp.

Adriene Mishler: Blog

The instructor, Adriene Mishler, created a series of 30 days of yoga vidoes. Adriene’s focus is to help us Find What Feels Good. This is the name and focus of her paid site for all things yoga.  Adriene is quirky, in a great way, fun and easy to follow.  I really appreciate her laid-back, positive, individualized approach to teaching yoga.

Each of the sessions in the 30 Day Yoga Camp series have a specific focus such as “I create”, “I embrace” or “I accept”.  I really like this aspect as well.  It is helping me to be more mindful.

During the first few weeks of my yoga project and practice I was attempting an exercise regime that I would have practiced a few years ago, when I was in better fitness than I am now. It was familiar and I wanted to “push myself”. However, in the spirit of yoga, I have realized that it is important to accept myself as I am: including my current level of fitness and stamina. I may be able to gradually work back to where I used to be. But I need to focus on where I am, here and now. And that’s ok.

Printable Quotes

As a result, Adriene’s 30 Day Yoga Camp is just what I needed! It is gentle with an appropriate amount of challenge. She provides tips for different levels. Most importantly she takes the time to remind us to move into poses in our own time, in our own way. She reminds us to take a minute to feel the pose, wiggle or ease left and right, forward and back and pay attention to how it feels and what our body is trying to tell us. The videos tend to be about forty minutes long, which is perfect for my lifestyle.

This week I started the Yoga camp while at the University gym, as you can read in my previous post. On two other occasions, I practiced the yoga camp in my home. I have not been able to practice these lessons on successive days, but I am ok with that, for now. This is the first week that I was able to complete three sessions of yoga. So this is already progress!
On one of the days I practiced with my daughter. I really enjoyed doing yoga with her. It was great to have a partner and I’m happy to involve her in the beneficial practice of yoga also.

My favourite place to practice is in my home. However, I am glad that I have the option of practicing at the University gym while my daughter is at her synchro practice. The idea is to fit yoga into my life in whatever way I can.

I have also been able to spend about 15-20 minutes doing some light walking on my treadmill or in the gym.

I have been dabbling in yoga for about sixteen years. I have gone through times when I have had a regular yoga practice. However, my life has gotten busier over the years as I have added in children and graduate work. It feels good to have made positive progress towards renewing a regular practice. I feel like I will be able to sustain this exercise on a weekly basis. I am confident this will in turn increase my energy and help me in dealing with life as usual in positive ways. You can also see my self-evaluation here.

If you have any tips or advice on fitting yoga into your busy lifestyle I would love to hear from you!

Namaste.Krista