Are you a couch potato? A long distance runner? An overworked executive or a stressed-out student? Answer yes to any of these and yoga may be for you. The word "yoga" conjures up many images, from power yoga classes currently offered in hip health clubs to vegetarian gurus contorting their bodies into unbelievable postures. The truth is, yoga has enough variations to satisfy men and women of every age and background. But is yoga for you? If you’d like to improve the balance in your life (as well as your body) and feel stronger, more flexible, and less stressed, then the answer is yes. Allow me to guide you down my own path of "yoga enlightenment" and provide what pointers I can regarding what to expect from yoga and how to find a class that is right for you.
Eight years ago, when I walked into my first yoga class, I was seeking a combination of physical exercise that would not strain my tender knee or exacerbate the sometimes sharp back pains I experienced due to a former injury. In addition, I sought a spiritual experience that would help me focus on my inner strength and peace of mind after long days and nights of work in a busy emergency room. That first class did not exactly hit the nail on the head, but it aided me in further defining my needs.
The next class I tried fit the bill. I continued my practice through two pregnancies, utilized yoga techniques to naturally deliver two healthy children, and continue to practice today. I am happy to say that today my back pain is, for the most part, nonexistent and my knee, well...yoga is only a discipline and not a miracle cure. Still, yoga is now part of my everyday life — part of my breathing, my posture, my most mundane movement such as folding the laundry.
Contrary to what many Westerners believe, yoga is more than simply exercise and breathing techniques. Indian philosophy outlines multiple ways to do yoga, each leading to self-realization and universal truth. (Most have nothing to do with exercise, but are spiritual in nature.) The path of hatha yoga consists of eight steps, two of which are the practice of yoga postures (asana) and breath control (pranayama) that we in the West consider yoga. For the purpose of this article, I will be using this layperson’s definition of hatha yoga, which focuses on these two steps and is more closely aligned to what we consider exercise than the traditional, more spiritual versions.
Different styles of hatha yoga are practiced worldwide. These vary in their intensity; some are very vigorous and others are restorative in nature. As practiced here in the West, hatha yoga is an exercise regime that utilizes different poses (asanas) such as forward bends, backbends, twists and inversions. Practicing these moves stretches and strengthens the body and also helps to develop mental focus as you coordinate movements in different parts of the body.
One of the most widely practiced forms of hatha yoga is Iyengar yoga, a specific type of hatha yoga developed by its namesake. The primary focus of Iyengar yoga is on the body’s alignment while doing asanas. Thus, practitioners of Iyengar yoga use props such as blocks or belts to support the body and keep it in proper alignment.
Another form of hatha yoga that is currently popular is ashtanga or "power" yoga, so called because it requires a great amount of strength and dexterity. Ashtanga yoga features connected movements (vinyasas), resulting in a nearly continuous flow of motion. If you find that neither of these meet your needs, there are many, many other approaches to investigate, including Kripalu yoga, Bikram’s yoga, kundalini yoga, and white lotus yoga, among others. Each is a variation of hatha yoga with a slightly different focus, some restorative, others more active. Many teachers are not purists in one form, but integrate aspects of several forms of hatha yoga into their classes to create their own unique style.
With the wide array of techniques and classes available, it can be difficult to know what to look for in a yoga class and disappointing when the class you attend does not meet your needs. As a psychotherapist, I give the same advice to those seeking a therapist as I now do to those seeking a yoga teacher. First, determine what you want to get out of the experience. Explore the options available in your area and try a variety of classes until you find an experience that feels right to you. Don’t let others tell you what you should want. What is right for one individual may not be right for you.
How do you know what is right for you? Ask yourself whether you are considering yoga primarily as a form of exercise or for relaxation and stress management. Most yoga classes will provide both, but may weigh more heavily in one area than another. Also consider your age, state of health, and current level of fitness and activity. While some teachers are purists, it is possible to find a class that combines different forms of yoga. An instructor’s individual style sets the tone for a class as much as his or her training. I found it refreshing that my teacher frequently brought to class new concepts she was studying and was excited about. The class continually evolved to include new ideas from chanting to breathing to flow through.
No matter the level at which you begin, your instructor should be capable of guiding you without putting pressure on you to do anything for which you are not physically or mentally ready. As with any physical activity, it is possible to hurt yourself doing yoga if you do not do it correctly. Thus, there are benefits to being in a beginner class, where others are at your level and students generally get more individualized attention.
Even in a group of varying levels, a good teacher can guide the novice without making him or her feel silly for not doing something "right." Your teacher should get to know you over time so as to challenge you in areas where you may be holding back and to prevent you from pushing yourself at times when you may possibly cause harm. He or she will gently position your body to correct your posture and help you go deeper into your poses. Yoga is a process and no matter where you start, there is always a next step to which you can ascend. No matter how many years an individual has been practicing, yoga should remain a challenge. The challenge, however, should be internal rather than external. You are not competing against other students. You are challenging your body and mind to become stronger, more supple, clear-minded, and free.
The beauty of yoga practice is that, over time, what initially seems cumbersome and foreign becomes very natural and very much a part of you. Prior to my yoga debut, I had taken some dance classes during which my teachers tried to correct a postural problem in which I tended to over-arch my back. Their attempts to help me never really clicked. After starting yoga, however, I began to have a sense where my body was out of alignment. It took some time, but after a while, it was clear to me when my spine was straight and my hips were tucked under. Now I sometimes see the same problem in others and want to ask them, "Does your back hurt? Try this."
Luckily, I corrected my posture before becoming pregnant, when the increased weight of my ever-growing belly made it difficult enough to maintain alignment. Though some might attribute my easy pregnancies and relatively smooth labor and deliveries to genetics, I give a lot of credit to the mind and body training I gained doing yoga. First, as already mentioned, I had developed enough awareness of proper posture to keep my back in alignment and prevent much of the lower back pain pregnant women usually experience. Second, I maintained the strength to comfortably carry around all that extra weight. I practiced every exercise known to possibly ease the baby’s journey through the birth canal and out of my body. And the slow, meditative breathing I had been practicing through all of this would truly ease my pain during childbirth.
Fortunately, my breathing practice made it second nature for me to slowly inhale and then exhale to a count of eight. (One word of caution to pregnant women, especially those who are naturally flexible: due to the pregnancy hormone relaxin, you will become even more flexible and it is easy to overstretch. Pregnancy is a good time to practice moderation over competitiveness — even with yourself.) Yoga also helped smooth my recovery from childbirth and then served as a link between my old, childless life and my life as a mother.
Today, I look forward to my weekly yoga class for many reasons. Physical fitness is one, of course. When I lift my twenty-five pound one-year-old I sense the shift in my posture and move back into alignment. That is yoga. Meditative potential is another. When I am late to pick up my son from preschool, I notice my tight shoulders and short breaths, stop, breathe deeply, and move on. This awareness is yoga. And there is a wider reason, too. I experience a positive feeling of trust and community within my yoga class; I find that I belong to a community of like-minded people. Like my sense of physical well-being and my center of calm, this community is part of my everyday life. Yoga is a part of everything I do, and I plan to carry it with me through life and into an active, pain-free, serene old age.
Resources
Body Mind Connection, 4740 N. Lincoln, Chicago, 773-728-7175
Global Yoga & Wellness Center, Inc., 1823 W. North Avenue, Chicago, 773-489-1510
Healing Earth Resources, 3111 N. Ashland, Chicago, 773-EARTHLY
Himalayan Institute of Glenview, 1505 Greenwood Rd., Glenview, 847-724-0300
Lakeside Yoga Center, 949 Ridge, Evanston, 847-866-2818
NU Yoga Center, 3047 N. Lincoln, Chicago, 773-327-3650
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, 1246 Bryn Mawr, Chicago, 773-878-7771
The Temple of Kriya Yoga, 2414 N. Kedzie, Chicago, 773-342-4600
The Yoga Circle, 401 W. Ontario, Chicago, 312-915-0750
Yoga Vacations: A Guide to International Yoga Retreats, Annalisa Cunningham, John Muir Publications, 1999
Park districts, hospitals, and Yoga Chicago resource guide also are excellent resources when seeking a yoga class.