Listen to your body (*Yoga)

I teach many seniors yoga.  Most of them I don’t consider to be seniors and you wouldn’t believe how well their bodies move.

One of my students is an 87 year old male.  He found yoga a year ago and has been practicing with me weekly and on his own several times a week.  He asked me what CD’s he could purchase to continue as he doesn’t want to come to class for the winter months.  He’s concerned he’ll risk a fall on the ice.

Here’s the thing, there are a lot of books, CD’s, DVD’s etc., on the market.  And some of them are accessible for all.

Yet some of them I can’t even do.  If you purchase any of these products be sure to review it before you practice it.

And most importantly listen to your body first and foremost and never push it to any extreme!

Yoga Bags

I adore yoga bags. In fact I have about 10 of them which I used to trade up per season. They make carrying your mat around much, much easier. Especially if they have an adjustable shoulder strap.

I have a pvc free mat that I use all the time. The trouble with the thicker mats is you do have to find a bag that fits it.

Many times the thicker mats will get stuck and will not slide down into the bag. Or if you get it into the bag it may be too long to squeeze it in so it won’t close.

Some bags offer a little zipper pouch that allow you to carry other things with you.

They truly are a matter of preference.

Some tips when choosing a bag:

1) Find one that is aesthetically pleasing; it will make you want to carry it and therefore encourage you to GO to class!

2) Be sure you know the dimensions of the bag so you aren’t disappointed if you’re mat won’t fit.

3) You may have to spend a bit more money to find a good quality bag so it doesn’t fall apart.

4) I’d suggest finding one with an adjustable shoulder strap so you can be comfortable while carrying it around.

5) Consider if you wish to have spots on your bag for additional storage; do you want it to hold your water bottle, keys, membership cards?

Remember to wash your bag occassionally and hang it to dry to so it won’t shrink on you.

Wii Fit Yoga Review

I tried the Wii Fit yoga on my nephews player.  I must say I was surprised.

The program is actually pretty good considering its a gaming system.  The balance board is fun to see where you’re center of gravity is.  Some of the poses however aren’t shown correctly or thoroughly enough… for example:

Warrior 2 the front foot is on the balance board, but what about the back foot.  It’s important to place even amounts of pressure on the feet and often students forget about their hind leg.

Downward dog is done with the hands on the board and again many students try to force down the heels rather than focus on the length of the back body.  You can fully sacrifice the length of the spine by not focusing on the back body.

Saying this, and keeping in mind it is a gaming system, I’d say its a good way to begin.  However, remember even teachers need to take classes.  Not only to stay current, but also because you can’t see you’re own body.

This is pretty much where yoga videos, books and devices like Wii …hmmm… how can I say this… not necessarily fail persay ….however you can still be doing the asanas (poses) incorrectly or a tiny adjustment could shift and change everything for you.

Is that a nice way of saying come to class!  LOL

Many Mom’s and Grandma’s often tell me their tween or early teen wishes to take a class.  Yet all of my classes are offered for 18+ simply because of the locations.

So this would be a great gift for anyone wishing to get themselves started.  Again it doesn’t replace the need for a physical teacher.