Yoga FAQ s
What is Yoga? Yoga is actually comprised of 8 limbs. The first 2 limbs are called Yamas + Niyamas and they describe a way of life. The next 2 limbs are pranayama (breathe) and asanas (the poses). These are the 2 limbs that most people are familiar with. In yoga you will notice the poses are designed to increase flexibility and strength. They are also taught to work along side your breathe to bring in full presence and awareness as you move through your practice. The remaining 4 limbs are all various levels of meditation. This is why the last portion of the class (savasana) is so important. Yoga is made up of half meditation/half everything else. What do the different styles of yoga mean? There are so many different styles of yoga it would be impossible for me to list them all here for you. I will give you a very brief understanding of them. Hatha yoga is what you will see most often which is a blend of different styles. Most instructors are Hatha instructors as they enjoy pulling from many styles and creating their own signature classes. Restorative and Yin yoga are all about passive movements. In other words, the class is not supposed to be active. It s about
going deep into the muscles in order to release and deep into meditation in order to rest completely. You can also find very disciplined classes like Iyengar or Ashtanga. Bottom line: Do your research and try as many classes as you can. You will find the ones that you love What does Om and Namaste mean? Om: The syllable OM, which is the imperishable Brahman, is the universe. Whatsoever has existed, whatsoever exists, and whatsoever shall exist hereafter, is OM. And whatsoever transcends past, present, and future, that also is OM. - from the Mandukya. Namaste: Many people say it many different ways. I say it as the following - The divine in me honors and recognizes the divine in you. Absolutely not. Yoga is not a religion in and my opinion has no rules. Sure many yogis may cut out meat but there are also many that don t. You get to define what yoga means to you. Do I have to cut out meat to practice yoga?
How many times a week should I go to yoga? If increasing your flexibility is important to you then I do recommend you go at least 2x a week. We spend many, many hours making our muscles tight and you also have years of tightness going into a class. Therefore in order to reverse this we need a consistent yoga practice. I am not flexible, should I wait to start yoga? No That s the point of yoga. Go right now Remember the reason why you look around a yoga class and see flexible people is not because you are in the wrong class or don't fit in.. it s because they are people who take yoga. Which means they are regularly working on their flexibility. Don t assume they started out that way. I certainly didn t. Most studios you won t need anything. There are some studios however that require you to bring your own mat. You will want to call ahead to ask the studio what you are required to bring for your class. What do I need as a beginner?
How long do I have to wait after I eat? I recommend at least an hour and 2 hours is best. Will doing yoga help me lose weight? This would be impossible to answer. I will say this however. When your body is not able to release fat we know it s storing fat. We want it to begin burning fat. If the body is storing fat it is doing so because it s under some time of stress response. This means that in order to burn fat we need to put ourselves into a place of relaxation. Yoga relaxes the body and the mind. In my opinion, it s the best thing you could do for weight loss. Is yoga just stretching? Not at all. In yoga we focus on breathing properly, relaxing the body and the mind and also building strength. Especially core strength and balance. How hot is hot yoga? It depends on the studio. I would say anywhere between 80-110 degrees.