So, You Wanna Do Yoga; Advice From A Former Yoga Newbie

I am considered an unconventional yoga teacher, possibly because I started out as a bodybuilder. For many years I performed West African dance in Harlem based dance company, then got into bodybuilding, which eventually lead to a very tight muscly body. This inspired me to begin practicing yoga in addition to my lifting heavy things. I guess due to my unique yogi beginnings, I am often asked how to begin practicing yoga, by those who come from backgrounds like mine and those who are just plain nervous about the whole yoga thing. We have all read about the benefits of yoga, how good yoga is for our bodies, minds and souls, while simultaneously being inundated by images of contortionist in yoga poses. on social media. For the beginner, these images represent what they think yoga is; a practice for people who are already incredibly flexible and/or strong. This is far from the truth. While I do know some who started practicing yoga already flexible, they were not necessarily strong or vise versa. The practice of yoga can accommodate ALL. I started out very strong, not flexible at all. However, what I deemed strong was a different kind of strong, I have noticeably increased my flexibility and mobility through my years of practicing and I’m very new to the practice still. So, from a relatively new yogi who was once a beginner, to the yoga curious, nervous and/or intimidated, here’s some advice to get you practicing.

First, why do you want to do yoga? Like most new ventures, we need to have a reason as to why we want to do it. It’s like joining a gym because your partner says you should do it for your health but when you do, you hate it and everything about it then quit all together. Identify for yourself you why you want to do this. It could be for the most base reasons. Honestly, I started yoga because I thought it would be cool to be flexible. Years of heavy lifting and no stretching in my 20s/30s lead to increased tightness and mobility issues. I have also suffered from back spasms most of my life noticing the reduction in my mobility coincided with an increase in spasms; some of which keep me immobilized for days. As I got older and more knowledgeable, my reasons for practicing changed, but initially being able to put my leg behind my head is what motivated me. (I still can’t do that by the way.) Identifying what will motivate you to take up this practice is essential to sustain your practice. Yoga is a continuous and to obtain the benefits, a level of commitment is required.

Secondly, once you’ve decided why you want to practice, find a good place to start. In my humble opinion, that place IS a yoga studio and NOT a health club. I teach at one of the best health club chains in the country. I also teach at a yoga studio chain, so I have experience with and can offer perspective on both. 

Here's my analogy. Health clubs are like your supermarkets and the yoga studios is your specialty shop. You can get all kinds of food at the supermarket, but if you’re in the market for a particular cut of beef imported from wherever, the supermarket would not be your first choice. A health club is your supermarket, a yoga studio is that specialty butcher on the other side of town.  In a health club, you have access to all kinds of fitness offerings, from your weight lifting areas, to the cardio machines, and your fitness studio and yoga classes. This allows for health clubs to cater to a wider audience and in turn bring in more people. “So, you have no interest in lifting weights? Allow me to offer you classes instead.” A yoga studio offers primarily a variety of yoga classes with sprinklings of fitness classes like barre or pilates. “So, you're interested in yoga? Great! What type are you interested in? We offer beginner to advanced, Iyengar to vinyasa.” For the newbie, this is where you want to be. Let me use a fitness example. You’ve decided you want to be a mixed martial artist or MMA. Where are going to train for that? To your health club?! Your health club offers kickboxing classes that are choreographed to the beat of some really good music. You taking those skills into the octagon?! OR… are you going to a boxing gym or a martial arts studio to develop your skills because that’s what they do? This is the same approach you should take when starting to practice yoga. Yoga classes at most health clubs are not designed for newbies and mainly offer classes that will attract the most participants, which in most cases are not beginner classes. Health clubs generally offer mainly generalized vinyasa yoga in various forms (power, alignment flow, etc) because at the moment, the masses want vinyasa (a flowing or continuous movement yoga form accompanied by breathing techniques. It’s what the cool kids take.) Also, when beginner classes are offered at health clubs, they are few and far between and at less desirable hours. In comparison, yoga studios offer all levels, at all hours, all the time as well as a variety of yoga styles, giving practitioners the opportunity to choose which form they prefer and allowing for deeper study into that form. What’s most important about beginning and foundational yoga classes, beginners are taught to use props such as blocks and straps and how to modify postures if necessary and learn posture variations which make practicing fun. Once a yoga foundation has been established, in most cases you will be able to take any class (even the ones in the health club), safely. A safe practice is a sustainable practice.

Next on my list is the studio’s vibe. When searching for your yoga home, look for an atmosphere that will get you in the building day after day.  It could be demographics, it could be gender, it could be the price point (yes price point can lead to a vibe) etc. I have tried various studios and the energy is EVERYTHING! I’ve loved the space and hated the teachers. I’ve loved the teacher and hated the students. If you don’t vibe with the space, your practice will suffer which in turn will eventually turn you off to practicing all together. You need to want to walk into that building. Take advantage of studios that offer a free class or week of yoga to try the studio or check out Class Pass or Groupon for deals, travel around and sample a variety of classes and studios and see how you feel during and after the experience. If you like it, that may be your new yoga home.

Lastly, short and sweet, where is your studio? Location, location, location, right? The distance to and from your chosen studio is important. If it feels like work to get there, you’re not going to go there. I’m relatively lazy when it comes to these things. I live in Brooklyn and won’t travel past Chelsea to do most things. Anyone living in the city knows what I’m talking about.  Luckily for me, I have found quality offerings, at most, 30 minutes from my door.

After so many years of practice, I know just how important has been to my overall wellness and regularly encourage everyone I know to start. I am a movement practitioner, and in my late 40s, my primary initiative is to move well for as long as possible. I have no intention to stop lifting heavy things as I find strength sexy as hell. However, I want to move my sexy freely, uninhibited and for many more years to come. Practicing yoga has aided in this endeavour. I hope to see you practicing in your favorite yoga studio soon! Namaste!

Has Too Much Yoga Porn Caused You Performance Anxiety - Flexibility Not Required

A few years ago, I wrote this piece out of frustration from what I saw being represented as yoga. I have grown in my practice since then and have tried to present an image of a nontraditional yogi; one who lifts heavy weights and is muscular, is African American and not particulary flexible as a way to encourage others to practice: hashtag #representationmatters. Yet, on the regular, I am hit with conversations expressing hesitation and fear from those interested in starting a yoga practice but afraid because of the images of super bendy, skinny yoga bodies bombarding their media feeds. For clarity, Yoga is for EVERY BODY and I want to get the word out.

I’ve been practicing yoga consistently for five years, sharing my progress along the way with friends, acquaintances and social media followers. I enjoy practicing, so much so, I invite one and all to come and join me for class, where maybe they will also begin to develop some love for the practice. All too often, I hear the following reasons why they don’t:

"I’m not flexible enough to do yoga.“

"Are they gonna have me doing handstands and stuff?”

“I need to practice before I come to class."

Ummm. Yoga IS the practice and flexibility is NOT a prerequisite.

If you follow yoga accounts, you may see the "yoga superstars”, the super flexible, very thin, and mainly fair skinned, create elaborate geometric shapes with their bodies. What about the ones who have no yoga commitment and use the asanas (yoga postures or poses) for photo ops to primarily to draw followers . There are also those who may already be very flexible for other reasons like dancers, gymnasts or genetics. This has been dubbed “Yoga Porn.”

How many super bendy “yogis” do you see on social media and elsewhere? Just hashtag #yoga. Do these images excite you or cause you distress, bringing out envy or jelousy? For a long time, those images brought out those same negative feelings. As beautiful as some of those photos are, that is not all yoga is. Yoga has 8 limbs and asana is one, (1. Yama - abstinence, 2. Niyama - observance, 3. Asana - posture/poses, 4. Pranayama - breath control, 5. Pratyahara - sense withdrawal, 6. Dharana - concentration, 7. Dhyana - meditation, 8. Samadhi - contemplation, absorption or superconscious state) and is usually the gateway to initiating a yoga practice. However, an over saturation of seemingly impossible asana images have intimidated and scared off potential yoga practitioners.  Very few instructors I’ve practiced with over the years gave history or philosophy on the type of yoga being practiced that day. The ones that had, I followed intently, being the type who lives off the reasons for and history behind why I'm doing what I'm doing. It’s always been helpful to get a little background into the the thing when beginning something new. There are those who really only want to do the physical aspect of yoga, which is cool because there is the benefit of getting stronger physically. Fitness minded people are drawn to the physical. The asanas are very physical and very much seen, often for good or bad.

Like most, I was introduced to yoga through asana. I stood outside of studios and watched instructors until I was comfortable enough to walk in. I stayed because that particular teacher spoke to my spirit and made me feel welcome. I completed classes I didn't feel comfortable in, never walking out, but never going back. Not every teacher is for every student and part of the journey is finding the ones that are right for you, individually. I walked into the studio physically strong from years of weightlifting and cardio that resulted in being tight all over. I was not yoga strong which is a different kind of strength. Once my body became stronger in my practice, my flexibility increased. With consitency of practice came an interest in what else yoga could offer. This is a small part of what comes from committing to a yoga practice. But first, you have to start.

At this point on my journey, I still cannot do a lot of the super flexible postures. So what? I enjoy my practice; every time I see progress in a particularly challenging pose, it let's me know I'm moving forward. I will be able to practice the asana in its full expression when I’m supposed to be able to do them. The truth is some I may never be able to do. That is not what's important.  Part of the journey is the practice. That is the joy of the practice. Everything in its time and there is always somewhere to go. It never ends unless you stop. This is true for everyone. That hyper flexible person you saw on Instagram may have been born that way. Or it that flexibility may have come from years of consistent practice and they are celebrating their journey by posting a picture. What is often not posted are the struggle photos or the before and after progress photos that got them to where they are today. This doesn’t make them better than you are or can be in your personal practice. Because yoga is personal. What someone else can do should not be a deterrent.

We all have someone we know who practices yoga. Ask them questions. Get studio, class and teacher recommendations. Then grab a friend and try it out. This is where your yoga journey begins. The journey is different for everyone. It cannot and should not be compared to another’s and should not be your focus. The concern over possibly being unable to perform something you saw someone else do is real but unwarrented as using yoga props (blocks, bolsters, straps etc.) can get most bodies into most poses. Comparison can lead to an unfulfilled and more than likely, brief yoga practice. 

Here is the point. Yoga is for anyone. Yoga is for everyone. Every type of body. Every gender. Every race. Every age. E-VER-Y-BO-DY. Namaste.