Intro to Yoga

Health and Wellness

by Marcia Scredon

May 2, 2008

It wasn’t easy just a few years ago to find certified yoga instructors in metro Atlanta. Today there are many good choices, and teachers of all teaching styles are well represented. In fact, when you hear people discuss the various types of yoga – “hot” yoga, Ashtanga, Kundalini – it’s easy to be confused. The question is no longer where can I find a teacher, but which one offers what I need.

Below are some basic questions and answers for someone trying
to navigate the yoga minefield.

Q: How do I find a qualified teacher?
A: Look for a Yoga Alliance credentialed teacher who has had a minimum of 200 hours of training by an accredited school. Find out how long he or she has been teaching and how many classes are taught weekly to get an idea of their level of experience. Look for a teacher who is kind and supportive. Don’t stay in any situation where you feel intimidated by the teacher.

Q: What kind of yoga is right for me?
A: Some styles of yoga offer more physical challenge and some offer a more moderate or therapeutic approach. Some styles ask you to chant or meditate, and others emphasize extreme heat, vigorous breath work, or precision. The important thing is to like the style you choose and to feel comfortable with the teacher. Remember, you don’t have to be able to do the postures when you start, but do choose an intensity level that makes sense for your age, health and fitness goals. There is a level of yoga for everyone.

Q: So how does yoga work?
A: All of the numerous styles of yoga share three fundamental practices: the cultivation of awareness, conscious breathing and relaxation. We practice yoga to awaken the latent intelligence within the body and brain, not just to acquire knowledge and physical capacity. As you explore the different postures, you will find your range of motion being extended and challenged not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally. Not only will you strengthen, tone and fine-tune the body through yoga, but you will actually appreciate the lessons your weaknesses will reveal.

Q: Are there additional physical and mental benefits?
A: Yoga offers tools to help achieve health and happiness. The biochemical changes that accompany muscular effort, changes in the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance through patterns of breathing, and the amount of time spent in a stretch or hold all contribute to our evolving self. Combine yoga with the chemical contribution of a plant-based diet and perhaps throw in a few other positive lifestyle changes, and you will begin to feel the changes.

Q: What is the difference between yoga and Pilates?
A: Pilates is a form of physical exercise incorporating ballet and yoga stretches to strengthen the core muscles and tone the physical body. It was developed by a man named Joseph Pilates in the 1920s to
help injured ballet dancers. It is a great form of body awareness, but it is not a spiritual tradition.

No one knows exactly when the yoga tradition began, but it was already considered ancient when the Bhagavad-Gita, the most well-known of the yoga scriptures, was composed 2,500 years ago. The earliest references to yoga have been found in the Vedas, the foundational text of India’s religious and philosophical practices.

DVD recommendations
A person who has never taken a yoga class should not rely on DVDs. The DVD can’t correct your alignment mistakes or modify postures to your personal needs, or give you the group energy of a
live, yoga class. If you are watching the television to figure out where to put everything, your inward focus is seriously compromised just when you are trying to learn how to develop it.

However, a DVD can help supplement your practice when you can’t make it to a living, breathing class. Here are my top recommendations, from the easiest to the most challenging.

Yoga 101 Workout by Lilias Folan
Kripalu Yoga Gentle by Sudha Lundeen
Yoga for Every Body by J.J. Gormley
Essential Flow Yoga for Everyone by Barbara Benaugh
Backyard Series: Beginning Yoga by Erich Schiffmann
Yoga for Longevity by Rod Stryker
Inner Body Flow by Angela Farmer
Yin & Vinyasa Yoga by Sarah Powers
Uniting Movement & Breath by Seane Corn
The Body & Beyond by Seane Corn

Marcia Scredon’s yoga studio is in south Gwinnett County. She holds certifications in Integrative Yoga Therapy and also Classical Hatha Yoga. In addition, she regularly trains with a variety of nationally respected Vinyasa and Kudalini master teachers.