Namaste

[RubberRob]

my name is Robert and i'm 3 months new to Ashtanga yoga.

i jog as well and was hoping to get some flexibility with yoga. i picked Ashtanga as my wife wanted to start this style and we've started together.

i'm still very tight all over, but i have seen some improvement.

how long has everyone else been doing yoga?

[YogaBabe]

Namaste Rob! So glad to meet you

I've been practicing yoga for 6 months, so I'm rather new too.

[shahalad]

I came back to Ashtanga about four months ago after a year of trying other styles. I believe that it's the only form that hasn't been co-opted by Western culture (yet).

[YogaBabe]

Hi shahalad, what other styles did you try?

I'm considering trying Iyenger. The precision in asanas is what's attracting me. I doubt I'd ever leave Ashtanga, but I would like to explore other paths to enhance my experience with Ashtanga.

[Tamar]

namaste rubberrob! cute name

[shahalad]

Namaste, Yogababe. I've tried Iyengar, Kundalini, Vinyasa (out of sequence Ashtanga with music) and (what was I thinking?) so-called "Power" Yoga.

Iyengar is okay. In fact, I recommend that a brand newbie start with Iyengar instead of Ashtanga. I found the emphasis on proper alignment very useful. But I'm not one for using props. I believe that if I'm not flexible enough to get into a full asana on my own; then I'm not ready to do that one yet. I'll stay with the modification until my body's ready.

[YogaBabe]

Wow that's quite a few styles and paths you've tried! lol @ "Power" yoga... I know what you mean.

Actually I was a brand newbie to yoga and started with Ashtanga and I didn't have a problem physically, but now that I'm more into my practice, I wanted to focus more on alignment on the asanas.

I'm with you with the use of props, if I can't do the full asana on my own it means my body isn't ready. I also think that props makes a practitioner lazy in the sense that he/she doesn't push further into the asana.