Anyone out there do Yoga or have experience of it.

I’ve had neck and shoulder problems for several years now following a motorbike accident, I’ve been told Yoga might help. Does it work? What improvements do people get by doing Yoga?

Also do you need to go to a class or is it possible to do it properly with the aid of some You Tube vids and DVDs?

Yoga can increase flexibility and strength, but given your problems you might want to seek expert advice. You’ll probably learn the techniques much better at a class than with a DVD.

This is quite good: Yoga for Cyclists DVD

I do yoga, it’s great – excellent for flexibility and core strength/ stability. Complements cycling – and of course other sports, really well. There are lots of different types of yoga – I do ashtanga/ power stretch which is more dynamic cause that suits me.

Will it help – depends, too many variables to call, but potentially yes.

Find a good teacher by recommendation and go to a class, consistently so you understand what to do and why. It’s amazing how different things feel when someone ‘adjusts’ you into position. Once you get the hang of it, self practice then makes more sense.

Give it a go, if you don’t like it nothing lost. HTHs 🙂

My Yoga teacher has had a back and knee op in the last year 😕

because we westerners can struggle with the philosophy, many classes are akin to aerobics. i.e. too fast and vigourous. Yoga is as much about breathing as it is about anything else. You relax the body with the breath and this allows you to move deeper into poses. It is a wonderful practice and I can’t recommend it enough. In my experience, it helps your entire being, physical/emotional the lot. It also fixed my back. and my mums back. It took me about 6 months before I understood its not about competitively forcing yourself into the splits. Its about letting go. Then I really started progressing.

I used to go to a class, but now just do it at home. I recommend you attend a class for the first year at least. Some classes are pants, find a good one.

My other half does yoga.

Involves lots of strength and stretching training, which sound a good approach to general muscular and skeletal health (though I’ve heard some modern approaches would disapprove of some poses).

It also involves being told your body is full of little wheels that you have to make spin the right way or your qi falls off or something. which is, frankly, complete woo.

Go for a yoga class, get a yoga DVD or get any other how-to on basic yoga positions. Yoga can really benefits your body till much later in life.