Just started Yoga classes and after a good hard session in the gym it brings light relief to the proceedings, but it seems to be entrenched in woo woo and myth. Do i need to embrace the woo woo or find a more down to earth practitioner?
I never realised my tight hip flexors were due to my negative emotions! this is obviously total twaddle, as according to my wife, i don’t have any emotions.

This is what has put me off trying Yoga and Pelatis, the chanting and associated rubbish.

I never realised my tight hip flexors were due to my negative emotions! this is obviously total twaddle,

Don’t be negative; embrace the twaddle!
Pull your head out yer arse and those flexors will lighten up.

I understand that Astanga yoga concentrates on the practical physical side of it, but is reputed to be quite demanding.

As a yoga teacher myself, I can assure you that not all yoga is full of woo woo. There are as many styles of yoga as there are bike preferences. Some styles are too macho for me. If you ever get a chance to try out some dynamic/Ashtanga or Bikram yoga you might get a mighty good workout…

As a yoga teacher myself, I can assure you that not all yoga is full of woo woo. There are as many styles of yoga as there are bike preferences. Some styles are too macho for me. If you ever get a chance to try out some dynamic/Ashtanga or Bikram yoga you might get a mighty good workout…

@peanut, anyone around Huddersfield/Halifax you could recommend that is light on the chanting?

Don’t be put off sandwicheater, i thoroughly recommend it, no chanting was involved.

Quick google search came up with ‘Halifax Yoga’ who do Baptiste and Vinyasa classes. These are both very strong and demanding styles. Obviously can’t vouch for them personally, but think they would be worth a try.

oh, also Bikram yoga in Halifax…. give this a try and report back…. 😯

Thanks peanut, got to admit, i am enjoying it. Doing it because i am very inflexible, [can’t do tues, thur, fri or weekends]. 😀

Do i need to embrace the woo woo or find a more down to earth practitioner?

Fortunately my yoga instructor keeps the “woo woo” down to a bare minimum although IMO yoga is as much about the mind as it is the body as the two are connected. Of course you can ignore the spiritual element but you’ll probably be missing out on a great deal of benefit. It did not originate purely as a physical workout after all.

I never realised my tight hip flexors were due to my negative emotions!

This does sound like it’s approaching the BS point although of course stress, etc, will manifest itself in the body physically (if that’s what the instructor means). Wouldn’t blame you for wanting to switch instructors though if they started spouting too much nonsense!

This is what has put me off trying Yoga and Pelatis, the chanting and associated rubbish.

Never done any chanting in yoga, and Pilates has no spiritual component at all (it’s a relatively recent invention).

🙄 🙂

There are sports yoga people and there’s no (or very little) woo amongst those IME.

The timing of breathing helps get the most out of Yoga, the chanting too but that you can leave if you are not comfortable. Most of the classes I did where done in silence, the meditative part was one of the most rewarding for me.

OP I haven’t kept it up but one thing I liked about Yoga is you don’t need “stuff” like special kit of a gym etc. You can do sun salutations anywhere, eg after you get up in the morning just do 5 mins then jump in the shower and off to work.

Had my first one on one last night in our kitchen. No chanting was allowed and we listened to Big Up Dub Radio.
If you are in Surrey , Sarf Laandan I can recommend someone.

Been going a class at my local council gym for the last 4 months. Absolutely free of woo woo and such pish, just a really good class. Challenging but also inclusive, if that makes sense. There’s also a good variety of people that go which helps. I’d say try another class if you don’t feel comfortable.

I went to the sauna on Wednesday and there were two women in the stream bath, on the floor doing yoga. No woo woo,but I did see their moo moo.