4 ms·

Any tips to someone who just got interested enough to give it a try?

inovica 18y ago
Sure. Read up a bit on the different types of yoga firstly (if you want to do this too - I'd strongly suggest it). I went for Hatha yoga which is very gentle and feels just like stretching and breathing first. The instructor started us off with basic breathing exercises first and then took us more into meditation. I now have an instructor who comes to my house and the 1-on-1 makes a big difference. It took some time to really "get it" (about 6 months) but once I did and I could see and feel the benefits it made me more passionate. Whatever you do, don't start yoga without an instructor - ie DVDs. They are a good tool but only (in my opinion) in conjunction with an instructor until you are more advanced. For meditation, I think you could start this without an instructor, though it would help to accelerate the learning. Finally, remember that there's no competition - you are doing it for you and as long as you improve thats the main thing. Feel free to contact me outside of here if you wish
webnrrd2k 18y ago
I found Shiunzen Young (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young) to be a very good instructor. I've been to two of his retreats, and he does a great job of putting technical Buddhist terminology into Western terms. He used to teach Math and Religious studies at a J.C/University in Southern California, so he has a very approachable "western-academic" style. A good source for Buddhist teachings is the KPFK archives (http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/ http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/). Search for "Something's Hapenning". Thursday Night is the night they usually play meditation and spiritual stuff. Be warned: some of it is really good, but a lot of it is extremely hokey. Also, Sounds True (http://www.soundstrue.com/ http://www.soundstrue.com/) has some really good teachers (as well a a few charlatans, too).

Sure. Read up a bit on the different types of yoga firstly (if you want to do this too - I'd strongly suggest it). I went for Hatha yoga which is very gentle and feels just like stretching and breathing first. The instructor started us off with basic breathing exercises first and then took us more into meditation. I now have an instructor who comes to my house and the 1-on-1 makes a big difference. It took some time to really "get it" (about 6 months) but once I did and I could see and feel the benefits it made me more passionate. Whatever you do, don't start yoga without an instructor - ie DVDs. They are a good tool but only (in my opinion) in conjunction with an instructor until you are more advanced. For meditation, I think you could start this without an instructor, though it would help to accelerate the learning. Finally, remember that there's no competition - you are doing it for you and as long as you improve thats the main thing. Feel free to contact me outside of here if you wish

webnrrd2k 18y ago

I found Shiunzen Young (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young) to be a very good instructor. I've been to two of his retreats, and he does a great job of putting technical Buddhist terminology into Western terms. He used to teach Math and Religious studies at a J.C/University in Southern California, so he has a very approachable "western-academic" style. A good source for Buddhist teachings is the KPFK archives (http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/ http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/). Search for "Something's Hapenning". Thursday Night is the night they usually play meditation and spiritual stuff. Be warned: some of it is really good, but a lot of it is extremely hokey. Also, Sounds True (http://www.soundstrue.com/ http://www.soundstrue.com/) has some really good teachers (as well a a few charlatans, too).