Yoga at Home for Absolute Beginners!

Benefit of a Home Yoga Practice and a Recommended YouTube Instructor!

I love practicing yoga in the comfort of my home!

This morning, as I was thumbing through the August 2017 edition of the Yoga Journal, I found the editor in chief's interview with yoga instructor Caley Alyssa about the importance of listening to your intuition on and off the yoga mat. 

I was most struck though by Alyssa's response to the question, "What is the biggest lesson you've learned from practicing yoga?"  She replied,

    "Less is more. When you're doing something repetitively, you really can injure yourself.  It's better for me to stay home and do 30 minutes of what my body needs than to go to a big public class and do what someone else is telling me to do when it doesn't feel good in my body that day."

I could not agree more!  That is my philosophy as well - especially for the beginner! I have known a number of people who have suffered injuries in yoga class because they pushed themselves too far, before they were ready, just to keep up with a yoga instructor.

However, the beginner does need to get good instruction in yoga.  I managed to find some excellent books that explained yoga poses step by step in comprehensive detail which enabled me to learn yoga on my own.  And, I wrote my book, Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy Flexibility, and Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day for the beginner for that same purpose.

However, I am NOT a yoga instructor so my advice  here is to keep you motivated to practice at home and share some tips to help you keep your commitment.  And to share resources that I come across to help you maximize your practice.

Last week, a long-time friend stayed with me for several days and she showed me the YouTube videos of a wonderful yoga instructor, Adriene, who was new to me. I have watched a few of her videos and I find Adriene to be down-to-earth, non-intimidating, charming, totally understanding of the challenges a beginner faces in learning yoga, and fun to watch.  She is delightful and authentic! 

By watching Adriene's yoga videos, you can create a beneficial, safe home yoga practice and do yoga at your own pace.   And with your dog by your side! 

Check her out below!

 

 Yours for enjoying a wonderful yoga practice in the comfort of your home!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, yoga at home coach

 

 

 

 

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Yoga at Home: Cute and Helpful Yoga Book for Your Home Practice!

     Consider adding the above yoga book to your library.  It teaches 47 poses you can do at home!

 

I periodically comb the digital "shelves" of Amazon.com for new books that provide guidance to yogis who practice at home. Recently, I discovered Amy Luwis' delightful little tome, Yoga to the Rescue-Ageless Beauty:  How to Keep Yourself Glowingly Beautiful Inside and Out!

I am always into being "ageless" and in looking one's best. This book offers so much more! The title belies the treasure trove of practical information within its covers to enhance your home yoga practice.

I recommend adding this book to your yoga library for  the following reasons:

*  Like my book (yes, a shameless plug for my book!), Amy Luwis writes in an easy-to-follow, and personal way. You FEEL her friendly presence as you read. I eschew yoga books that explain poses in a generic, lifeless, and institutional manner. Amy includes references to her own experiences in the book which makes her feel real to me.

*  Amy begins her book with basic health tips which are excellent adjuncts to a vibrant home yoga practice - dry brushing of your skin, dietary recommendations (adding a Reishi mushroom a day "can help keep the doctor away") and the importance of quality sleep..

*  You will find a wide variety of poses from which to choose - a total of 47 that are organized into 6 different sequences.  Each of the sequences has a different aim-such as practicing yoga to become ageless, achieving serenity, or overcoming pain.

*  Amy shares my philosophy of never pushing yourself through pain and she agrees with my tenet that "slow mo' is the way to go." She says, "Don't blast through yoga poses.. Do them mindfully, gently, and slowly."

*  The illustrations of the yoga poses are cute, non-intimidating, and inviting - highly encouraging for the beginning yogi!  You will find humor infused throughout the book - much welcome levity for the new yogi who may feel tentative about a yoga practice.

*  Amy offers easier options for the more challenging poses so that everyone can benefit even if they are less "athletic" or physically "challenged" in some way.

As you must know from the 8+ years that I have been writing this yoga blog, yoga can indeed come to the rescue for so many of life's challenges.  And, Amy Luwis' book (in addition to my book!!), in my opinion, is one of the best you can find to get your started or to enhance your existing practice.  Go buy yourself a copy today!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Yoga at Home Beginners Coach

 

 

 

 

Self-taught Yoga: Helpful Video to Learn Tree Pose-Another Balance Pose

 As I mentioned a few weeks ago as part of my "yoga spring cleaning," I felt I needed to start learning a few new poses to add to my regime.

Since maintaining balance still challenges me, I felt that I should start incorporating the ygoa "Tree Pose."  I have done it in the past - but not consistently - no reason why - except that maintaining balance is often difficult for me!

I soon found a youtube video on the Tree pose that is pretty good.  Of course, there are many, I did not have time to watch them all.  I like that this video covers the basics in under 3 minutes.  Also, the video presents front and side views and has some arrow graphics to explain the alignment for which you should strive while holding the pose.

What I found lacking is that there's no explanation on exactly how long you should hold the pose or how many repetitions are recommended (although I tend to do most poses only once).  Also, the video is produced by YogaSync TV - no individual instructor is named and from that perspective, it's a bit impersonal. I prefer videos associated with a particular person.

Overall, however, I do find this video to be helpful.  Enjoy.

 

Best wishes for a yoga-filled week!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the yoga at home for beginner's coach

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yoga for Beginners: 96-Year Young Yoga Teacher Tao Porchon-Lynch!

A few weeks ago, I received an email from people representing Tao Porchon-Lynch, the famous 96-year young yoga instructor who has a new book coming out on March 16, 2015.  I wrote a blog post in June 2012 about my wonderful experience in taking a yoga class with this lovely, ageless yoga teacher.  Below are two photos I shared from that class.  I thought they would be worth repeating!

Tao inspires me with her authenticity, her warm-heartedness, her can-do attitude, and her determination to live each day fully.  I also loved what she said in the class - that when she "leaves" this planet - she plans to go "dancing away."  Awesome!  We should all have that attitude instead of assuming that if we live many decades that we will be declining.

 

Tao Porchon-Lynch is one of the warmest and most gracious women I have had the pleasure of meeting.  I took advantage of a photo op with her after one of her inspirational classes in June 2012 in Vienna, VA.

 In the photo below, Tao is giving me some pointers on how to improve a back bend!

 

Watch the heart-warming video below to learn about Tao's amazing life!

And, you can pre-order Tao's new book, Dancing Light, at http://www.thetaoexperience.com/.

 

 

 

 Yours for aspiring to live your life as Tao has for 9+ decades!

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, The Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

  ^TM

 

 

Yoga at Home for Beginners: Nude Yoga Ads Don't Inspire Me- They Irk Me!

Now, although I have been practicing yoga for DECADES, I have never practiced yoga "unclothed."  It just doesn't appeal to me and I don't see what advantages I could gain from it.  I have heard there are groups of yogis out there who enjoy practicing yoga in the "raw." Just don't expect me to follow their lead and execute my daily regime in my birthday suit anytime soon or ever!   

And, it's not because I am a super prude or anything - although maybe I AM a tad inhibited.  But, while I admit that I appreciate the artistic beauty of a toned, ethestically pleasing physique, I have to say that those nude "Toesox" yoga ads that appear far too often in the monthly publication, Yoga Journal,  do NOT inspire me. They irk me!

I am all about presenting the benefits of yoga to the average "real, regular person" and motivating them to practice daily.  Yoga is not just for movie celebrities, athletes, and singers like Madonna and Sting.  For this reason, the Toesox ads that feature an always nude and super-toned, super athletic-appearing and comely yoga instructor Kathryn Budg (with NOT ONE centimeter of excess flesh on her frame!) are off-putting.  They present an instructor doing a complex, advanced pose, that real, regular, klutzy people like me, could never hope to master.  And to add insult to injury, the poses are done nude.

Yes, the ads have an artistic appeal and panache that grab your attention...BUT, if I were a beginner yogi and thumbing through the Yoga Journal for the first time, I would feel that I had an impossible standard to live up to - a perfect body in an pretzel pose.  Really!  I don't believe these ads inspire people to learn - they're just they're for shock value and to take advantage of the cliche that "sex sells."  It just would not sell me on yoga....I would believe that yoga was beyond reach!

And the idea of practicing yoga "sans vetements" (that's French for without clothes) except for socks that grip the floor is absurdity to the max!  I would have included one of the ads here in this blog, but didn't want to risk infringing a copyright.  You can easily find scores of them (I see it now already - the male readers of this blog haven't even finished reading this post because they are already typing these keywords into Google) by typing in "Toesox Kathryn Budig nude ad."  Tell me what you think!  Do they inspire you or anger you?  Or neither?  And, no, I don't want to hear from men telling me how tantalizing they find such ads!  I am addressing solely the perspective of their value as an inspirational and instructional tool.

Yours for practicing gentle yoga with clothes ON,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach

Yoga at Home for Beginners: Musing on Yoga Mats - $870 Gucci Mat for Real?

In the above photo I am doing the tailor pose on my "non-Gucci" yoga mat.  Actually, it's a Gaiam mat I bought several years ago for around $30 - no more than that.  And, it has served me well.  I like the hint of Asian decor it gives my yoga practice.  In my yoga book, Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, & Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day, I discuss the various items you need to equip your home yoga "studio." The mat of course is a central piece.  However, it doesn't mean you need to spend $870 on one!

That, fellow yogi, is the price of a Gucci designer yoga mat!  This afternoon I was on a public speaking skills webinar for work.  The main presenter introduced her theme, "authenticity", by pointing out how commercial yoga has become which belies its very essence and purpose.  One unbelievable (at least for me) example she gave was the recent entry of expensive designer yoga mats by Gucci and Marc Jacobs into the yoga marketplace.

Stunned, I did a quick Google search and quickly found information about the Gucci yoga mat that retails for $870.  Except for celebrities and the super wealthy, who  can possibly plunk down such a chunk of change (can you really call that sum, change?) for such an elite mat?  Worse still, however, is the marketing approach that Gucci takes to sell its $870 mat.

Here is the marketing language verbatim, 

"This ultra-cool mat consists of a big candy bar in the middle and some Hershey kiss looking things around it.  It is very cute and masculine at he same time.  It can be used either by a male or female.  The next time you are going to yoga class, think about purchasing a wonderful mat from G, and make all those around you crave for a candy bar while being completely jealous of your fashion style."

I believe that t is important to invest in a good quality yoga mat to enhance and make the most of your practice, that's certain. However, to promote a designer yoga mat because it will make others jealous of your fashion style is laughable and contradicts the entire purpose of a true yoga practice!

Yoga is not mean to "impress" others but rather to "express" oneness of mind, body, and spirit. This whole concept of a $870 designer yoga mat to make others jealous reflects how commercial and too trendy yoga has gotten in some circles! How sad!  Of course, in your home yoga studio, as long as your mat cushions your body, is visually appealing to you, and lasts several years, that's all that counts!

Yours for buying non-designer reasonably priced yoga mats, 

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

Beginners Yoga: DC Yoga Week & Yoga at Home Book is Now Available!!!!!

May 15-21 is official Yoga week in Washington, DC- when yoga studios and teachers in the area offer yoga classes for free or low cost to encourage more people to get out there and do yoga.   And, it's also the week I officially launch my new book, Yoga at Home: Gain Energy, Flexibility, and Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day!

From conception to birth, this book took me four years to research, write, and edit in my spare time.  A long gestation time but, it's been a labor of love (mostly) and, I admit, frustration at times (computer glitches), and challenges (photo shoots and re-takes, re-takes, re-takes).  I did everything except the art work, cover design, and layout.  So, if you catch a couple of mistakes in the text, I apologize!  I tried to avoid glaring errors.  And, I am sincere when I saw, I poured my love and energy into it.

Anyway, here's why I think you could benefit from reading this book:

Yoga at Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, and Serenity is an inspirational, motivational beginner's guide to becoming slim, supple, and serene with gentle yoga. Feel 25 even if you're 35, 45, 55 or more and look your personal best by studying the ancient, powerful practice of gentle yoga at home. Learn how to create a customized, self-paced 20-30 minute daily yoga regime. Discover creative ways to stay motivated and to keep your practice fresh and fun.

The book is designed for: 1) people who feel intimidated by the pretzel-like yoga poses splashed in yoga magazines and books; 2) individuals who have tried a class and couldn’t keep up with the instructor’s explanations because they require slower paced or more personalized instruction; 3) consummate non-athletes and klutzes like Laura who feel inadequate and embarrassed in classes filled with athletic yogis on either side of their mat who seem to execute the poses with such ease, 4) busy people who don’t have time to commute back and forth to take an hour-long class at the local yoga studio or gym; and 5) individuals who don't have access to yoga classes close to their home.

Yoga is not just for the super flexible, super models, athletes, actresses, or elite.  It's also for YOU!

You can buy it for $12.95 through Amazon.com or  https://www.createspace.com/3493692.

Yours for learning about yoga and starting it right away!

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

The Self-Taught Yogi Klutz

 

 

 

 

Yoga at Home: Book Coming Very soon!

Here are the front and back covers of my soon-to-be self-published yoga book!

Yours for encouraging more people to take up yoga!

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

Yoga at Home: "Beginner (??!)" Yoga video by Master Yoga Teacher Shiva Rea

I started yoga as a teenager because I was getting little exercise as a non-athlete, non-team player at my high school. Consummate klutz you might have called me. I learned yoga from books and this suited me just fine because I could read one instruction, do it, and then read another instruction, and do it, and eventually I mastered an entire pose this way - at my pace.  My teenhood was in the pre-video/DVD era. The only visual instruction I came across was a PBS program by yoga instructor Lilias which I did watch from time to time.

Of course these days, yoga DVDs and instructional youtube yoga videos abound.  Recently, I decided to put myself back in the shoes of a total beginner to see if am more skilled and less klutzy in learning a physical regime than I was decades (and decades...) ago.  I own one beginners yoga DVD (by Deepak Chopra and company) that is quite good and useful for the beginner because of its slow pace and fairly thorough instructions.  However, I don't have any others and started to look onto youtube.  I was once advised by an internet marketing expert to check out the most popular youtube videos in your field to study what makes them so popular.  I decided to check out beginners yoga videos on youtube and selected one that was described as a beginners yoga video by well-known master teacher Shiva Rea because it had about 204,000 hits, the most I had seen during my quick survey of yoga videos.

Shiva Rea is a highly skilled, fit yogi with a beautiful, streamlined physique, no doubt the result of hours of devotion to yoga.  She is amazing to watch as she flows from one pose to the next on a beautiful spot by the ocean. However, there is no way that as a beginner, I could learn yoga from this video.  The swift pace and instructions peppered with Sanskrit terms would have discouraged me right off the bat.  I cannot keep up with them, even right now.  I don't know what the program was labelled as a beginners yoga video.

I still do not grasp how one can watch a yoga video and do a set of poses simultaneously without stopping and starting the film. I get out of sync within the first 10 seconds.  The value of such videos, as an introduction for the beginner, in my opinion, is solely to demonstrate the beauty and sequence of how the poses should be done at their ultimate level.  As a teaching tool for beginners, however, despite the instructor's yoga credentials and physical prowess, such videos miss the mark for me and I would not recommend them as an introduction to yoga.  If you can suggest any easy-to-follow yoga videos/dvds for the beginner, please let me know!

Yours for easy-to-follow yoga instructions,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Yoga at Home: My Yoga at Home Book will be Released Soon!

Above is the cover of the "baby" I have been gestating over the past 3 1/2 years.  It has been a labor of love and work! I am aiming for a February 2011 publication date.  The book is an introduction to yoga practice.  It's a personal account of my experiences with learning yoga as a consummate non-athlete, double-jointed klutz who has enjoyed tremendous results with this 4,000-5,000 year old practice.

I explain in step-by-step detail how to do over 20 poses and show you how to create a head-to-toe workout in the privacy and convenience of your home.  Know anyone who wants to become slender, supple, and serene, and enjoy a boost in energy? Have them check out the book. I have designed it to be a comprehensive and quick read. I share my perspective on the essence of yoga.

Stay posted to learn when it is available on Amazon.com. It's almost party time!

Yours for learning yoga,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez