No yoga for me.

[mr potatohead]

What do you think about THIS, Henry?

....   “It generally takes one to two years of consistent practice until the muscle tightness has been released from the body,” she said. “Interestingly, this is often when yogis start getting injured. Why? There is a cultural push to make the poses harder or more photogenic.”  .....

I went to yoga a few times. The last time was when the 'instructor' came over and tried to push my body into what they considered to be "correct" posture after I was already comfortable, happy and feeling good with what I was doing. It was obvious to me that they had no clue what they were doing. 

[trog]

I go through phases of doing yoga; an off phase at the mo. All the teachers have said to work to your edge. They will guide the alignment. Same as with ballet. Dancers all strive for perfect turnout, which only the few can get. We tickle the turnout but never force it. In the 18th & 19th century there were devices to force dancers turnout; very horrific!

[mr potatohead]

Apr 21, 2019 10:22:12 GMT @thinman said:

.....  You only went to Yoga a few times but somehow are an expert to say your teacher had no clue. .....

I'm no more expert than you or trog about yoga, but, yes, I'm the best expert available on what my body feels.  
The instructor was physically pushing me beyond my "edge". So, you both agree with me. They had no clue. Thanks. 

So, Henry and trog, what do you think of the article in the link?

[Life Advice]

If you stretch it too far it will break.

[mr potatohead]

Thanks Henry. That's why I asked you, since you're more of an expert than I.

[mr potatohead]

HERE is a link to an interesting article. It seems no one really knows what proper, original yoga is. This is why I see no validity to an instructor telling someone that if they don't contort their body in a specific way, they aren't doing yoga correctly. That instructor, trying to physically manipulate my body after I was already comfortable, confirmed that most yoga contortions aren't for me any more than any other physical stunt performance. That experience was the opposite of what I experience with Qigong.

I wonder if there may be some advantages to mechanical body muscular/skeletal/tendon-attachment features that facilitate body contortions too, as Chandu has posted elsewhere about the multitude of differences in bone lengths, muscle attachment points, etc from person to person. I think some people are built to be good at certain exercises and there is only so much an individual can do to emulate those who have the body structure that allows them to excel.
I'll stick with exercise that I enjoy, exercise that I can do without pain or strain and that feels good when I do it and after I'm done. The one I like is Inudachi which is transitions from Downward Dog to Cobra, back and forth with pauses. I know my form may not be what an instructor would judge as "perfect" in their world, but it feels good to me, so I don't care. That's the only thing I do that I would consider to be yoga-like.

[CaptainKronos]

I don't recommend any inverted poses for people with high blood pressure. I am not a fan of physical yoga, but I am a fan of the philosophical aspects of yoga. I'm not sure how it became so feminized in the U.S., but I am in favor of those little black yoga pants they wear.

[justregularguy]

I don't think much of yoga. If you wanna be super flexible if that's your goal or you purely enjoy training with your yoga community and being with people then go for it.

But I don't see the need of being super flexible. I think basic stretches are more than enough. I would rather spend my time getting actually stronger or increasing my endurance than working towards awkward positions just for the sake of it.

[pierinifitness]

The fitness program has got to match my personality so no yoga for me.