How do you find a yoga instructor?

[midnight armadillo]

My wife needs to take up something that'll help her RELAX...she tried tai chi and hated it, saying it was too slow. Now, to me that sounds like it's just the thing for her, but she feels otherwise :-) So, while I'm confident I could find a good martial arts school, I don't know anything about yoga and am leary of all of the pseudo-Hindu/New Age spirituality crud that seems to surround much of the practice. What makes a good yoga teacher/school? Are there any experienced yogis out there on DU?

[ZenLefty]

1. He's on planet Dagobah

[benburch]

2. What area?

I know people in a few places who are quite good, but have no general advice.

[flamingyouth]

3. Try for one that's been around a while

There are quite a few that have popped up recently - not that the new ones are necessarily bad, but the ones that have been in business, say, since the '70s or '80s, have ridden out any of the trends.

Most schools let you sit in on a class for free, and this is the best way to see if the person is suitable.

I've been taking yoga off and on for about seven years and it really helps my chronic pain. Good luck!

[Shakespeare]

4. Um....yoga IS a very spiritual practice...

And the best instructors out there are the ones who understand this and incorporate it into their classes in a benign kind of way. If you disconnect the spiritual from yoga, it's not yoga anymore.

What area are you in? I can recommend some excellent studios in the LA area (you should probably try to avoid the health club "power yoga" garbage), and you can also find an instructor directory on yoga.com.

Yoga is one of the best things I've ever done for my mind/body, and I highly recommend it. Its benefits go far beyond the physical.

Good luck to your wife in exploring this most rewarding practice!

[midnight armadillo]

9. Boston

Yes, I know yoga's a spiritual practice of course, but there's an element of crap like auras, crystals, and general posturing that's a big turnoff. I did aikido for years, which involves plenty of Zen and Shintoism, but there must be an authenticity to the practice. My teacher was an active Zen Buddhist and wrote a book on Shinto. The problem is that my bullshit meter isn't calibrated for yoga :-) One school nearby talks about 'Brain Respiration'...yeah, that one's off the list.

[Shakespeare]

10. Here are a couple a search on yoga.com turned up...

Chosen at random, because they seem to have a good mix of yoga styles....that's at least a starting place for you. You can do an advanced search on the site (link on home page) to better tailor it to the particular part of Boston you're looking for.

The Yoga Studio
74 Joy Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Barbara Benagh
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, meditation
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced; Staff averages 10+ years teaching experience; various certificates

Dancing Shiva Yoga
297 Newbury St
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Claudette Moussa
[phone]
Children's Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Integral Yoga, Power Yoga (yuck), Vinyasa Yoga
Beginner, Intermediate; $12.00 per class

Back Bay Yoga Studio
1112 Boylston Street 3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02215 Lynne Begier
[phone]
Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Hot Yoga, Power Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Kripalu Yoga
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
http://www.backbayyoga.com

[midnight armadillo]

11. Thanks!!

I did a search on my actual town (just outside of Beantown) and found 13 within 5 miles. I had no idea...anyway, several have web sites and sound pretty interesting, so we'll be checking them out. One teaches Ashtanga style (which sounds intriguing) and is like 5 min away. Thanks!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. Swing a dead cat around your head three times at midnight

in Southern California... let it go. The house it hits, go down seven houses, ring the bell. An instructor is sure to be there.

[Shakespeare]

6. ROFL!

Oh, man...is that ever the truth. Thanks for a great laugh! :-)

[kanrok]

7. Gee, sounds like you don't have to bend over backwards to find one!

on edit: oh-oh....this is my 666th post....scary.

[Sufi Marmot]

8. Do some research into the different types of yoga...

Some are more meditative and restful than others, so some types might be more appropriate for your wife than others - it depends on what benefits she is looking for. I do Iyengar yoga, which is a somewhat active type of yoga that focuses on flexibility and strength through refinement of poses (asanas). I agree with the other respondants that your wife should drop into several different classes to see which one works the best for her. A good yoga instructor will make sure that his/her students aren't injuring themselves by improper practice, and will have a good feel for what the limits of the students capabilities are. Some types of yoga provide an accreditation/certification program for their instructors which mandates a certain amount of training/proficiency.


Some links about different types of yoga...

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

-SM