I’m quite flexible, but it seems I can’t hold certain poses for a substantial length of time – like, say, Warrior 2 … Any helpful suggestions will be appreciated. THANKS!

with warriors particularly it is down to strength in the legs, and grounding. often people who are flexible are lacking in strength, and vice versa.

best thing to do would be to try and build up gradually, hold a little longer each time (measure the length of time by the number of breaths). it will come with practice.

also be aware on the contact between your feet and the floor, whilst you are in postures, imagine your feet being firmly rooted to the floor, and explore that connection.

I’m quite flexible, but it seems I can’t hold certain poses for a substantial length of time – like, say, Warrior 2 … Any helpful suggestions will be appreciated. THANKS!

with warriors particularly it is down to strength in the legs, and grounding. often people who are flexible are lacking in strength, and vice versa.

best thing to do would be to try and build up gradually, hold a little longer each time (measure the length of time by the number of breaths). it will come with practice.

also be aware on the contact between your feet and the floor, whilst you are in postures, imagine your feet being firmly rooted to the floor, and explore that connection.

I’m 14 and want to start doing yoga. But not like extreme yoga(if theres such a thing?) but just something to do after school to relax me and help me get some form of physical activity.

I work for a health video website called http://icyou.com- we have lots of free yoga videos. One of our users named Tara Stiles is a celebrity yoga instructor- she has created a number of instructional yoga videos designed for beginners that you might like, below are the links to a few.

First, here is a couple she did that show you how to do some of the basic poses- these will help you with your yoga routine or you can create your own with just these poses:
Up Dog pose: http://icyou.com/topics/diseases-conditions/yoga-beginners-dog-mike+
Down Dog Pose: http://icyou.com/topics/diseases-conditions/yoga-beginners-down-dog-mike+
Handstand: http://icyou.com/topics/diseases-conditions/yoga-beginners-hand-stand-mike-taylor+

Here are 2 yoga routines that Tara created for beginners- the second one is my favorite, I do it once or twice a week:

http://icyou.com/topics/health-wellness/fitness-exercise/yoga-absolute-beginners-try+-0

http://icyou.com/topics/diseases-conditions/weight-loss-yoga-challenge-beginners+

If you like those yoga routines, she has many more you can try. You can see all her videos here: http://icyou.com/user/3107

Hope this helps!

I just started yoga, but whenever I try to roll up or down, or anything involving my bum on the ground, my tailbone digs into the ground and is very painful. Am I missing something?? I am definitely not bony…. I’m a good size 12.

Try making a softer surface, maybe 2 mats or a mat on a blanket. If that doesn’t work, then don’t roll.

How many poses involve doing that? I’ve been taking yoga for a few years and can only think of a couple moves that might hurt that way and they’re not really yoga positions, just transitions.

Ask your instructor for alternate ways of doing the asanas that hurt or just do something else for those moments.

Our yoga practice is done in a manner that is respectful to our body. You shouldn’t try to push past your limits. In the end you’ll get more benefit out of a gentle practice than one that leaves you sore the next day.

I always walk with my head down low, pretty much always have. Would like to have good posture, and not become a hunchback. I really need some good exercises or yoga to get my posture to how it should be.
what article are you talking about, Helen?

Standing is one of the important and beneficial yoga poses. This pose is helpful in aligning your body and your feet. It is also very useful in improving and maintaining a good posture. It is an advantage because if you have a bad posture, your backbones can be stretched and straightened without noticing it. Standing poses helps in giving strength to your legs and at the same time increase elasticity in your legs and hips because they are all connected to each other.

I’m starting ballet at the end of the summer. I’m about as flexible as a stick. I love yoga, but I need something easy to start out with. Thanks for the help

To gain flexibility you have to not only stretch but strengthen also… it takes quite a bit of physical strength to bend and extend in a calculated and controlled manner. Make sure you balance your yoga and ballet with some palates and you will be very happy with the results.