Cool Yoga Tricks...or?

[akaAnnie]

I've started doing a little yoga, something I started to help with lower back pain and tight hips. I am very inflexible and always have been so yoga(or any stretch)has always been painful and something I carefully avoided. I'm paying for it now. I've been using Rodney Yee's AM yoga for your week, mostly the hip opening segment but I'm slowly venturing into the others. I have to modify quite a bit and I'm not always sure how to best do it or if there is a better way than what I've concocted. I found this book on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Yoga-Tric...ol+yoga+tricks

I did a search here and saw it mentioned a few times-favorably-and in one post I saw that there had been other threads on it but I couldn't find those. It is not a new book(which is fine)but is this still the book for modifying poses or is there something else? I don't know if this book also covers what they mean when they say things like moving certain bones back or some such thing(rooting my tailbone, huh?). I think I'd get more out of it if I understood what they are asking me to do.
I have always disliked yoga (and any stretching)mainly because it is painful, but in the last year I have learned to modify or substitute so I don't push to do it exactly like the instructor and feel like a failure when I fall short. Or fall over, LOL.

[starbelly]

The best way to learn to do postures properly is to take live classes. Iyengar instructors are really great at showing you how to use props (blocks, straps, blankets) to use correct form and not injure yourself. A vinyasa/ ashtanga class would move too fast, but a gentle hatha class might also be a place to learn.

If live classes are not possible, you could try books like http://www.amazon.com/The-Key-Poses-...I1WOMOA94MNHT2 That book shows what the muscles and bones should be doing in a given pose. Sometimes teachers say things like "root your tailbone" to mean that you should tuck the pelvis instead of doing what I used to call a "duck bottom" in poses like Warrior II. "Ground through your feet" generally means to put your weight into your heels. Some instructors will also tell you to rotate your femurs and do things that are very specific which may seem impossible. In time you will develop the body awareness to feel how things move in your own body and you will self-correct.

Congratulations on starting this journey! Falling is part of learning; learn to embrace it since it means that you are pushing to your edge.

[restlessnative]

Just borrowed this one from the library. Would recommend- great reference.
This is the book that describes all the “moving bones back” lingo.
Same author (s) Miriam Austin and Barry Kaplan have another book “yoga for wimps” . Not familiar w this one, but will be soon as I ordered it and awaiting its delivery.

Please do continue your practice. It's not about forcing your body to do what the others are doing. It about feeling good in your body. I am so glad you are persisting. My achy, crick-y, tin man-oil-deprived hips never felt so good ; )

The use of props and knowledge of alternate poses will help you glean the benefits. You should feel challenged- but it shouldn't hurt.

[akaAnnie]

Thanks ! I will look for a used one, I could get the wimps one through interlibrary loan and I'll have to see if the poses one is availalbe as well.

[NoraKate]

I recall really liking Cool Yoga Tricks for modifications.
I'll go find my copy.....

[toaster]

Cool Yoga Tricks is a great book for modifying postures to make them more accessible. I love it, but, in some ones, I think it's for those with a more established yoga practice--for example, she uses a lot of props that you might not already have.

There are books that do a better job of explaining the action in postures as you are describing. One is Judith Lassater's 30 Essential Yoga Poses. This is designed for both teachers and students but is definitely accessible to the latter. It breaks down individual poses in details, shows modifications, and offers advice on how to get deeper into the pose. Another book you might consider is Leslie Kaminoff's Yoga Anatomy. Don't let the "anatomy" in the title fool you; this is another book that is extremely accessible, with many photos explain the action in poses.

Hope this helps!