i took one yoga class *years* ago, and it did me a world of good then. i'd really like to start practicing again, but i'm trapped in a strange new town in isolated rural redneck hell and i have no transportation. the best i'd be able to manage out here is library books, but i'm not sure how helpful that would be because i need to be sure i'm doing the poses right. no VCR, either, so videos are out. i do sun salutations in the morning, but that's all i can remember, and i still think i'm hunching my shoulders too much and i'm not sure if my spine is as straight as it should be. anyone have advice or ideas to get me through this period of isolation?
My best advice is to listen to your body. I feel that I've been very successful in my goals with yoga and qigong, and attibute it to a lack of a set routine. Pay attention and see exactly what makes you feel better, and when it makes you feel better. Eventually you can tell exactly what you need and when you need it. Once you get a basic grasp of how your body can twist, etc, and how that feels good, just do what your body asks for, whether its 10 minutes of light stretching one day or an hour another day. yogabasics.com is a really good website, too, that lists tons of positions. Also, check your PMs.
I got the Iyengar book by the Mehtas with pics and followed it to the letter according to the schedule in the back of the book. If you take Yoga easy then it is healthy but don't follow it like an Olympic sport. Yoga is a way to communicate with your body and give it what it needs to stay limber and the make your flesh comfortable, not necessarily train it to do weird contortions.
