Starting yoga - should I be worried?

A good teacher will encourage you to sit on a chair until your mobility improves.

What about Tai Chi - it's quite slow and measured but supposed to improve your core strength (I think). Quite a few older people seem to do it and I am thinking of re-joining a class as I haven't been for years and I found yoga made my joints more painful when I re-started doing that after a break of a few years.

Well, I feel really bad now as I messaged the teacher last night explaining I found the floor exercises very uncomfortable and would not be signing up. She is a lovely lady and asked if there was anything she could do to make it easier for me. There isn't really. TBH I felt a right wally as the other class members were either yummy mummies or gym bunnies and none of them had trouble sitting on the floor or getting up from it. I understand that yoga is not competitive and one should focus on oneself but there is a limit!

I think they used to do yoga classes for older people near me but unfortunately the teacher has retired now. At the class I used to go to before we moved here are some very elderly ladies still going, one in her 90s. I think doing it weekly for years is fine, but perhaps that class sounds rather strenuous for a beginner NotTooOld. Years ago when I was a young mum I went to classes which were extremely strenuous but I couldn't do that now.

Don't feel bad about it - it's the wrong class for you and the teacher should realise that.

That's a real shame NotTooOld. Why not ask if you can do another couple of classes on a pay as you go basis rather than commit to the full run? Then make up your mind. I wouldn't be without my yoga - it keeps me supple and sane. And with 2 damaged wrists and a dodgy retina (nothing on my head lol!) there are lots of postures and moves I cannot do. Don't compete with the others. After a while you will notice a huge difference!

Poll and Jalima - thanks for the encouragement. I really didn't like being the only one who couldn't do stuff and I'm not a shy, easily embarrassed type. I wish I'd started yoga years ago as I can see there are big benefits.

NotTooOld I have just started Pilates, I have difficulty getting on to the floor & getting back up but I tried & will hopefully continue as I hope with time I will build up strength, improve mobility & improve balance. Luckily there were only 4 of us (new class) so Tutor had more time to almost one to one.

If you play badminton, which requires fast reflexes of hands and feet, then I'd say that you'll settle into yoga very well. Starting with easy stretching movements will help your knees and other joints to become more flexible over time. It can only be a positive as it's very relaxing. Enjoy and tell us how you get on.

Nottooold keep going! I have done yoga for over thirty years and it is so beneficial. My husband started two years and I am amazed how quickly he has improved. He was very stiff when he first started. If you have a good teacher, she will never push you and will take into account where you are now in terms of fitness. Slowly slowly you will start to stretch more and become more flexible. In six months time you will look back and be proud of yourself and hopefully be a lot more bendy!

NTO you have been to the wrong class. Your teacher seems really good and helpful to give you alternatives for postures but the problem is with you because you don't feel comfortable not being able to do what others in the class can do. If you live in a large town or city you should be able to find a class which will suit you. Yoga is not competitive - if you can find the right class you will be so focussed on your own practice you won't even notice what others can or can't do. Do keep trying but find the right class as well.

NotTooOld I haven't even joined the class I used to go to (it is quite a distance away now) as I probably couldn't keep up with the 90 year old now.

Is there a class in your area which caters for older beginners? Does the U3A do one?
And make sure you are warm before you do any movements.

It can only be a positive as it's very relaxing.
When I was in my 30s the class I joined was very relaxing - stretching, gentle movements then meditation.
Then the teacher was ill and another one took over and it was a real workout which even the fittest of us found difficult.

NannyC2 Yoga is not about religion, it is entwined with Buddhism which teaches the same philosophy as in the Christian faith, which is to be a good kind person, to think of others before yourself, to non-harm including animals and so on. They do not worship a God.

Yoga teaches that you need to start with a healthy body and that in turn will lead to a healthy mind.

As others have said NTO you are in the wrong class, find another that suits you. I do gentle yoga and a more dynamic yoga, but my students follow me to each class as they know that even in my more dynamic classes, I above all emphasize reading your body, leaving out anything not for you and of course I know my regular students well, so know their limitation and would tell them not to do this asana then give them an alternative or give them a variation of an asana [posture] that they can do more easily.

I have made very good friends with my yoga students, some have been with me for more than 15yrs. We have meals together, socialise together, holidays together and they always get an invite to any party I may have at home and vice versa.

What a very odd post NannyC2

I’ve practised yoga for many years, had many different teachers and attended many different classes. Never has there been any suggestion that there is a religious element to it. Spiritual perhaps, religious not.

And is there any such thing as a false god?

I really enjoyed trying yoga at my local Carers' Group, but since I had an elbow replacement, I can't straighten my right arm at all and suffer serious pain. Also my balance is abysmal (fell off a Wii board the first time I tried it!) Round here no Yoga for Beginners classes at all, which is a shame, but considering Tai Chi as a good starting equivalent. Enjoy!

OldMeg I seem to remember years ago one C of E vicar refused to allow the yoga class to meet in the church hall - does anyone else remember that?
At the end of the first yoga classes I went to, the teacher would light a candle and we would all sit round crosslegged and meditate.
I found it very soothing.

Jalima Yes I do remember church halls were off limits to yogis. I'm a Christian, so cannot fathom it!

Sorry about your elbow sky Tai Chi is good too, I did it for a few years, using a big fan and a sword, it was great, the Master died, so the class folded. I do incorporate a little Tai Chi into my gentle yoga for our warm up.

A friend in her 90s does ‘just’ (as she says) 20 minutes yoga each morning including a headstand. Then she has a cold bath. She also makes a point of going out each day.

Thank you for all your interesting comments. I can see now that although this was a beginners class it was not the right one for me, too many yummy mummies and gym bunnies. I shall keep a look out for a more suitable one or perhaps a beginners Tai Chi as I imagine there is not much floor work in that? Might suit me better.

Have you tried Pilates? I prefer it to yoga, as less stress on the joints, lots of different levels, with the emphasis on building up core strength and stability.

Please don't dismiss Yoga based on one class that didn't suit. There are so many different styles and teachers out there, the benefits of Yoga on the body and mind are so amazing. If the class is correctly run it will be nurturing and reassuring, and no other class member should be watching or judging you, they should be all focused on their own body, movement and breath. Anything new is going to be strange and of course you will be self-conscious because it is new and out of your comfort zone. May I suggest that you look for a beginners Hatha Yoga class and one that has only a few attendees, so that the teacher is always on hand to assist. Even find a teacher who would be willing to offer you a personal assessment so that she/he can advise how you can adjust or use props to ease into poses - I could go on and on here but ... hope you do try again

NTO Tai Chi (as far as I know) doesn't include any floor exercises.
Lucky girl - I went back to Yoga after a 30 year lapse. I was very stiff and pre knee replacement. I couldn't do a great deal but the other people were at various stages so it didn't matter. When I needed to get up from the floor I crawled to the nearest chair.
I loved Pilates and found it helpful but the room was so small that all 6 of us were almost touching and the instructor often seemed flustered. I left after I had leg cramp at the end of a session and she was only worried about the next class being due to come in. No advice or concern for me. I felt like a stranded whale. Fairly expensive class too.

Sorry that the class didn't work out - but please don't give up, I'm sure that if you look around you will find a class more suited to you.

I did a class last year for people with disabilities and health issues. I was very good and the leader was also a qualified physiotherapist. I am disabled and cannot get onto or up from the floor so I did some exercises in a chair and others on a platform.

If you want to try out at home there are also dvds - including "chair yoga"

I attend a Pilates class with a maximum of 6 in a class and where everyone has their own programme according to ability and needs - of which I currently have many!
Like yoga I would imagine [I tried one class and it didn't suit me] it depends very much on the quality of instruction and the knowledge of the instructor. Our teacher is an injuries specialist and our exercises are documented and increased / decreased accordingly.
I'd never try exercising at home from a DVD now I'm older - it's so easy to get something wrong but if you find an exercise class that you enjoy, feel is beneficial and doesn't hurt [aching can be OK - it depends on the person] then go for it.

No, don't be worried. Start slowly and you will soon get used to it.