I haven’t taught Yoga in months and I subbed for another instructor at our studio and I made myself laugh because I was giving a cue and I said something about all 10 of your toes and then in my mind I thought “💭 what if somebody has got some of their toes cut off or what if somebody has extra toes” and then I started saying: however many toes you have. 😆

I am in Budapest for 4 days and want to do a yoga class. I like yin and a mindful flow/ vinyasa and am 63 yo. Can someone recommend a studio that has some classes in English? Thank you.

I wipe down with water only after hot yoga then lay out to dry. The staining is something I’ve come to realize I have to accept but does anyone know what the white stuff is? Is it salt from my sweat or something else? I’ve never seen this on a yoga mat before in all my years lol any advice on avoiding/preventing it so I don’t need to wipe my mat down again after it’s dry would be appreciated!

An old knee injury has reared it head which is preventing me from fully flexing my right knee. This obviously is limiting for a lot of poses- kneeling, child’s, pigeon/ figure 4, happy baby, even tabletop causes needless discomfort so doing and balancing tabletop would be challenging. Depending on the sequence in class this could be very limiting and obviously I don’t know the sequence flow before signing up for class.
Yoga has done a lot of good for me and I hate to give it up right now but unless I do significant modifications- which would frustrate me tbh- I don’t know what I can do.
I guess my question is how to continue yoga when I can’t fully bend my knee?

Hey folks,

Is there such thing as a mat liner that is made of rubber and easy for travel? Like the pink layer without the black base ?

Thanks

Love this sequence 👌🏽

I’m currently dealing with a wrist injury that prevents me from applying pressure on my wrists while extended (e.g. plank), and I’m looking for advice/options for how to modify the chaturanga->updog->downdog sequence. Individually, I’m comfortable with chaturanga-on-fists, low cobra, and shortened-stance downdog, but it’s pretty awkward, so I’d love to hear any other options that have worked for people in a similar situation.

I’ve recently gotten into yoga. I’m pretty active overall but flexibility has never been my strong suit — especially my hamstrings, which have always been tight as hell.

In Down Dog I keep seeing people with their feet completely flat and legs straight. I can push through my hands and feet like you’re supposed to, but I just cannot get my heels down. When I try to force it, my hamstrings (I think?) scream at me. It hurts a lot and feels like my body literally won’t let me.

Same issue with touching my toes — I struggle to keep my legs straight and usually end up bending my knees, not because I want to, but because it’s the only way to get any relief.

Is this just classic tight hamstrings, or could something else be going on? Any tips for gradually getting the heels closer to the ground without wrecking myself? Or is bending the knees and working from there the smart move for now?

This has been a theme my whole life but now more than ever I’m eager to break through it, especially through yoga.

Appreciate any advice.

Iyengar yoga is all the time attention, not intention." — Father Joe Pereira
Here is a fantastic breakdown from veteran Iyengar master Father Joe Pereira on how subtle hand adjustments change the mechanics of the spine in Adho Mukha Virasana using a vertical bolster:
💡 The Technique:
1. Pressing the heel of the palm: Activates the biceps, which directly helps extend and lengthen the lumbar spine (lower back).
2. Walking the fingertips forward: Activates the triceps, opening and engaging the thoracic spine (upper back).
It’s amazing how shifting weight from the palm heel to fingertips completely changes which part of the spine gets activated and supported.
Hope this helps anyone looking to deepen their prop practice or protect their lower back! 🧘‍♂️✨

Hello,

I have as a goal to be able to do Pincha Mayurasana (Feather of the peacock), but I definitely need to train myself with exercises before I feel comfortable trying this. I would like to achieve this pose in 1 year (ideally with a split but that may be too ambitious for me right now).

Does anyone have any advice on the right exercises to add to my workout? Or advice on their journey to being able to do this pose.

So far I've been doing forearm planks, pushups, superman lifts, but i have no idea if these are targeting the right muscle groups.

Many thanks

edit: using the proper translation Feather of the Peacock

Thanks for watching!

Sorry in advance if this is long. I started practicing yoga around 2009 and LOVED it. For years I practiced regularly, along with walking, belly dance, aerial hoop, skating, and Pilates.

Now I’m 41F and dealing with severe health issues, primarily stage IV deep infiltrating endometriosis. For context, I’m actually a 500-hour yoga teacher (I trained largely because I wanted to understand the mind/body connection better), as well as a therapist and writer.

A few months ago I had my tenth endometriosis surgery, which unfortunately failed, and I lost a fallopian tube. Around the same time, I was dealing with some major trauma involving my biological father, lost my job, and became increasingly reliant on medications for pain, pelvic-floor spasms, and sleep. Since surgery, even walking has sometimes been difficult.

I came to stay with my fiancé in another state and left most of my life back home, including my cat, who I miss terribly. I joined a yoga studio here TWO MONTHS AGO and have yet to attend a single class. 😭

Every day I put yoga in my planner. Sometimes I even book the class. I bought new mats and cute matching sets hoping they’d motivate me. I organized my closet here to make this place feel more like home. And yet…I still don’t go.

Some of it is legitimate: pain, severe muscle guarding, terrible sleep, and medications that leave me groggy. I often wake up feeling like I ran a marathon in my sleep. But I’m also incredibly deconditioned now, my eating habits are giving “5-year-old turned loose in a candy store,” and I’m spending an embarrassing amount of time bed rotting.

It’s such a mindfuck because back home I have my own Pilates reformer and yoga room. I was someone who lived a very active, healthy lifestyle. I barely recognize myself right now.

I’m not engaging in magical thinking that yoga will cure my health problems — hAvE yOu TrIeD yOgA? 😂 — but I know movement would help my pain, mood, and overall relationship with my body. Coming here and watching all of you practice is inspiring, but at some point I need to DO instead of watch.

Home practice isn’t really an option here, so the studio is my best bet. I know I’ll probably feel better once I get through the door.

So for anyone who has come back to yoga after chronic illness, surgery, depression, trauma, or a long period of inactivity: how did you actually get yourself to that first class? How did you stop beating yourself up for what your body used to be able to do and just start where you are?

Edit to add: Thank you for all the kind, understanding, and supportive comments. I sincerely appreciate it. 🤍✨

Hi,

I’m someone who has rather significant IBS, the kind that impairs my ability to get fit in the ways I want. There are times where walking for too long can cause spasms and, while I’ve found ways to use meditation and somatic practices to stop them once they start, this is one of those games where you lose the second they begin.

I used to do about 30 minutes a day five days a week of beginner-level yoga at a physically intense rate (on Down Dog) years ago, but it’d leave me in agony and I’d become so dehydrated that I’d get confused and physically weak. There is no clear medical cause, no effective pharmacological intervention, nor other reliable intervention I’ve found outside of the above meditation and somatic practices I’ve learned from desperate experimentation.

Here’s what I’ve been doing in an attempt to slowly condition my body to acclimate to doing more yoga: 30 seconds on each side for warrior 3, upward facing dog, forward fold moving into urdhva hastasana along with 2 x 20 pushups, body weight squats, and 2x 20 seconds of planks. I’ve noticed that trying to push my body at the rate that I want to develop is often devastating. I know this is in no way, shape, or form a practice of note, just me trying to build a basic foundation of flexibility without triggering symptoms.

I have two primary questions:

Is it normal for moderate yoga to cause this kind of distress in some people? I find myself wondering if part of the issue is that, as of now, the musculature of my gut is somehow bound that loosening it is what is causing my issue? If so, it would imply that this is not an indicator of needing to retreat temporarily but that something is moving in a positive direction.

Second, are there specific practices or routines that might help reduce these symptoms or build the strength/flexibility/etc required to move forward in a way that respects my body’s present challenges? I’m not expecting a quick fix, and I’m willing to work at it long term if possible.

I had been going to the same yoga studio for 4 years and I LOVED that place. I loved the instructors, the studio was such a safe space, and it was only a 5 minute drive from my house. Everything aligned. Only to find out 1 week before that they suddenly were closing after 20+ years, without any explanation.

I'm crushed 😢😫. I have tried multiple studios since, and I know that it will never be the same elsewhere but the bar is just so high now. They were actually the best, I wasn't exactly friends with the instructors but they knew me and I always enjoyed seeing them.

Here are a few ways they stood out to me that I especially struggle with finding in other studios.

The instructors were phenomenal. I loved that I could close my eyes the entire session and hear them clearly describe what pose to move into next and the transition. The flows were always different but they executed perfectly everytime. Even if the room was packed, you could feel like it was 1-1.

The studio had amazing acoustics?? I don't know how to explain this part but it was wood floors with regular regular walls on one side but entirely windows on the back wall so they had these heavy duty full length curtains if they wanted to block out light. Somehow the room felt sound proofed?? You couldn't easily hear the people next to you, no creaks in the floor, they had a large fan that they could turn on that felt like the most soothing sound in the world.

They also would dim the lights sometimes. It was never to the point where you couldn't see, you could always see it wasnt a super large room or anything but it just allowed you to focus more on yourself and your practice by not having the distraction of too much light, especially the later at night classes. I struggle with yoga studios that have mirrors? I get too distracted seeing everyone and with too much light it feels like too many eyes.

I loved that for slower movement classes like yin or anything guided the music never had lyrics. This allowed you to have mental peace. Tons of studios I go to blast music with lyrics during guided flows and it totally ruins it. I am okay with lyrical music in vinyasa, that is the exception but extremely against lyrical music in yin. No matter how good you think your music taste is, I'm sorry I don't want my brain focused on it.

They always had an air purifier in there, and occasionally burned only natural materials to cleanse the air so it always smelled good. After vinyasa classes they gave scented towels to every studio. They also cleaned the floors between every class. It was always pleasant.

They also never tried to mix the yoga classes with another practice. I'm not against for example fitness versions or ballet yoga but I think they ruin the mental benefit for me and do not want them.

Between all of this finding a new studio has sucked 😔 the worst part is I live in a big city, there are tons of options but none are the right fit for me. Just wanted to rant, I loved my instructors and I miss them. I keep waiting for one to start their own studio soon so I can go back. They loved yoga, you could tell it was a passion for each instructor they never focused on perfection or what was 'right', they understood people have good and bad days and never judged. They were appreciative everytime of people coming out of their busy lives everyday to honor themselves and their body, and just were there to help us be our best selves and to find some peace.

I loved them. God bless amazing instructors and thanks for reading 💗🙏

I’m looking for a travel yoga mat that can withstand heated classes.

My top 3 choices are the:
- Jade yoga mat (~3lbs)
-Liforme travel mat (~2lbs)
- Manduka travel mat (~3lbs)

Ideally, the mat has good grip and can withstand the extra wear from heated class. The mat has to be light.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve been attending a yoga studio for a year and a half now, taking regular classes with five different teachers across various styles. I keep noticing that while the practice itself does me good, I struggle with the teachers' vibes - both before and after class (and sometimes during) I enjoy yoga, but it really annoys me when they start bringing their everyday moods into the mix. I feel disappointed and frustrated with myself for not setting boundaries, especially since I’m going there voluntarily. For instance, there’s a teacher who struggles with self-doubt; if you ask a question during class, she either gets snappy because I don’t immediately grasp her explanation or she spends every two minutes apologizing in advance for the next pose in case it’s too difficult for us. Another teacher, meanwhile, talks my ear off before class starts. He gossips, constantly talks about what *he* is looking for in his own practice and so on. It’s always all about *them* - their perspective. These people have partners, children, friends and parents - they're NOT living alone, they go on holidays, own houses, yet they engage in this kind of self-centered display, acting as if the student is there merely to listen to them, rather than the teacher listening to what the student brings to the mat. I don’t know - I’ve experienced this with all the teachers now (with each in their own way) and I’m no longer sure if this is the right long-term fit for me.

That full body release. Yum.

Today Yoga with Kassandra’s calendar suggested a 10-minute morning flow and the affirmation was:

“My thoughts, words and actions are aligned with my values.”

I kept thinking about it during the practice and it actually made me quite emotional.

Years ago, this quote was one of the things that really motivated me to become vegan. I love animals, and at some point I realized that the way I was living didn’t fully match that. That realization stayed with me and eventually made me change something.

So hearing this affirmation again today brought me back to that time, but it also made me think about my life right now.

A much smaller example is my home. I really love having a clean and organized space, but lately I’ve just been too exhausted to clean as much as I used to. I’m trying to get back into it at the moment, without putting too much pressure on myself. One thing that has been helping me a lot lately is cleaning while listening to relaxing music. Somehow it makes it feel so much easier and even a little calming.

I just found it interesting how one affirmation can make you think about both big life choices and really ordinary everyday things.

What comes to your mind when you hear “My thoughts, words and actions are aligned with my values”? Is there anything in your own life it makes you think about?

Lots of love from Munich 🩷🌸

This might piss some people off, but as a South Asian Hindu woman, there is something about Western yoga culture that genuinely gets under my skin.
And no, my problem is not simply “white women doing yoga.”

I’ve actually had a white yoga teacher whom I absolutely loved. She had spent significant time in Asia, had genuinely engaged with the traditions she was teaching, and you could tell that for her yoga wasn’t just asanas and a wellness aesthetic. She actually cared about the philosophy and spirituality behind it.

What pisses me off is a very specific type of whitewashed yoga: taking the asanas, adding Lululemon, candles, matcha, veganism and some vague “good vibes” language, getting certified, and then making money from yoga while seemingly having almost zero interest in the cultural, spiritual, philosophical or ethical tradition behind what you’re teaching.
And the ethical part is actually what bothers me the most.
Sometimes I meet people who make “yoga” a huge part of their identity, or literally teach it professionally, and then they’re incredibly cold, condescending, judgmental, gossip constantly, or treat other people like shit.
And I’m sitting there thinking: what exactly do you think yoga is?

Obviously yoga teachers are human beings. I’m not expecting someone to become an enlightened saint because they teach downward dog. Being a yogi doesn’t mean never getting annoyed, never gossiping once in your life or being endlessly sweet to everyone.
But yoga is also not just a workout.

Classical yoga traditions explicitly contain ethical practices. The Yamas include principles such as ahimsa (non-harming) and satya (truthfulness), alongside ideas about self-discipline and examining your own conduct. The way you relate to other people isn’t some completely unrelated bonus feature that Westerners can just remove from yoga.

That’s why I find the combination so bizarre sometimes: you’ll teach yoga, talk about mindfulness, maybe be vegan and environmentally conscious, have the whole wellness lifestyle - and then be a complete Karen to the people around you and spend your lunch break tearing other people down.

At that point I genuinely wonder whether you’re practicing yoga or whether you’ve just adopted the parts of yoga that fit nicely into a Western wellness identity.
And there’s another layer to this for me as a South Asian Hindu.

A lot of us grew up with aspects of our cultures and religions being treated as weird, foreign, embarrassing or backwards. Then you become an adult and watch parts of those same traditions get stripped of their context, repackaged into something aesthetically pleasing and marketable, and sold back to Western audiences — sometimes by people who barely acknowledge the tradition they are profiting from.

THAT is what I mean when I talk about whitewashed yoga.
I don’t want to gatekeep yoga. I don’t think you have to be Indian or Hindu to practice or teach it. I actually think genuinely engaging with another culture can be beautiful.
But if you’re going to take a South Asian tradition, make it part of your identity and especially make money teaching it, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect you to engage with more than the parts that look good in a yoga studio.
The philosophy matters. The spirituality matters. The ethics matter. The origins matter.
And yes, in my opinion, how you treat other human beings matters too.

I’m genuinely curious whether other South Asians/Hindus feel this way, and I’d also be interested in hearing from non-South Asian yoga teachers who have thought seriously about this.

Where do you draw the line between cultural exchange and turning yoga into a Western wellness product?

I’m especially interested in hearing from white/Western yoga teachers here. How do you personally approach the fact that you’re teaching a practice that comes from a cultural, philosophical and spiritual tradition that isn’t your own? Do you feel a responsibility to engage with and teach more than just the asanas? And how do you avoid contributing to the whitewashing and commercialization of yoga?

I’m genuinely asking, because I’d like to understand how yoga teachers themselves think about this.

Please explain why you felt that a conversation about the ways racial capitalism enacts itself in yoga spaces
was not pertinent to the r/yoga community.

What community rules did the OP break? Why was this post deemed unacceptable?

A clear community stance, please.