Unfortunately, back pain is on the rise in our culture. Instead of topically treating pain with a temporary relief, we are interested in helping you heal the underlying drivers of your back issues. Back pain doesn’t have to be your norm! If you have any back pain, this is the right style for you to practice. There are many other styles in Yoga that you may benefit from, but only after you have first healed your back. You must have at least 14 days of no pain before adding other physical styles to your practice. If you have any back pain, we recommend the Yoga for Back Issues videos.
We have many different videos to choose from and want to help you pick the ones that are the best for you. Each practice is designed to address specific things. It is not one size fits all. The right practices are beneficial, while the wrong practices can be counterproductive. These guidelines can help you choose the right videos for your practice today, and you may check back here from time-to-time as your needs change. For further guidance with your practice, please feel welcome to contact the studio. Be sure to visit our Home Practice Checklist for tips on setting up for your practice.
For knee issues, we recommend a mix of our Classic Fundamentals and Restorative videos. The Classic Fundamentals style will get you on your feet with postures that work on building stability – which is especially good for the knees. The Restorative style has a lot of focus on increasing range of motion in the hips and balancing physical alignment – which is important as many knee issues are related to limited range of motion and physical imbalances in the hips. See Yoga for Knee Issues videos.
The style we recommend for you depends a lot on the specific nature of your arthritis (and what caused it). Most often we recommend people with arthritis try our Restorative or Classic Fundamentals videos. If you are experiencing a flareup, the Restorative style will be a better fit. If you have questions about which class is right for your specific circumstances, please contact the studio. See Yoga for Arthritis videos.
If you struggle with low energy/mood we recommend our more invigorating practices like those found in our Strength videos to balance out your tendency towards lower energy. These classes were intended for YOU, not for people who are already energetic! These classes will help you get your heart rate going, increase energy and blood flow, and are hormone and psychology balancing for lethargy and depression. Note: The Strength style is not for anyone who has body pain. Body pain must be resolved before practicing the Strength style (see Restorative style). See Yoga for Depression videos.
If you struggle with these more tense feelings, we recommend styles that help you bring down this type of energy like our Restorative and Meditation videos. The style of these classes will help you develop skills for taming the racing mind, breathing more fully, and even gaining awareness of the root of your anxieties (and learn skills for dismantling them). Private 1-on-1 or Small Group Yoga Sessions can also be useful for working through and getting more customized help with your particular stresses and anxieties. See Yoga for Anxiety and High Stress videos.
If you tend to be go-go-go we suggest slowing things down with our Restorative and Meditation videos. Slower paced classes will be difficult for you but ultimately the most rewarding. If those classes feel like way too slow (if it’s really uncomfortable) try something a little more moderate like the Classic Fundamentals videos as a stepping stone toward the Restorative and Meditation style. We highly recommend staying away from the strength classes if you tend to be go-go-go, as they tend to feed into high-energy struggles
rather than help you overcome them (even though they may feel good in the short-term). See Yoga for the Go-Go-Go Disposition videos.
If your body is especially tight, our stretch-based Restorative videos are just what you need. Flexibility training was made for people who are really tight or stiff, not for people who are already flexible! Postures that help you gain range of motion are MUCH more beneficial for the tight body than the flexible one. You’ll find that no matter how tight or stiff you are, if you listen to the instructors directions in this class style you will find a pain free way to increase your range of motion. See Yoga for the Tight or Stiff Body videos.
If you’re using your Yoga practice to help you with healthy weight-loss, we recommend invigorating classes that help get the heart-rate going and burn calories like our Strength videos. That said, the Strength style is not for anyone who has body pain. Body pain must be resolved before practicing the Strength style (see Restorative style).
A not so obvious choice may be our suggestion to try some of our stress-reducing videos like Meditation and Restorative.
Many Yoga practitioners notice how reducing stress through mindfulness
practices has a direct effect on their ability to lose weight and
maintain healthy habits. See Yoga for Weight Loss videos.
You are not alone! In fact the majority people who practice with us find this to be something they need work on. ALL of the classes at our studio will help you practice training your mindful attention, but we recommend especially our Meditation and Restorative videos.
It’s so important to not to miss out on
centering practices like Meditation because you consider yourself to be
someone who “can’t even sit still for a minute”. We’ll show you how
meditation practices can be accessible to even the most squirmy minds.
That’s who they were designed for! See Yoga for Help Concentrating and Focusing videos.
Congratulations!
If you’re pregnant we recommend checking out our Prenatal Yoga videos.
These classes are great for addressing some of the common challenges
that arise when you’re carrying, like back and pelvic pain. You may
also be interested in our Meditation videos. See Prenatal Yoga videos.
For those with sleep challenges, watching a Restorative video in the evening can be particularly helpful for insomnia. If you find you have trouble falling asleep at night because of a “racing mind” our Meditation classes can be good for strengthening the ability to quiet down those racing thoughts.
There are also lots of non-physical techniques in Yoga that can help with sleep disturbances. Private 1-on-1 Yoga sessions can
be a good path for getting one-on-one help with sleep imbalances. See Yoga for Insomnia videos.
Since you already have plenty of strong physical activity in your lifestyle, we recommend using your Yoga practice to balance that out. For many athletes we recommend our Restorative videos. These stretch-based classes will help you work on the range of motion that is often times lacking in athletes, as well as give you tools that you can use before and after your athletic events to help with injury prevention, and recovery. See Yoga for Athletes videos.
If strength and endurance is a challenge for you, we recommend our Strength videos. Often times people confuse that these classes are for people who are already strong, but in fact they are much more beneficial for people who are lacking in strength. Don’t worry about not being able to do all the postures, in every class each student is guided towards finding their pace and place on any given day. That said, if you have any body pain, you must first resolve that (see Restorative style). The Strength style is not for anyone who has body pain.
Authentic Yoga is an ancient system designed to help you navigate the challenges of life, meant to work on balancing the WHOLE human being – not just the body. It’s rarely used to it’s potential these days, as so many only scratch the surface of what a Yoga practice can really help us with. At St. Petersburg Yoga we’re passionate about showcasing how practicing Yoga, done right, can help you with whatever challenges life presents.
If you’re interested in using the broader practices of Yoga to help you with challenges you have going on in your Body, Brain, or Life we recommend:
- Contacting the studio for more guidance
- Exploring our Yogi Training program
- Exploring our Meditation videos
- Scheduling Private 1-on-1 or Small Group Yoga sessions
- See Yoga for Life Challenges videos
If you don’t have any of the challenges listed above, we recommend our Classic Fundamentals videos.