Basic Requirements

Because yoga is not primarily focused on exercise, it is difficult to determine what basic requirements a class should meet. The primary benefits, as already noted, are flexibility, balance, and some muscle tone. Therefore, you can practice yoga on a daily basis to meet the flexibility component of your training. If you are looking for a well-balanced exercise program, include another type of activity to meet your cardiovascular and strength-training needs.

The duration of yoga classes varies, but the most common community-based programs seem to last between 40 and 60 minutes. Classes usually begin with a basic posture, focusing on breathing, alignment, and body awareness. Postures progress from simple to more difficult and attempt to use a variety of motions. The most common postures involve standing on one leg or both legs, bending forward and backward, sitting, and twisting. Most yoga sessions finish with relaxation postures (Austin and Laeng 2003).

You may need to modify or eliminate some of the more than one hundred postures, for safety reasons. Although no formal contraindications exist for yoga, I believe that you should avoid some postures or at least approach them with caution. I put these postures into two broad classes: those that put unusual stresses on a joint and those that may put stress on a system, such as the cardiovascular system. Some postures may do both. The chapter on flexibility includes an illustration of a posture that could potentially do both. The plough position requires you to lie on the ground and bring your feet over your head, with your legs straight, until your feet touch the ground behind your head. If you have arthritis in your neck, this pose could injure those joints. If you have cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure or atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), this position might also stress your system; you may want to limit inverted poses because of the potential effect on blood flow.

Clothing for yoga should be comfortable and nonrestricting. It can be loose and somewhat baggy, such as shorts and a T-shirt or stretchy exercise wear. Whatever you wear, you need to be able to move freely without getting caught in excess folds. One yoga teacher I talked to likes to have everyone barefoot. Being barefoot may not be comfortable if you have arthritis in your feet; a lightweight athletic shoe may be more appropriate. Your shoe should have a nonskid sole and give you adequate support and comfort.