Positives and Negatives of studio/class practice vs at home

Let's Talk About Yoga
#1

Hi all,

If you mainly do at home practice, what do you miss from the classes?

I’ve done a mix of classes and at home practice, mainly home practice the last year. There a definatley some things I miss but others things definitely not, heres my list below of both (dont want to bash those that do either at home or classes - whatever works for you);

Benefits of studio;
-For me I like having the teacher come round and adjust my poses (however in a class of 20-25 I was finding that i wasnt getting much attention - maybe that was a good thing? :smile:)

  • good group dynamic
  • access to heated rooms
  • studio was close to home (walkable)

Negatives:

  • Large weekly cost (DYWM is less than the cost of one class)
  • when theres too many people can get cramped
  • fit to studio timetable

Benefits of at home;

  • cheap
  • do it whenever

Negs

  • sometimes not enough room to do poses
  • I miss the little essays in savasana when the teacher reads out a motivation passage. Maybe thats what DYWM could incorporate.

Let me know what you find are the positives and negatives of both. I like to see what people think

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#2

I remember going to classes at the local school when my kids were young. I’d come home feeling light and floaty to a stressed husband and crying kids.
The classes were great but I prefer to go at my own pace and even though my kids are grown up now I still rather work out at home.

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#3

Great points.

Some of the feedback we have received included:

  • Drive time to a studio and parking can be problems.

  • Many find it intimidating to do yoga with students who are dressed in the most fashionable yoga wear and can do the more advanced poses.

  • Some people find that there are too many distractions at home to keep them focused.

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#4

I have found no downside to yoga at home. I much prefer to do yoga in my own home, where I can have privacy and quiet.

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#5

Yes! So true! I feel the same.

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#6

I am in my forties and am lucky to have a good sense of my body, through running and dance classes (alignment, knowing when to push or stop). Having tried yoga classes in NYC and Berlin, I have to say that I prefer DYWM to any studio or other home videos, mostly due to the personality range, physical guidance and clarity of the DYWM teachers (I use classes of many teachers, styles and levels). Because of and solely with the DYWM website classes, I have been able to do yoga nearly everyday for 3 1/2 years, something I would not have been able to do, for lack of time and the chance of finding teachers with whom to grow. In my short few years with DYWM, it amazes me that the teachers are able to take a set of asanas and show their own growth explorations, as well as offer and support us the same. My heartfelt gratitude!

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#7

Wow, thank you! I’m glad that you appreciate what we are all about!

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#8

I must say I personally prefer doing yoga at home following DYWM classes.The main reason for that, is that I have RA (a form of arthritis), so I need to modify a lot of the poses and I am not always able to do a session at a set time if I am flaring up. That made me very uncomfortable in group settings, where I could not keep up and felt like I was damaging myself more than healing, or just had to sit some poses out. Also, I found it difficult to participate at the set times of the studio.

David and the rest of the team do a great job at tailoring routines for various conditions, so I actually learned a lot about how to properly do modified poses. And that’s a reason for using DYWM for a few years now and couldn’t recommend it enough :smile:

Another reason I prefer home yoga is that I needed to form a routine and group classes just didn’t do it for me - either a bit too aggressive, or too crowded. So I turned to DYWM and the challenges system here is great! I could give myself some slack and spread the sessions over a week. Even if I had a bad day, I could still complete my weekly goal, which gave me the confidence to continue. Those challenges finally got me me to practice regularly, so thanks for that! :smile:

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#9

At this time of my life (soon to be 74!), I find that I cannot keep up with a regular class, so this site is a life-saver! I can always use the mouse – that I bring down to the mat with me – to pause the video for transitions or other things that take me longer to get into than younger people. Also, if I miss something, instead of holding up the whole class, all I have to do is rewind a little and find what I need. Thank you thank you thank you for this wonderful site! I cannot contribute myself as I’m on a fixed income, but I tell everyone I know in the yoga world around me about your fantastic site and hopefully some will eventually become paying members!

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#10

Thank you so much for the feedback! That was nice to read. :slight_smile:

#11

I’m here, as a beginner it is more convenient to study at home. I’m not shy about anyone.

1 Like
#12

I have always preferred to learn yoga with my guru in open spaces. I often also enjoy the canopy of trees and the beauty of open sky when i do yoga. It can also sometimes be refreshing to come for an early morning class after not having slept all that well but the morning air could re revitalize me. And, that is the thing i miss the very most about doing yoga outside. However, the absolute positive that has showed up for me is the benefit of yoga when done in a much slower pace and with acknowledgement of the fact that world is in a health crisis and i have to acknowledge the mix of fear anxiety etc that comes with it. I was solving this arithmetic sequence question with my child and it has a fitness angle and that really reminded me of why i was running to get a pose extra fast as though i was in a competition, i am right now really enjoying the slowing down of my practice and learning.

#13

I am new here! I am 61 years old, and have dabbled in yoga for much of my adult life. I live in a rural area and don’t have access to in-person classes, so my knowledge and experience is limited to what I have been able to learn from videos and books. I love being able to learn and practice at home and am absolutely thrilled to have found DoYogaWithMe!

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#14

Fantastic! Glad you found us! :slight_smile: