I have done yoga on and off for the past 13 years. For the past year I have been mainly lifting weights and doing aerobic activity with little or no yoga. I have had a number of abdominal surgeries so constantly have to work at strengthening that area and also struggle with low back issues. I am trying to decide if I should go back to the beginner classes or intermediate. I want to get back into regular practice but also don’t want to lose the strength and muscle I have gained over the last year. I don’t have the margin to maintain a regular fitness routine including all of these elements.
Any help would be appreciated!
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You may want to begin by establishing your core stability, then progress through some hatha classes that emphasize alignment. Does that sound in line with your needs? It would ensure that you start again with the fundamental principles in play, so you maximize the benefits and protect yourself from injury.
I was leaning that direction, but was not sure the best place to go after
restarting with some fundamentals. Your suggestion to start with some hatha
classes is very helpful. Thank you so much for your time!
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Hello!
I started practicing yoga again after having not done it much at all for four years. During those years I focused more on bouldering and other forms of physical activity with on,y some light stretching here and there. I have been practicing about 4 times a week using doyogawithme and choosing classes at random on the site. Mainly I have been doing some vinyasa and Hatha beginner and intermediate classes. I am feeling frustrated because I feel so weak and shaky in many poses and often need to come out of the pose before the teacher does and go into child’s pose. I have noticed now that it is getting harder for me to stay in a lunge then it was before. I sometimes also get knee pain and feel strain in my knees while doing warrior poses. I try my best to make sure I am doing the pose correctly. Are there any suggestions anyone can give me for building my strength back up and my flexibility? Any tips on how to progress safely and if I should be switching up my practice with lots of different poses or focusing on only certain poses?? Any suggestions would be so appreciated!!! I am loving the site and feeling so great to be back doing yoga again!! 
