It used to be that if you wanted to workout, you had to leave you house to hit the track, the gym or a nearby trail. Thanks to the surge in workout DVDs, getting an amazing workout can be done at home. The conveniences of working out at home are undeniable, but when it comes to certain forms of exercise, like yoga, there are also some drawbacks from simply slipping in a DVD and getting your “Om” on in the living room.
Here is a look at the pros and cons of learning yoga from a DVD.
Pros
- Practicality: Let’s face it, with today’s super busy lives, it’s a feat to just workout. Yoga DVDs offer anyone from stay-at-home moms to high level executives the practicality of doing yoga whenever they have a free minute at home.
- Cost: Because of yoga’s posh popularity, establishing a membership with a yoga school can get pricey. Most classes run $15 to $20 and monthly memberships can run anywhere from $50 to $200. It doesn’t take a math genius to discover the amazing savings in plunking down $15 for a yoga DVD that you can watch and do innumerable times.
- Privacy: Even though you may be health-minded, you may not be too comfortable with wearing yoga clothes and twisting yourself into noodle-like postures in front of a group of people. Yoga DVDs provide the shy downward-doggers a chance to experience the benefits of yoga without the public nature of a being in a group setting.
Cons
- Lack of instruction: Even if you purchased the newest yoga DVD by one of the nation’s most accomplished yoga instructors, the teaching is one-sided. Learning yoga in a class setting, especially for beginners, provides you with the attention of an experienced teacher who can correctly and safely observe how you are moving in and out postures.
- Potential for injury: As a consequence of that personal instruction, also comes a reduced risk for injuring yourself. As long as you are taking a yoga class from a qualified instructor who understands the principles of alignment and anatomy, he or she can make sure that you are performing each posture safely and according to your own physical and mental capacity.
- No camaraderie: Even though some people genuinely prefer to workout alone, when it comes to yoga, there is something invigorating and inspiring to practicing yoga with others. When you practice at home to the voice on the television, you may be missing out one of the many benefits of yoga: the feeling of connection you receive by practicing this mind-body discipline with others.
While there is no right or wrong way to learn yoga, those who are just beginning to practice yoga, or who have an injury or health condition, are strongly encouraged to start their yoga journey by taking classes with a qualified instructor. Then, once they have learned and incorporated the basics of postural alignment into their yoga practice, they have a safer foundation if they choose to continue their yoga learning through DVDs.
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