Dear Bernie,
I discovered your website three weeks ago. I signed up for a yoga class, started researching yin yoga (one of the yoga styles offered at the studio, and one that I wasn't familiar with) and found your extremely valuable website. Bought a couple of yoga books, including yours. Watched yoga videos, mostly yours. After initially being overwhelmed by all the information, I put together a sequence and began practicing every day at home, starting a week ago. I started noticing subtle improvements. However, some days it's so uncomfortable to walk that I don't want to go to class, even though I like it, because it hurts to get there. I look forward to just going home from work every day, getting on my own living room floor and doing my own practice.
The help I've gotten from your website, discussion forum, book and videos has been immense. So much of what you have written about functional yoga, about not worrying whether you're doing it "right," and much more, has been so helpful to me. I especially appreciate your writings about yin yoga being appropriate for everyone and not just for advanced students. From my own experience as someone who never did any yoga before three weeks ago, yin yoga seemed to me the only style of yoga that I could actually do right now. I'm 62 and 140 pounds overweight. Anything energetic was terrifying, as I could not only hurt myself because I'm lacking in flexibility but also because of the extra weight. I'm doing fine with yin. Even though there are many asanas that are impossible for me to do right now, I just say to myself, "I can't do that yet."
Thank you so much for providing all the excellent resources on yin yoga and for being so accessible via the discussion forum. After having explored the website, the book and the videos, I feel confident that I'll be fine with my home practice, even if I decide to discontinue the class. Thank you for providing me with the materials to forge a path to another option.
Sincerely,
Marie
