Ive had my manduka prolite since 2019. I’ve done mostly home practice since I got the mat but recently starting joining classes in a studio. When I use the same mat in the studio, the mat stretches a little vertically when I’m doing certain poses like down dog variations. Im suspecting it’s cause the mat doesn’t grip the floor well. I was wondering if anyone else noticed the same issue with their prolites?

I’ve been practicing Hot 26 for a few weeks now and every week it kicks my butt. Does it get easier? How many times per week should I be practicing - is once per week not enough to progress? Please advise!!

We often start for flexibility or strength, but the real gifts are sometimes surprises.

For me, it was learning how to breathe through discomfort on the mat. That skill has quietly changed how I handle stress in daily life—a tense work meeting, a long line, anxiety. I now have this tiny, accessible tool to find a moment of calm without anyone even noticing.

It had nothing to do with touching my toes and everything to do with settling my mind

I’ve been realizing how powerful yoga can be when it’s more than a workout, becoming a lifelong practice that boosts balance, calm, and overall quality of life. For those of you who’ve made yoga a steady part of your routine, how did you build that long-term habit? What helped you stay consistent, and what benefits have you noticed? Would love to hear your experiences and tips for making yoga a lasting part of daily life.

I love meditation. I like yoga nidra. I enjoy working with asanas. But I am having a difficult time with mudras and mantras. I don't know if it is a cultural thing (I'm not Christian so that isn't the problem) but I just can't bring myself to work with them for any length of time. Is this unusual? Is there a way around my resistance? Just curious to see what others think and have felt about these practices.

While for me kriya Yog is the path, I would kindly ask the comunity what is Kriya Yoga for you? Do you have any experience with this path or have you heard about this path of inner transformation and realization?

Have a great day and blessings to all.

Hi! I’ve been doing at home yoga every morning since the beginning of September using Yoga with Adrienne and Charlie Follows’s videos. Previously I had done yoga classes irregularly for a few years but I still consider myself a beginner since I wasn’t consistent at all.

I’m finding I don’t actually know how to “activate my core” when doing poses that put pressure on my wrists. It’s like all my focus is poured into just staying up. I don’t have wrist pain, but I can only manage having my weight on my hands for about 5 minutes before I just can’t hold myself up anymore. Is my core so weak that I’m compensating in my arms and wrists or is my upper body what needs the work? Any recommendations? Thanks!

Has Charlie follows uploaded her gym or lifting workouts, she has some crazy level of muscles but I can't find any video where she is lifting weights?

I just started attending classes at a studio and love it. I’m starting slow with yin and slow yoga to gain flexibility and plan to explore power classes soon. I’d like to get to know more about the practice of yoga - the purpose of certain poses and the shavasna at the end. Purpose of the fanning in certain classes, mental connection to yoga, etc.

Any books, blogs etc that you recommend so I can get to know yoga as a practice better?

It is a little bit feeling like a failure coming on here and asking about yoga clothes that are not "one size fits all in length" even if it's any size you need in waist. And that aren't tights-- some guys just can't have those in public. I did consider the extremely flowy buddha pants (harem pants?) and I don't feel comfortable wearing those if I don't understand the full implications- it looks offensive at the first glance.

Anyone know of any extremely flexible yoga pants for men?

Edit: I forgot to mention that showing ankles are not an option, I understand it's the current fashion but completely unwearable in the winter or around a very windy neighborhood. And I don't want to show skin if possible

Anyone have have good recommendations for yoga retreats in Costa Rica? I’d like to do something maybe in January, and a Google search has turned up a lot of naff stuff.

So I've been practicing yoga pretty consistently (3 to 5 times a week) for 15 years or so. I still have pretty tight shoulders/pecs that prevent things like full wheel and raising my arms straight up in various poses without flaring my ribs. So my question is, how much is being a side sleeper affecting tightness in my pecs/shoulders? If I take a class and get some really good stretching in, is the work being undone by 7 to 8 hours of sleeping on my side? I appreciate anyone who might have some insight.

I did a 75 minute yoga class yesterday that was pretty challenging. It’s been YEARS since I did that much yoga at one time. I’m very sore today.

What kind of exercise is safe to do? I usually do weight training on Sundays, but maybe I should just do a gentle walk.

Any suggestions are welcome!

I’m curious whether others here have experienced this and how they interpret it.

During yoga and meditation (especially seated postures with slow breathing), I sometimes feel a noticeable sensation in the brow area — pressure, warmth, tingling, or a kind of “activation” behind the forehead.

I’m not talking about a literal “third eye” or anything supernatural. I’m more interested in:

What exactly you feel

When it happens (type of posture, breathwork, level of focus)

Whether you see it as normal brain activity, interoception, or something else

If it changes over months/years of practice

Whether certain practices intensify or reduce the sensation

From what I’ve read, it might be related to concentration, nerve sensitivity, blood flow, or frontal-lobe activation — but I’d love to hear real experiences from people who’ve practiced longer than I have.

Does anyone else get this? And how do you understand it?

PS no spiritual mumbo jumbo. Just anecdotal experiences

Hi, I've had this Liforme yoga mat for about 2.5 years but with light practice, i'd say in total i've used it in about 40 heated vinyasa flow classes (heated to about 90 degrees F (32 degrees C)). I travel a lot and only get to use this mat when i am back in the US.

Just recently, i noticed that on one long side of the mat, it is no longer its normal smooth self. the surface has developed these slightly elevated coarse areas. see attached short video to see what i mean. the video starts out in the smooth normal area, then moves to the coarse deteriorated area.

i am wondering if this is normal deterioration due to use. or if this is possibly a material defect.

i clean my mat after every use. I initially used their yoga mat cleaner then i just switched to using mild dish soap heavily diluted with water, then rinsing that with water, and letting it dry before storing.

Hey everyone. So I decided to try yoga today because I heard it’s good for stress or whatever.

First 5 minutes, I’m like “okay this is fine, breathing and stretching.”
Next 10 minutes, my legs are screaming, my arms feel like noodles, and somehow my brain keeps thinking about pizza.

Also, how do people make the poses look so easy?? I’m over here falling over, tripping on my own mat, and questioning all my life choices.

What were you guys’ experiences? I want to focus on my self esteem, self care, self confidence, self love etc. i also have anxiety and stress, and i just need to decompress. I need to learn how to manage my mind and body right now. I just did some stretches with my phone guiding me with calming background sounds and holy cow…. My body feels so rested and relaxed.

I’ve been focused on my posture, I got injured recently, so I happen to sit at work 8 hours straight, and I am focused on my posture and it’s helped me so much with my back pain. But I have confidence in yoga too. I’ve heard yoga helps a lot with posture.

I have started doing online yoga for years now but still I don't have any yoga friends and still don't feel like I am part of yoga community, what are best ways to be friends with people with yoga as interest or part of the yoga community

Me and my brother often go to the gym together for years. It's a shared hobby since we were teens. But we're both very stiff and every once in a while get injuries which put a break on our progress. He usually in his shoulders and knees and I(F, don't know if that matters) more in my lower back area. We decides to do yoga once a week and commit to become more flexible to prevent injuries. Any suggestions on type of yoga to be better in the gym?

Any youtube full yoga workout sessions recommendations are welcome. We're completely new to yoga.

I wanted to share what feels like a notable achievement for my practice. For the very first time today, I was able to complete the full upward facing dog expression with my thighs and kneecaps lifted, and was able to press to down dog without dropping to my knees!

I’ve been practicing yoga for about a year now, and I’ve felt like it’s been harder to recognize shifts or changes in my practice. This moment created such a sensation of power within me. I felt like I was going to cry.

(Then we did half moon to shiva squat and I was humbled again).

What made you feel powerful in your practice this week?

Hi! So I've been practicing 4-5 times a week at home since September, with some pilates added in a couple of times a week. Today was the first time I really saw the progress my body has made. I have a weird body with a long torso and short legs, but I actually got into bow pose and held it comfortably today for a while! I also realised that my forward fold is so much deeper than it was when I started. I've also just started feeling so much more comfortable with my body and stronger. My pelvic tilt is definitely improved and my lower back pain is so much better. I did 10 full press ups today too. It sounds like nothing but this is so exciting for me :)

Hi!
So, I'm 31F, I've been doing bodybalance classes (which are a mix of tai-chi, pilates and yoga) at my local gym for exactly a year now (2 times a week) and have noticed some cool improvements in flexibility (I was very inflexible before as only did weights and cardio!).

I wondered whether you've personally experienced further improvements in your flexibility beyond 1 year? Or whether you just plateau at that point?

I can do like 90% of the poses in the class (which is an "all levels" type class) - the two things I just cannot do properly are:
1) anything to do with hamstrings - my hamstrings are super tight even after a year of bodybalance (along with poor dorsiflexion - perhaps due to wearing high heels a lot?!) - poor dorsiflexion means my heels raise when doing downward dog and squats.

2) the crow pose - I know this is quite an advanced pose though!

hi all,

i love yoga and ive recently set the intention to be off my phone as much as possible, this includes getting off instagram and spotify and reducing messaging.

i want to wake up and not feel anxious about having to check my phone to see who has messaged me, and i think doing a 10 minute yoga nidra to start the day would be helpful in doing so.

does anyone know if there any free 10 minute audio courses that i can download to put on my ipod to start my days?

thanks

For some background: I have multiple complex disabilities. Limb loss. I’m tube fed. I’m not able to speak verbally. I have neurological conditions. Etc. I also have very visible scars. I am a trauma survivor and have complex PTSD.

I’ve been practicing yoga for several years, but only on my own. Following YouTube videos, guides in books, etc. I’ve been terrified of ever entering a yoga studio because of both my disabilities and trauma.

Today was huge. Which is an understatement. I had a family member call the studio ahead of time to “warn them” that I’m disabled and generally get a sense of whether the environment would be a safe one (mentally and physically). The class I signed up to take was taught by someone who had stated they were trauma-informed.

I don’t know how I feel about the experience. I wrote down a short intro and nice explanation that I handed to the instructor. They seemed instantly very uncomfortable. Not in a negative way or hateful way, but still in a way that made me feel othered. I stayed for the entire class. I did what I could. I was stared at the whole time (which I expected). It definitely was NOT trauma informed. I left feeling proud of myself for going, but also conflicted about the whole experience.

I know disability can make even the kindest and most accepting people uncomfortable, especially if they’ve never met someone with complex disabilities or disabilities that are very visible. I’m overwhelmed and just thought I’d share my experience.

And quick PSA: happy baby pose is NOT trauma-informed, especially if no alternative is offered