So you've decided to give yoga a try. Great! Now what? Now is the time to make a game plan. Decide how you would like to proceed with your yoga. Do you want to take a class and reap the benefits of a qualified instructor? Do you want to try yoga on your own for a while, then consider a class later if you like what you experience? Maybe you want to go all out and book passage to Calcutta!

Whatever course you choose to take, make sure you have the necessary preparation so you can get the most from your yoga experience. Your personality, your schedule, and your general inclinations will all have an effect on the type of yoga that will serve you most effectively.

Choosing a Yoga Class

Probably the best way to start out with yoga is to take a class. You can learn a lot from books and videos, but a real live teacher can address your personal challenges and direct you in ways a book can't. (But don't stop reading this book yet! We still have a lot left to tell you.) Consider the following reasons to take a yoga class:

>- A teacher can see you from all angles, making minor adjustments in your posture to help you get the most from each position.

>- A teacher can advise you on the best postures for your particular physical challenges, such as a stiff neck, lower back pain, or tennis elbow.

>- If you have a class to attend at a prescheduled time, you may be less likely to put off or skip your practice. And regular exercise is the most beneficial for anyone.

>- Other students learning yoga along with you can offer peer support and camaraderie, in addition to your teacher's encouragement.

>- A class and a qualified teacher in conjunction with personal practice and lots of books on the subject will teach you more about yoga than any one of these methods alone.

_J the basic philosophy of that particular school or

method.

Make sure any yoga class you consider meets the following criteria:

>- The yoga teacher is a qualified instructor. Anyone can teach yoga—not everyone can teach it well. Don't be fooled by health clubs touting "yoga" classes taught by club employees who might have read a book on yoga or who think all fitness

Yoga classes vary greatly in their format and approach, so if you do decide to take a class, you'll first want to do a bit of shopping. The right yoga class is highly personal—what you love, your friends may not benefit from at all, and vice versa. If you are used to a high-energy, aerobic workout, you may initially be impatient with yoga's slower pace, although it will serve as an excellent balance for your life. If you're generally inactive, you may benefit more from a yoga class where steady, flowing yoga movements get the heart pumping.

You also might be confused about the wide array of yoga methods. The difference is largely due to who has most directly influenced the teacher or under which method the teacher was trained. Before signing up for a class, ask the teacher which school of yoga he or she practices, and then ask him or her to explain

is basically the same. Some health clubs offer excellent yoga classes, but you'll want to ask about the teacher's training.

The class is small enough that the teacher can give you individual attention. You'll want help adjusting postures and creating a routine suited to your ability so you won't get injured, frustrated, or bored silly.

The class is conveniently scheduled and easy to get to. Otherwise, you know what will happen. Eventually, going to class will be too much trouble and it won't last.

If you don't like your first class, your first teacher, or the way you felt after your first yoga workout, don't give up. Some people overdo it their first time out and vow never to practice yoga again. If you can't relate to your teacher; if you pull a muscle; or if the class environment is high-pressure, competitive, or unpleasant in any way, you just haven't found the right class or the right teacher for you.

Or maybe you weren't completely open to the experience—could your competitive nature have overshadowed the benefits you were receiving? Was the teacher encouraging a competitive attitude, or was the teacher inattentive to your needs? Maybe you couldn't understand what the teacher wanted you to do. (Teachers are human, too.) Many teachers are grounded in the noncompeti-tive philosophy, but some still see yoga simply as physical fitness, with all its competitive aspects. Many are excellent at doling out individual help and counsel, but others may have classes that are too large for a really personal approach.

The most important thing you can do for your yoga practice is to find a teacher you feel comfortable with, so keep looking until you find him or her. And remember what you have learned so far: Yoga is about fitness for and knowledge of your whole self, not just your body.

The bottom line? Be patient in your search. It may take a while to find the right class and the right teacher for you, but many yogis believe that when the student is ready, the right teacher will appear. Keep your mind and heart open.

Finding Your Personal Guru

You've heard the word, we're sure, but you may be confused as to what a guru actually is. A guru is a spiritual teacher. You can have many spiritual teachers in your life, but traditionally, you have only one guru, and you attach, spiritually, not only to the guru but to the guru's lineage (in other words, the particular tradition out of which that guru comes, what he or she has studied, what "school" or "branch" of yoga he or she is associated with). Literally, the word guru means "dispeller of darkness," and that is the guru's role: to help you dispel your own spiritual darkness.

Do you need a guru? Not necessarily. But perhaps. A guru/disciple relationship between mature individuals is really a journey of spiritual revelations and discoveries for both disciple and guru. The guru's "job" is to give you spiritual guidance and insight, and to insist that you think for yourself. In fact, it is essential that a disciple have the freedom to follow or not follow that guidance. A good disciple will travel toward spiritual independence, but a guru makes a great traveling companion with an excellent road map to get you well on your way.

The concept of the guru is a little hard for us Westerners to swallow. After all, we like to be self-sufficient. We aren't a submissive, follow-the-leader type of culture, and the idea that we should surrender to some kind of a superior—putting our physical, mental, and spiritual development in his or her hands—makes us uncomfortable. This isn't a difficult concept for many Easterners, whose culture has taught them, over the course of centuries, that the best way to truly learn anything—a craft, a posture, a philosophy, enlightenment—is by loyal devotion to a wise individual who has sage advice and knowledge to impart.

We Westerners like to question, and our doubting natures are only encouraged when we hear story after story about spiritual teachers and leaders who have gone astray. Our modern world is full of temptations, and sometimes gurus, priests, evangelists, healers, and others whose purpose is to lead others to a higher spiritual plane cave in to temptation. A true, enlightened guru will remain your spiritual guide for a lifetime, but these days, good gurus are hard to find! (And many a guru will counter that good students are equally hard to find!)

But you may not need a guru—at least not in the traditional sense. For some, a guru is a crucial part of the yoga journey, but for others, a teacher is the perfect guide. A qualified yoga teacher you truly connect with can be your most valuable resource. A great yoga teacher can change your life and improve your practice of yoga far beyond what you could figure out on your own. And we all have a guru within. Most important, don't be discouraged if you haven't found the acarya or guru who is right for you. Be patient, keep your eyes open, keep practicing, don't be afraid to be picky, don't put up with mediocre instruction or a teacher who doesn't understand you, and eventually, if it's meant to work out that way, you'll find the perfect fit. Ultimately, the fit is an internal one.

Going Solo at Home

If you aren't quite ready for the commitment of a class, or if for any other reason you don't want to or aren't able to take a class, do-it-yourself yoga can be very rewarding. Design your own workout from the poses in this book (see Chapter 12,

"Crafting Your Personalized Yoga Practice"), find a comfortable practice area, dress in comfortable clothing (see Chapter 10, "How to Practice Yoga"), designate a regular practice time (whether once a week or twice a day—we suggest daily), and get ready for your very first asana!

Setting Up Your Practice Area

One of the great things about yoga is that you can do it almost anywhere—in the bedroom, in the living room, even outside! Your environment should consistently include several things, however:

>- A soft surface. Nonskid carpets are good surfaces for practicing yoga, but if your floor isn't carpeted or is slippery, use a small rug, a blanket, or a yoga mat (a thin rubber mat that can be placed on any surface for a comfortable, nonskid surface). You need the firmness of the ground, but the surface on which you work should be soft enough to be comfortable. If you practice outside, bring along a blanket or mat that can get a little dirty.

>- A source of warmth. In the summer, you probably won't have to worry about keeping warm, but in the winter or in a drafty room, warmth can be an issue. Keep a blanket nearby to drape around yourself during still poses, breathing exercises, and meditation. Your muscles need to be warm to stay flexible, and you need to be comfortable to get the most from your practice. Practicing outside in the sun on a warm day is ideal. If you practice inside in the winter, consider a small electric heater (please use it safely) for your practice area.

>- Fresh air. If you practice inside and weather permits, open a window and take a few deep breaths of fresh air before you start. Practicing outside will, of course, immerse you in fresh air (unless you live in a polluted environment, in which case you are probably better off practicing inside). If the weather doesn't permit (if it's too cold or too hot outside), don't worry about the fresh air. You'll get some when the temperature is milder.

Practice in an area free of obstacles and distractions. Practicing yoga amid clutter and confusion is difficult and even counterproductive. As we've mentioned before, cleanliness is important to yoga, and that includes an uncluttered and clean environment. Although a seasoned yogi can find a sense of serenity in any setting (even your family room, where your teenager is playing video games and your twin toddlers are practicing for a career in large-building demolition), you may not be able to focus quite as well as you would in a quiet room all by yourself.

Even if the rest of your house is a perpetual disaster area, try to keep one special "yoga spot" clear, clean, pet-free, kid-free, and relatively quiet. Before you know it, the rest of your house will "magically" become less cluttered and more simply furnished. It's yet another positive influence yoga can have on your lifestyle.

Oga from Tapes and Videos

Another great way to learn yoga is with a yoga videotape or audiotape. With a tape, you can see (or at least hear) a teacher. You can watch the postures performed or hear them described, which can be easier to follow than a static picture in a book. The teacher on the tape can offer advice and wisdom vocally. Some people comprehend information better if they see or hear it than if they read it, while others benefit much more from the written word.

If your teacher has made tapes or videos, you can use them to extend your in-person yoga practice by taking your teacher home with you via electronic media. Taking advantage of all possible levels of study will result in more learning opportunities.

One advantage of the audiotape over the videotape is that your focus won't be glued on the television but can be directed inward instead. Only your hearing will guide you, so although figuring out how to do a posture may be more difficult, many simpler postures, and especially breathing and meditation work, are perfect for the audio-tape medium.

Whichever method is most helpful to you is the one you should pursue. Don't worry about what anyone else does. This is your yoga. A visit to your local library, video store, or bookstore will probably reveal a wealth of available videos and audiotapes you can borrow, rent, or buy. Try the library and the video store first. That way, you can sample a variety of yoga teachers and programs without committing. Once you've found a few you like, consider buying the tapes for your personal collection. Then, whenever the desire strikes (2:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, 11:00 p.m. on a Friday), you can do yoga!

Wise Yogi Tells Us

No matter how different we are from each other, we all have one very important and illustrious quality in common: We're all human! Keep in mind these six universal laws for being human:

► You will be given a body.

► You will be taught lessons.

► There are no mistakes in life, only lessons.

► If a lesson is not learned, it gets repeated.

► The more often a lesson is repeated, the harder it gets.

► You know you've learned your lesson when your actions change.

Yoga from Books

We hope you don't have the impression that you can't learn yoga from a book. For some, it's the only way! Remember svadhyaya, the niyama that encourages self-inquiry? Reading books on yoga and practicing from a book are part of this observance, which helps you understand yourself. Many excellent books on yoga exist, illustrating thousands of postures, breathing techniques, and meditation techniques. Books allow you to learn a broader spectrum of information than a teacher alone will probably be able to convey. Plus, you can go to the library and come home with 10 or 12 books on yoga—much easier than sampling 10 or 12 teachers!

Books cover yoga in a variety of ways—from an array of suggested workouts to the history of yoga to essays on spirituality to suggestions for daily yoga-friendly living. It's important to spend time reading, studying, and filling your mind with the types of ideas and concepts that inspire you. If you study a posture on the written level, your mind will understand it in a different way, and your body may even find it easier to follow. We can't always be movin' and shakin'!

If you thrive on reading, read to your heart's content—but don't just read. You also need to act. Get up and try what the book suggests. Following the postures from a picture and some text might be challenging at first, but once you find the posture, it will feel right, and pretty soon, you'll have your sequence of poses memorized.

But don't stop there! The more you learn about yoga, the wiser you'll be. Find books with more asanas you haven't tried yet. Check out the Bhagavad Gita (that classic Indian epic about Krishna, Prince Arjuna, and the meaning of life). Find a teacher whose views make sense to you, and read everything you can by and about him or her. You may find that as your life changes, your yoga goals and interests change and grow. Just go back to the library or the bookstore and find another book more in keeping with your developing state of mind. And always maintain a balance between reading and doing, doing and reading. Mind, body. Body, mind.

What better first book than the one you have in your hands? We hope this book is piquing your interest and that you have begun your yoga journey with us. After you've mastered this book, you won't feel like a "complete idiot" about yoga (even though you never were, as we explained in Chapter 1, "Why Practice Yoga?"). You'll be able to progress in your yoga practice with confidence and aplomb.

Yoga on the Net

For all you computer-heads and Internet lovers out there, despair not! The Internet is brimming with great yoga resources, from class information to "postures of the week" to peer support to spiritual guidance and inspiration. Of course, you always want to be careful when it comes to the people you talk to and where you send your money— use your common sense, then start surfing for yoga sites! Keep in mind that these Web sites do frequently change, as do their addresses. Here are a few to check out:

>- YOYOGA! with Joan is Joan's (yes, the Joan co-authoring these very words!) marvelous yoga Web site with asanas of the week, yoga tips, and other wonderful wisdom, including the ever-popular "Yo Joan!" forum for all your yoga questions. Look up Joan at.

>- Temple of Kriya Yoga Chicago, where Joan studied, has a great Web site with plenty of resources and links. Check it out at.

>- The Yoga Anand Ashram site contains lots of great poses and meditation information with pictures and clear explanations. It covers many aspects of yoga, and the site is user-friendly.

>- Yoga Voices is a printed monthly newsletter's online version, self-described as "dedicated to co-creating a healing community aligned with spirit, aligned with the resonation of unity and unconditional acceptance of all paths and all voices." The site includes an asana of the month and even poetry. Look it up at.

>- The Yoga Journal is probably the most famous yoga magazine and well worth the read. Browse through it at.

>- Yoga International is another excellent and popular yoga magazine. Check out highlights of current issues and back issues at  yogaintl/index.htm.

>- Yoga Site is an "eclectic collection of yoga connections" and is full of yoga information, from philosophy to finding a teacher in your area. Great reading.

>- YogaChicago is a bi-monthly resource guide to yoga activities in the Chicago area and elsewhere.

>- The Spirituality/Yoga/Hinduism home page has beauty and brains—beautiful art, great graphics, and lots of information. Check it out at  RodeoDrive/1415/index.html.

>- The Self-Realization Fellowship is a worldwide religious organization dedicated to carrying on the spiritual and humanitarian work of Paramahansa Yogananda. Check it out at.

>- The Sivananda Yoga "OM" page is the homepage of the International Siv-ananda Yoga Vedanta Center, a nonprofit organization founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda to spread the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta worldwide. Find them at.

>- Himalayan International Institute of Yoga and Philosophy combines Eastern wisdom and Western knowledge. The institute offers a wide variety of seminars and programs.

Passage to India

Maybe you're serious about yoga—and we mean really serious. If you have the time, the resources, and the desire, you might consider actually venturing across the ocean and visiting yoga's homeland: India. After all, if you want to learn from the masters, shouldn't you go where the masters live?

Well, not necessarily. So many wonderful yoga masters have come to the United States to live and teach that you needn't traverse the ocean to meet or study with them. And yoga has been in the West for so long that many excellent teachers have been born and bred right here among us!

A trip to India may be more valuable for you if you are interested in exploring yoga's historical context, or if you are simply fascinated with the culture. Of course, India today is far more Westernized than it used to be, and it may not be what you expect. On the other hand, maybe it will meet your every expectation. If

you're a traveler at heart and feel your own personal journey would be richly enhanced by the trip, go ahead!

But hold on—hang up the phone, don't call your travel agent just yet. If a trip to India interests you, you'll get the most from it if you spend a good deal of time and effort learning everything possible about yoga right where you are. Once you've learned what your own country can teach you, you'll have the knowledge, skill, and connections to reap the benefits of a trip to yoga's homeland. Check out the India Travel Promotion Network Web site at  or Lonely Planet's Destination India page at.

And if the idea of a trip to India doesn't appeal to you? Of course that's fine! You can learn all you need to know right where you are. Wonderful, competent, and qualified yoga teachers exist in virtually every city, and you can practice yoga just as well in your own living room as you can on another continent (probably better!).

The Least You Need to Know

V Yoga is best learned from a good teacher in a class environment.

V Finding a teacher who is right for your personality is important for successful yoga practice.

V You can also learn yoga at home through books, video and audio cassettes, and the Internet.

V Going to India can be a rich, rewarding cultural experience, but you don't need to go there to do yoga.