Can you practice yoga without a teacher?

Baybee123 · #1 30-10-2015, 11:44 PM

I really want to start practicing yoga but I'm not sure whether it's possible to do so by watching DVDs and not going to a yoga class?
I thought with postures you needed a teacher to tell you if you're doing it right?

Clover · #2 31-10-2015, 12:23 AM

It would be advisable for you to take a class. No one can teach you better than an instructor. Also, depending on the difficulty of the pose, you can most definitely injure yourself. I have injured myself before. That saying, I self taught myself most positions. Youtube.

So yes, you can practice without a teacher. In time, most people do practice alone and without a teacher.

There are many different types of Yoga. I like to go on Pinterest and pin them to my Yoga section.

kris · #3 31-10-2015, 01:56 PM

I do yoga at home now. But I started by going to yoga classes. I think it is better to start out with a good teacher and then progress to doing it on your own.

Shinsoo · #4 31-10-2015, 02:23 PM

Totally possible, but how effective it is involves a lot of variables.

For someone like me, when practicing at home, I don't push myself as much and thusly my practice gets kind of stagnant. A part of me still is very competitive, and I am far more likely to push myself healthily if I'm surrounded by others.

There's also the fact that even with dvds and youtube vids, one really does benefit from actual live yoga instruction in a class...the instructor can show you different ways to make the pose easier or harder, and give you tips to improve your form, whatnot. In short, make it a deeper practice, as one of my instructors says.

I'd say attend yoga classes for a while, and don't be afraid to ask about a new pose or help with said pose if you have a question, until you feel you know enough to form your own routines to what your feel you need.

Baybee123 · #5 31-10-2015, 07:48 PM

Thank you:)
Will probably join a class in the new year, classes are quite expensive:(.. In the meantime I will probably look into YouTube.

wstein · #6 01-11-2015, 05:31 AM

You would benefit greatly from some type of body training. As others have said, you can get injured. A lot of the issue is that you don't know how your body is positioned in space and you don't know at a visceral level what a limit is. As such you can easily over stress a joint or fall while in an awkward position. There are of course some bad habits that you may not even know you are doing (like bouncing).

Once you get a sense of your body in space, what a physical limit is, and how weight feels in atypical positions, it is feasible to continue on your own. Something like dance, martial arts, skate boarding, or gymnastics would be sufficient IF you had a decent teacher.

Its not rocket science but there is little point in hurting yourself unnecessarily.

One last thing, yoga is not a race, going slowly will avoid many of the risk situations.

#7 10-11-2015, 06:35 AM

I think it depends on the person, how well they know their body and how intuitive they are when connecting to it if that makes any sense. I have taken a class here and there. When I started Yoga wasn't as widely spread as it is now and classes were pretty cheap. The best thing I got out of it was help with corrections to postures I was a little off on. You feel the difference. You come to know based on how it feels whether or not you are doing an asana properly. I gotta say one can definitely practice yoga without a teacher but a teacher will help you learn it. For some folks a few classes is enough to know intuitively, for others it could take more. I think it's cool that there are DVD's and YouTube videos to use, imagine having only books! LoL

Flexi-Girl · #8 13-12-2015, 10:52 PM

I believe yoga can be done without a teacher! In fact, I find teachers to be an encumbrance.

Melahin · #9 13-12-2015, 11:15 PM

It is about learning to listen to your body... only you can do that. No teacher can, and no teaching of yoga can tell you how it should feel. Simply learn to listen to your body that is all that is needed. Generally dont do anything that does not feel good

I do though love to go to classes even though there can be greater freedom in not going.

MIND POWER · #10 15-12-2015, 03:30 PM

Afew months ago, i implemented one yoga exercise into my day. And i also renamed it! and on the particular site that i stumbled across this yoga exercise, it stated that if you could hold this (position) for 6 minutes! that's like amazing!

Well anyway it took me only 1 week, to hit 6 minutes. No classes, no instruction, just my own skills..hahaha!

But yes why not make a event of yoga, and join a class! and get your feet wet....

Its obvious that you can learn and do poses by yourself but.? sometimes it is good to make an event with certain activities.....

You see..? because i learnt that one exercise! and i could hold it for 6 minutes, which is apparently really good. But did i learn the true ethos of yoga..? no! i am a honest man. But more than likely if i would of joined a class and got my feet wet, i would of maybe understood the spiritual ethos and culture abit more! that's providing i would of found a good teacher.....