Very New. Very.

[admbmb]

I have been contemplating Yoga for quite some time now. I'd like to start doing it.
The first thing stopping me is time and money. That's not the biggest of issues however.

The main thing is that I am, and have been my entire life, extraordinarily stiff. My back is in knots, my left knee is a little iffy, and I have a very hard time even sitting on the floor, legs extended, at a 90-degree angle because of the inflexability of my hips. I'm in my early twenties.

I stretch every morning. Nothing horribly fancy, just some general loosening up.

I've made some progess doing this for about a month. (For example, I've never been able to touch the floor while standing until about two or three months ago). Recently I've noticed the progress has stopped. I can only get to a certain point in my stretches before I can go no longer.

So I guess I have a couple questions...

1. Why does my body re-stiffen every night? Could it be how I sleep?
2. If I was to try Yoga, I've been told that I would need a personal trainer because I am so inflexible. Would this be a good idea?
3. Can anybody point me to easy-to-learn 'home yoga'-type stretches that might help prepare me for the future?

Thanks.

 

[R.Lewis]

1st things 1st... Dont strech in the morning.

Only strech when your muscles are warm and strech more than once a day.

yoga is great for anyone, most DVDs will take you safely thru the basics.

 

[stingo]

A good instructor will be able to give you feedback on how you're doing your poses, most importantly correcting your form. Suggesting modifications to poses given your condition would also be of great help, so I'd suggest seeking out a good class/instructor so you can get the basics from a reliable source.