# types of yoga **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262 "2016-04-05T15:36:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/1 "2016-04-05T15:36:16Z")
I hope this is the correct forum, my apologies if not. My doctor wants me to take up yoga. I am almost 60 years old, way overweight and really not graceful or flexible, not to mention I don’t like to sweat a lot. I see there a lot of classes in my area but I don’t know where to start other than I don’t want the hot. Hatha, Flow, Hot, Therapeutic, Iyengar are some of the options. Can someone tell me where I should start looking? I may see about taking some private lessons so it can be geared to my particular set of issues unless I see a class of “beginning yoga for fat chicks”. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/2 "2016-04-05T15:39:40Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > I hope this is the correct forum, my apologies if not. > > My doctor wants me to take up yoga. I am almost 60 years old, way overweight and really not graceful or flexible, not to mention I don’t like to sweat a lot. I see there a lot of classes in my area but I don’t know where to start other than I don’t want the hot. Hatha, Flow, Hot, Therapeutic, Iyengar are some of the options. > > Can someone tell me where I should start looking? > > I may see about taking some private lessons so it can be geared to my particular set of issues unless I see a class of “beginning yoga for fat chicks”. Do you have a YMCA near you? They usually offer good intro classes that are basic general “this is what yoga is like” format. Take a few of those and branch out from there. You may find, after doing it for a while, that what you end up liking is not what you expected to like. A ton of people think they are going to hate hot yoga but most people change their minds after practicing for a while and hot yoga ends up being their favorite. Stay away from anything that isn’t explicitly labeled for beginners for now, and you should be ok. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/3 "2016-04-05T17:16:31Z")
You will not want to start out with Bikram yoga, I can assure you. Look to see if any of the gyms near you offer Les Mills classes. One of their classes is [Body Flow](http://www.lesmills.com/us/workouts/fitness-classes/bodyflow/), which is a yoga-based class. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/4 "2016-04-05T17:32:44Z")
Beyond classes that are clearly identified as beginner, look for breathe or restorative yoga classes. IMHO they are lower intensity classes that are fairly calming, about slow flowing movements, and calming. I’m not as old s you but not a spring chicken either. I’m overweight and not very flexible. I find the types of classes I’ve suggested to be very enjoyable experiences. Keep in mind yoga is a practice. It is all internal to you and you can go at your pace to your ability and benefit from it. It doesn’t matter if the people around you are more flexible, have better balance, etc. At least that is my very non-Yogi understanding. Haha ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/5 "2016-04-05T17:38:58Z")
Either “gentle” or “restorative” should be a good start for you. Iyengar might be too depending on the approach of the teacher. You might want to avoid classes with hot, power, flow, and/or vinyassa in the name for now. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/6 "2016-04-05T20:38:46Z")
There are yoga classes specifically for older people. Are you interested in classes at a gym, or something at home? If you look on Amazon for “gentle yoga” you’ll get a ton of hits for at home yoga for beginners. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/7 "2016-04-05T21:43:01Z")
I want to have an instructor to start because from what I understand practising incorrectly can be damaging. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/8 "2016-04-05T22:27:55Z")
There’s a practice called “yin yoga” that is slow stretching without the sweaty weird contortions that some others have. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-yoga/751262/9 "2016-04-05T22:39:36Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > I want to have an instructor to start because from what I understand practising incorrectly can be damaging. This is a good call. Look for a studio that has a range of styles and class types and check some of them out. You can often get a good deal as a new student–like a two-week unlimited pass for 20-30 bucks.