When it comes to learning a new yoga pose or fine-tuning a move from class, some students are turning to the Internet instead of self-help books.
I think a visual demonstration of yoga is the best way to do it
said Alyse Mullins, an Ohio University junior studying media management. It's so much easier than getting a book from the library.
For Mullins, who teaches yoga classes at the Ping Recreation Center, the Web provides a resource to pick up new poses for her classes. Watching the pose in motion allows her to monitor the breathing patterns in addition to the posture, Mullins said.
Online there's so many options she said, adding that DVDs, which can be a good way to practice yoga from home, don't offer the same variety and usually cost more.
For some yogis, however, practicing under the instruction of an online video or DVD detracts from the personal connection fostered at a yoga studio.
I kind of really like that personal connection said Rebecca Wood, who instructs yoga at her studio Holistic Journeys, 14411 Rocky Point Rd., and at the Ping Center.
Practicing yoga in a studio allows instructors to work one-on-one with their students to help them modify and improve their form, Wood said. Online videos, however, provide another access point to expose people to yoga, she said.
It has brought different people at least into the conversation
Wood said.
Although Internet users can find yoga clips on YouTube or through a Google search, some sites provide full-length lessons for a subscription fee or for free.
One site, Yoga Today, currently provides free downloads paid for by advertising, but will move to a new business plan in the coming weeks. The site will offer one free class a week and access to an archive of at least 180 videos for $9.99 a month, said Kim Whitman, the site's executive producer.
The site's programs have attracted about 7 million views since Yoga Today launched in June 2006, Whitman said.
Although online yoga videos can be an effective supplement to studio practice, inexperienced students risk injury by attempting advanced poses without instruction, Mullins said.
A lot of time people don't have the right form and that can be very dangerous
she said. If you're going to go online ... make sure it's an instructor demonstrating moves.
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Culture
Meghan McNamara
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