Q about Hatha Yoga

[Astral1t1]

I realize that Hatha yoga is for me and I will start to practice in near future. Coz the place where I live I don't have any place or teacher or anyone who can teach me this yoga, I have only this book "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga - By H. David Coulter" and it has 623 pages and I think it completes everything about hatha yoga. So my question is: do You suggest me to practice this yoga by myself in my home, or I should/must have a teacher for proper work? Every asana is very well explained and I think I can master it. I have never done any yoga so plz give me some advice. Thanks.

[Serpentarius]

I think you should get a teacher. A teacher will observe how you do asanas and correct your mistakes and give you useful guidance.

[Pneumaphor]

I would recommend learning hatha yoga to anyone whether they have a teacher or just a book to learn from. However, one should definitely take classes if at all possible to get on-the-fly pointers as soon as the option opened. There is no real substitute for a teacher. I would recommend "Lilias Yoga and You." It's great for a beginner because it's a small concise book that one can easily hold in one hand while they're rolling around on the floor learning.

[Beekeeper]

I met a yoga teacher who initially taught herself from books and videos because she lived in a small country town with no yoga teacher. She started with a small group of women who decided she was the best and nominated her to become the teacher. So she started going to yoga retreats and eventually did her training.

I would recommend that you start with your book and then consider some type of yoga residential when you have the funds and feel competent enough to be in a class. Videos are good as another resource because you observe the instructor moving into and out of in the correct postures and there's a repetition factor in the verbalising of the posture that helps you internalise the procedure.

Be conscious of sequencing of postures too so that you counterpose and rest muscles you've been working with. This will also stop you from being all over the place - sitting, kneeling, prone, standing, prone, kneeling, inverted, sitting, lying- you get the idea. I can send you some hour long lesson plans for beginners if you like. You can leave out the Pranayama and work steadily through the exercises. I'd wait for a teacher for more dangerous inversion style postures (I'd remove these from the lesson plans before I send them to you). So, you'd probably be down to a 40 minute session, including Savasana/Corpse pose which you should do at the end of every vigorous session so that your central nervous system can recover.

The joy of a class is the group energy, the variety and the way it motivates you to keep going.

Namaste

[Astral1t1]

Thank you all for your reply.

@Beekeeper I'm just like that yoga teacher who you met. I decide to start with this book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga" and some videos, and at the end if I have the money I will join some yoga classes or find a teacher in other city. Thanks again.