How to pick a Yoga class

There are so many styles of Yoga to choose from, and so many studios and teachers, that finding your sweet spot in the Yoga landscape can be tough. For many it is a gamble, where you pick a class at random and see where it takes you. That's not a bad option to be very honest, but being aware of a few facts might help you find your way a little easier. A little history:

"Many modern schools of hatha yoga derive from the school of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who taught from 1924 until his death in 1989. Among his students prominent in popularizing yoga in the West were K. Pattabhi Jois, famous for popularizing the vigorous Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga style, B. K. S. Iyengar who emphasizes alignment and the use of props, Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar who developed the Viniyoga style. Desikachar founded the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, with the aim of making available the heritage of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya.

Another major stream of influence was Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963) and his many disciples including, among others, Swami Vishnu-devananda - founder of International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres; Swami Satyananda - of the Bihar School of Yoga; and Swami Satchidananda - of Integral Yoga". (Thank you Wikipedia)

Styles of Yoga:

In truth, there is no "style" or any particular tradition of Yoga. There is just Yoga. Yoga is defined in many ways but the way I like to define it is "equanimity of mind". The Yoga Sutra is the book at the side of my mat, and it mentions nothing of religion, sweating, core strength, vegetarianism...it's just all about Yoga.

The first thing you need to do before picking a class is to figure out why you want to begin (or return to) a Yoga practice. Have five reasons and try to prioritise them for yourself. Use that list to guide you through the forest of possibilities, so that you stay true to yourself and are not seduced by advertising, or something other than what you are after. Don't judge your reasons either, there is no bad reason to start a Yoga practice. If you want to lose a few pounds and that's top of your list, then that's where you begin. If you have no interest in meditation, in philosophy, in chanting, and you just really want a strong stomach for the first time in your life...that's ok. Desikachar says that taking up a Yoga practice does not require you to give up smoking, become a vegetarian, becoming a Hindu or a Buddhist or changing anything else about yourself. Come as you are and work from there.

Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Vinyasa, Viniyoga, and more all really at the heart all the same thing. Even within the styles of Yoga you will find that there is a variance in how it is taught according to the teacher that you have. Really, all Yoga is essentially Ashtanga Yoga anyway, because the eightfold path is at the heart of the practice of Yoga. If you go to an Ashtanga class though, you will experience a beautiful sequence taught to you one Asana (pose) at a time. If you go to a Yin Yoga class, it'll be different each time and amazingly gentle and inspiring. I often see Vinyasa Yoga on timetables, and "Vinyasa" means "the correct placement" or "to place in a special way". It basically means that we're not just hanging out in postures and dropping into one from another. It's accurate, careful and done with great awareness. In that sense, then again, all Yoga is Vinyasa yoga.

There is no right or wrong here in terms of what you pick to do, just be honest with yourself and be sure that it's what you need right now in your life. If one class hasn't worked for you, try another teacher, a new studio, a different style. Your teacher is out there somewhere.

I have my own ideas of what I think Yoga is and also how I like to teach Yoga to students. I don't however think that my way is the only way. I personally loathe Bikram, but know that many others get a lot of benefit from attending those classes. There is no right and wrong, and as you grow as a Yogi, your views will change. You will be plenty flexible enough to change your mind when you need to. Try not to judge the styles you try or the teachers, but focus on what is working for you and be honest when it's not. If it isn't, walk away and try somewhere else. It's nobody's fault, it just isn't what you need right now.

You must be able to breathe calmly and evenly. If your breath is staggered or laboured, what you are doing is too hard. You will not achieve Yoga by doing whatever it is. You also won't achieve  a strong and flexible body either, because you leave yourself open to injury. Ask for a modification or go to a different class. Ideally the teacher should be able to modify the posture for you, until you are ready to open yourself to it in its entirety. This is not you being defeated by the practice, but rather one of the first lessons of Yoga: compassion and humility.

Teachers:

Yes, you do need a teacher. Buying a DVD to learn Yoga is the same as buying a DVD on Skydiving to learn how to jump out of plane. In the same way as a skydiving instructor will be able to guide you through all the safety requirements, through the technicalities, through the necessary training, and through the fear, a Yoga teacher does much the same for you.  You can really hurt yourself physically and also emotionally by doing these practices in the wrong way. You do need help, believe me.

When choosing your teacher, the most important thing is really your connection with them. I have studied with some very famous and wonderful teachers who I felt I just didn't connect with. Find the right teacher for you by trying as many as you need to until you are satisfied that you have found the right person for you. You should respect them and you should feel respected by them in return. You should feel a connection to them. A connection is the feeling that they understand you and your needs, and that you also trust them completely to guide you. Know also that you will perhaps need a change of teacher at some time. That's ok too, and don't be afraid to chat about that with your teacher. I'm not the right teacher for everyone, and I know that I am for some.

"The teacher within" is something you will hear about at some point. At the end of the day you are the hero of your own life, and your can have many guides...but you will discover that there is a teacher inside of you. Even for those who have discovered the teacher within, a teacher from the outside is useful too. Brene Brown says that a therapist who sees other therapists is just a therapist with a higher BS monitor. My Yoga teachers are very much like this for me.

There are many teacher training courses out there and there are no real standards either. This makes it harder for you to pick a good teacher, but on the flipside it opens you up to many different types of teachers. I know some courses will put someone through a teacher training program when they have less than a year of Yoga practice under their belt, and will do so in a matter of weeks. There are no shortcuts though, and you will see the quality of the teaching will be affected. Trust yourself to sense that. If something doesn't feel right or sound right to you, ask. If you are really not satisfied with the answer, seek it elsewhere.

Studios:

These days I tend to attend workshops more regularly that I do classes, but when I do I appreciate it when the studio is local so I don't have to travel far, and it's important to me that it have a light and easy going atmosphere. Like everyone I appreciate good customer service and I think that a Yoga studio especially should be walking the talk.

You will have your own ideas about what you want and don't want from a studio. Keep in mind though that it doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of teachers who teach there. Many teachers work at more than one studio, and in most places I have found teachers that I loved going to and others that I just didn't.  Try a few different things and see what works for you.

I have attended classes in school halls, on beaches, in churches, in community centers, in parks, in ashrams, in plush studios and very austere ones. It doesn't really matter to me so much, I have appreciated them all immensely.

Equipment:

Buy a good quality mat of your own, because it's hygienic to have your own and environmentally responsible to buy one that will last you.  Bring a hand towel, it will be useful for mopping up  any sweat, or tears. Bring a water bottle, but don't have a tummy full of water before practice, and only drink if you really need to during the class. Drink plenty afterwards if you feel you need it. We are usually working on building some heat into the body, and by drinking cold fluids you extinguish it. Wear comfortable clothes that you can move in. You do not need to buy any specialist clothing from any specialist Yoga clothes supplier. Shorts and t-shirts work pretty good. I've even practised in my PJ's and they work fine too.

Etiquette:

Introduce yourself to the teacher when you are new to a class. Let them know how much experience you have and if you have any injuries questions or concerns. Ask someone else which way the class faces if you are unsure, or where you should place your mat. Usually this is made pretty clear, some studios have tape that indicates a mat space. Be open minded. You may be invited to chant, or to do some other thing that breaches your comfort zone. Give it go, you might like it. If you don't like something, talk to your teacher about it at the end. Ask yourself why you didn't like it. Do not judge other students, the teacher, or yourself. Take it all in one breath at a time and let it all out again. Don't look around the room and compare yourself to other people. This is totally unproductive. You are working with a different body to everyone else. There can be no competition here.

You should question things though. If something doesn't ring quite right with you, enquire, do some research, read, learn and make up your mind. It's ok to disagree with something, this is your journey. Be respectful in your disagreement, but be honest and true to yourself. I have many friends from many different walks of Yoga and I count myself lucky to have them in my life, although we don't agree on  everything.

My friend Maria says "don't wait to find the perfect studio, the perfect teacher, the perfect equipment, the perfect time...to start going to a yoga class. So many times it happens to me that...and I never start doing what I want-need to do. Simply...just drop in. Then if you don't like something you can always change it. And after trying one and another class, yoga style and teacher, if you are open enough, you will realize that everyone has given you something useful for your practice...in or out of your yoga mat."

Things I wish I'd known before I started:

• The postures don't really matter in the long run, but in the short term they will help
• The Yoga practice I need will change as I change
• Practice, practice, practice...just for the sake of the practice
• Using props is not being defeated
• The practice is embodied: you have to walk the talk to feel it
• Being flexible and strong is not a prerequisite
• Neither is being calm
• I will look silly sometimes and that's ok
• Some postures will take me years
• The breath is where it's at
• My compassion must include myself

I wish you a lot of heart on your Yoga journey. It is worth the time, it is worth getting up for, it's worth sharing, it's worth all the effort, and all the resources invested in it. You will eat humble pie and you will learn to savour it each bite at a time. You will love the things it unlocks for you, and how shiny your life becomes as a result. I wish you courage, and many wonderful supportive teachers. Enjoy!

Here is Philip Askew, who never fails to inspire me (and no, after 10 years, I still can't do it all!):

Meditation and innovation

photo credit: j / f / photos Meditation has recently made the mainstream news several times. All kinds of famous and successful entrepreneurs, businessman, actors, sports people and more are saying how it has helped them in their lives. That in itself has been compelling enough for even more people to start trying out meditation and blogging about it, telling others over coffee, or chatting about it around the water cooler (if there is such a thing in offices these days!). Some say we are seeing a "consciousness revolution". I like the sound of that, it's exciting. I can't say whether or not it's true though.

The science:

There is a growing body of scientific evidence for the benefits of meditation. the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine (at Massachusetts General hospital) found that people who meditate correctly on a regular basis enjoy measurable changes and the numbers are pretty good:

- 80% of hypertension patients lowered their blood pressure

- Infertile women who meditated have a 42% conception rate

- Women with PMS had a 57% reduction in physical and psychological symptoms

Doctors at Harvard Medical School carried out research on meditation practitioners and found that meditation has a positive effect on health and affects various body systems. Those findings are published in a book called The Relaxation Response. If you're keen to investigate the science around it, there are many resources available to you, and while it's interesting, I think that there is no better way to understand it than to experience the benefits of meditation for yourself.

Where to start?

You do not need any special equipment, not even a quiet room. I have meditated on buses, ferries, supermarket queues and even in the toilets at work. You don't have to be religious to meditate, although it is present in many religions. Buddhist centers around the world offer drop-in classes in my experience, as do some community centers and hospitals. To begin with, having a quiet room will keep you from getting distracted. With practice, you'll be able to stay focused in the eye of any storm. And in some respects this is kind of what we're trying to do. In 3 words: To Be Present.

Pema Chodron says that meditation is all about making friends with yourself. In my last post "Empty your cup" I mentioned that our preconceptions get in the way of life. Being with yourself, passing no judgement, having no opinion, and having no inner monologue going on will allow you to peel back the layers and see yourself. The real you. Just so we have some markers, that's where you're aiming. What happens after that has occurred enough times is change. That's different for all of us.

First of all, there are many many different types of meditation. Not all of them will suit you, you'll need to find a way that works for you. There is heart-centered meditation, breath meditation, mantra, mind-centered meditation, visualisation, chanting, body-meditation (of which yoga belongs to), zazen and countless other kinds. All of these different methods can be understood as different doors leading to the same place. The meditation method is there to help you stay focused on spending time with yourself and not having conversations with yourself or making up stories for yourself. This is exceptionally hard for many of us.

For this reason, you learn to crawl before you can walk. To begin with your meditation practice will be perhaps up to a minute long, and then as you become more practiced maybe several hours long. To start with many of us can't even sit still for a few minutes, let alone meditate, and so just sitting doing nothing is a good place to start. Eventually, you'll start to experience the practice. You have to experience it for yourself rather than intellectualise it. It's a bit like trying to describe how something tastes to someone who has never tasted.

Can meditation be dangerous?

Yes. If it is not done correctly it can harm you. Some people have reported hearing voices, others started feeling unsettled or panicked, there are many more individual experiences that you can read about. Dr Maggie Phillips, a specialist in pain management has been quoted saying:

“I’ve had people that went to these five- to eight-day-long retreats, and they were practically basket cases when they came out the other end. And they’re told, “You just have to be more patient.’ A lot of spiritual teachers don’t know how to look at the internal dynamics and how they interact with types of relaxation and meditation.”

Don't enrol on a Vipassna retreat as a complete beginner, it takes time to build up that kind of mental strength and flexibility. Same as you wouldn't sign up for an ultra marathon, having never run 5km before. Having a teacher really is a wonderful thing, as you will be guided and gently  progress at a pace that is suited and safe. You might think it sounds a bit dramatic, but in my experience, the first things you learn about yourself when you start to really meditate, are all the things you didn't know and don't like. I was confronted with the undeniable fact that I was really afraid of failing and that was a big can of worms (for the record, I think failing is important and useful now). It's part of the process I think and insights like that allow you to become a much better person, but it's hard work. After the initial revelations, you reach other levels, but everyone's journey is unique.

How to meditate:

I'm not a meditation teacher or an experienced practitioner, but I am a regular practitioner of several years. I can't tell you what to do in this blog post, but I can describe my usual method, which will change in time and with practice.

My preferred method is to sit cross-legged or in half-lotus, spine tall, chin gently tucked in, eyes closed. Then I scan my body and make myself really aware of what it fels like to be in it. This part allows me to "ground myself" which basically means to gain a greater level of awareness and focus. Then I bring my attention to the breath and the sensation of inhaling and exhaling (feelings like hot and cold, where I can feel the breath in my body). This process allows me settle in with myself and then when thoughts arise, I let them, but I don't get involved with them. It's sort of like standing very still on a very busy (sometimes hectic) street.

It's tough to start with because you find yourself thinking about what's for dinner, and what jobs you still have to do today, who said what to whom, and where you left your glasses and so on. Noticing you're doing this is part of the practice. When you do, just come back to the breath. Eventually, after (in my case) lots of practice, you will begin to notice yourself doing this during your day, and you'll be able to stop your mind from taking over. Many meditators refer to this as "monkey mind". Realising it's there is a pretty good start.

Then it will try to deceive you. I remember using "counted breath meditation" where you count on each inhale and each exhale. You keep going until you lose count (because your mind has wandered) and you start again at 1. My mind managed to keep count and in parallel have a big discussion about which wallpaper wold work best in my fantasy house. I'd think to myself "I must be still focused since I know I've kept count", until it because obvious what had happened. No more counted breath for me then!

My mind loves numbers and patterns, colours and vistas...I try to stay away from those things in meditation because I'm not strong enough to keep my mind tethered. Yet.

There's a nice little story I heard once: A monk kept falling asleep during meditation, so his teacher sat him on the edge of cliff. He never fell asleep again! I think we all have our cliffs...time to find them.

A brilliant book for beginners is Jack Kornfield's "Meditation for beginners"

Meditation and life as an innovator

Let's face it, if your mind is not occupied in an endless monologue about trivialities, it'll have a lot more capacity to work on matters of creativity, innovation and generate fresh and useful ideas. You'll notice that not only do you wonder what's for dinner, but you do this endlessly, stuck in some kind of loop. This is really not the best use for that brilliant tool, so stop being its slave and put it to work on things that matter.

A really useful side-effect of meditation is that you end up being a lot more compassionate towards yourself. This understanding allows you to be compassionate to everyone around you. You become more in touch with the world around you and more in synch. This is fertile ground for good ideas. Voltaire was correct when he said "You should cultivate your own garden".

A quote I have been pondering for a really long time is:

“Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exists.” (Bhagavad Gita)

I guess I conclude that if you can't see everything that is present, then you are missing out on a whole lot of inspiration.

The following are deeply deeply experienced practitioners. Meet them if you can:

Jack Kornfield:

“When we come into the present, we begin to feel the life around us again, but we also encounter whatever we have been avoiding. We must have the courage to face whatever is present / our pain, our desires, our grief, our loss, our secret hopes our love / everything that moves us most deeply.”

Pema Chodron:

“What's encouraging about meditation is that even if we shut down, we can no longer shut down in ignorance. We see very clearly that we're closing off. That in itself begins to illuminate the darkness of ignorance.”

Eckhart Tolle:

"Why does the mind habitually deny or resist the Now? Because it cannot function and remain in control without time, which is past and future, so it perceives the timeless Now as threatening. Time and mind are in fact inseparable."

Jon Kabat-Zinn:

"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little."

Thich Nhat Hanh

“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn lectured at Google and plenty of other places about meditation, his talks are a great place to start.

So you're a Guru...really?

photo credit: harminder dhesi photography

There are so many job titles these days with the term "Guru" in them. I have seen countless business cards with the job titles "Management Guru", "Programming Guru", Innovations Guru", "Analytics Guru". Linkedin Chief Scientist DJ Patil wrote an interesting piece on the rise and fall of different job titles. He writes that the term "Ninja" is on the up, as is "Evangelist" and that "Guru" declined as from 2008. It looks like the "Ninjas" are killing off the "Gurus", but there's still a lot of them about.

Occupations that didn't exist previously and emerging more and more. I think we like give contemporary names that fit the Zeitgeist. I'm pretty sure we will see more creative names in the next few years, but for now I really wanted to explore the job title "Guru".

"Guru" is a Sanskrit word meaning "teacher". Literally, it means "Destroyer of darkness", because "Gu" means "darkness" and "ru" means light. The idea is that the Guru dispels ignorance (the darkness) and brings you into the light. In the yoga scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, a Guru is someone who guides you to spiritual enlightenment. S/He is a devine teacher who has realised the Self and can now guide others to do the same. In fact, in Buddhist and Hindu traditions the Guru is regarded as "God on earth". In the west, traditionally it has loosely been accepted that Gurus are people who have followers. Gurus are not self-appointed, they are selected by their students and they are essentially very very sought after teachers.

Some things Gurus do:

• They teach 24/7
• They look after their students
• They don't preach
• They have no ego
• They work for the good of all mankind
• They are self-realised
• They don't bless you, they make you work hard to gain knowledge
• They are very ethical
• They are highly knowledgeable (and this knowledge is not just intellectual)
• They are great communicators
• They show you the way
• They have great humility

Modern Gurus are the Dalai Lama, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Paramahansa Yogananda and Thich Nhat Hanh for example.

T.K.V Desikachar (a very very senior yoga teacher) describes a Guru like this:

"A Guru is not one who has a following. A Guru is someone who can show me the way. Suppose I'm in the forest and I have lost my way. Then I'll ask a person "Is this the way home?". That person may say "Yes, you go this way". I say "Thank you" and I go on my way. That is a Guru. There is an image in the world today that the Guru has a following and that his students follow him like the Pied Piper. That is not good. The true Guru shows you the way. You go your own way and then you're on your own, because you know your place and you are grateful."

It's interesting because Krishnamacharya, T.K.V Desikachar's father, is remembered as a great Guru, but he never thought of himself in that way. My own teacher Pattabhi Jois was affectionately known as "Guruji" meaning "little Guru". He also never thought of himself in that way.

Before meeting Guruji, I didn't care much for the fanfare surrounding the fact he was a Guru and all this. The minute that I met him I got it. It's not what someone like that stands for, it's more about how they make you feel. I believe we can choose our own Gurus. Like Desikachar says, someone who shows you the way is a Guru. I don't think that you can apply to be a Guru and I reckon that even if they don't get a pay check, Gurus will still be Gurus regardless.

I have met a lot of very very special people, highly trained and knowledgeable people, incredibly talented people, hugely inspiring people...but I have only met one Guru. It's a heavy title.

"Flash pirates", "Java monkeys", "SEO ninjas", "Process black-belts" and non-religious evangelists are sought after for their "stealthy methods" and "warrior skills". They populate our job boards and I like the tongue in cheek-ness of it all. But if you think you're a "Guru", you're probably not.

How to have good ideas

photo credit: olishaw

A few weeks ago, my friend Mark Pollard wrote a cool little post called "3 simple ideas that will change your life". In this post he talks about food and exercise and how you can improve your life pretty easily by following a few simple rules. I've worked with Mark in the business of having good ideas for a year, and wanted to explore a few things we can all do to promote those on a daily basis. I'll share with you a cool doodle, some of the science, something called "Neurobics" and why yoga works.

We've all been in situations where we need to come up with a good idea for something, but we just keep hitting a wall and not getting anywhere. As a strategist and a computer scientist, I rely on my ability to have interesting thoughts and innovative ideas to make a living. The level of creativity required to do this on a daily basis is fairly high. Once an idea has been hatched, there is a serious amount of work required to refine it and make it great, but the initial burst of inspiration needed at the beginning is sometimes the hardest part.

In order to have a good idea, it sometimes feels like the planets need to align and something out of our control needs to happen for us to produce something truly new and original. The truth is that there's a lot of things we can do to make circumstances very favourable. Frank Chimero has a really lovely doodle explaining how to have a great idea. The main takeaways from that are:

- Good ideas come from allogical connections, not logical ones (like in a computer) - Do something (don't just sit and wait for inspiration) - Find associations between ideas and do research if necessary - Have lots and lots of ideas

The science:

From a scientific perspective, our neurons need "Elasticity" and "Plasticity". Elasticity is the physical drive that powers your muscles giving you strength and balance. Plasticity is the mental drive that gives you cognition and memory. Elasticity will enable you to be graceful, flexible, mobile and plasticity will ensure you are adaptable, versatile and fluid. Throughout our lives, our neural networks reorganise and reorganise themselves in response to stimuli. The body-mind interaction stimulates the brain cells to grow and form complex connections. A healthy neuron is linked to thousands of other neurons making up trillions of connections. Neuroscientists found that learning new things uses long-term potentiation (LTP) to produce changes between the synaptic connections between your brain cells, allowing for new information to be acquired and stored.

Mind-Body connection:

Neurons not only connect with other neurons, but also with skeletal muscles at the neuromuscular junction. Here, the brain uses a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine for memory and attention to communicate with your muscles, while dopamine regulates fine motor movement. When acetylcholine is released, it crosses the synapses that separate nerves from muscles, and binds to acetylcholine receptor molecules on the muscle. This puts in motion a chain of events that leads to muscle contraction. Scientists found that muscle activity is crucial to keeping synapses stable. If you lose activity, you lose synapses, but if you become active again, you regain them.

Strong brains lead to good ideas:

The science tells us that we need to have strong, active bodies as well as stimulating ourselves with new things in order to have a strong brain. Physical exertion is as important as mental stimulation. Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, has invented a series of exercises called "Neurobics". Although your brain is stimulated by everyday activities not all novel activities lead to strong enough nerve cell stimulation to activate new brain circuits. To be neurobic, an exercise must:

- Involve one or more of your sense in a novel context - Engage your attention (stand out from the run of the mill daily activities) - Break routine activity in an unexpected, novel way

Things to do to promote a strong brain:

1) Close your eyes Try to do something you normally do with your eyes closed for a change. I don't suggest driving or crossing the road with your eyes closed, but rather getting dressed, opening the front door with your key, washing up the dishes,...They key here is to use all of your other senses instead of your vision. Take the time to appreciate how it feels, enjoy it.

2) Break your routine Go to work via a different route, get off at a different bus stop, write with your other hand for a day, go barefoot, rearrange your office, anything that makes a marked difference to your day. Try and do this at least once a week, picking a new thing each time. You are bound to feel a bit uncomfortable, this is good, it's your brain adapting to something new.

3) Do something new Try a new sport, learn a new skill, visit an art gallery to expose yourself to new experiences and feelings. Challenge yourself and more importantly, have fun doing it.

4) Travel Nothing stimulates us like going somewhere new. If you can try and get a completely immersed in a new country and culture once a year at least. Choose places you would never have considered going before, be brave, be nervous, be excited. If you can't do that once a year, consider simply going away for a weekend once in a while to a new place, even locally. Maybe go camping or boating. The important thing is to fully experience a new environment.

5) Combine things Listen to music with your eyes closed whilst playing with blutack. Lie back and watch the clouds whilst smelling coffee beans, feel for different textures around a room whilst humming. Combine just about any two things and see how it feels.

Why Yoga?

"Yoga" comes from the word "yoke" which means to "unite" body and mind. This is in line with our science facts, and having given it a fair go for 8 years, I can recommend that you give it a go. There are lots of different traditions of yoga, so if you don't like one class, just try a different style till you find what's right for you. If you listened to Bob Dylan and hated it, it wouldn't mean that you didn't like music, just that perhaps Deadmau5 is more for you. Yoga places strong emphasis on the breath: breathe first, move next. This focus allows the mind to remain still, and the breath itself creates heat in the body which is detoxifying and nourishing. The various asanas (postures) require your brain and body to adapt to new things, and learn new skills like balancing on your hands or on one leg. The body grows strong and flexible as does the mind.

Yoga is about working on yourself. Stephen Cope said that the point of it is really just to be yourself. Not who you think you are, not who you think others think you are, not who you think you should be...just you. To be able to have the clarity to see that there is no war within you.

Sharon Gannon says "You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state".

Being able to do an advanced pose is handy if your brain and body are already very used to all the other postures, because it allows you to learn something new and be challenged yet again. The pose itself isn't very important or interesting. Your experience of that pose is where it's at. Every single one that I have in my "yogic repertoire" comes with a long history. Most of them were seemingly impossible to begin with, some frustrating, others I dreaded. The thing is that they served to expose something that was already there: frustration, insecurity, anger, expectation,...Each of those poses has allowed me to cultivate kindness, patience, contentedness and all of these things towards myself.

When you are kind with yourself, you are kind with others. Voltaire was right when he said we needed to cultivate our own gardens. I noticed throughout the course of this last year especially, that when people are unkind with others or harsh with them, it's sadly a strong reflection of how poorly they treat themselves. It's hard to feel angry towards them once you realise that.

So, practising yoga will allow you to tick off all of those scientific factors to promote good brain activity and growth, and it'll help you understand yourself and others a whole lot better. It can take as little as 10mins a day and the results are pretty immediate. I recommend finding a teacher who you like to begin with, but you can have a go at sun salutation A to get a feel for it on your own.

To summarise, don't allow anything to get stagnant. Nature doesn't like stagnant things, it thrives on change. Challenge yourself daily both physically and mentally, use all of your senses, experience as many new things as possible. Never pass up an opportunity to do something new.