Freediving yoga styles??

[ReefTroll]

I am looking to get into yoga in the new year to help with my mental illness, and want to know what would be the best type.
It seems there is a lot of variety out there. What would be good for relaxation and compliment freediving well??

Oh, and if this is a totally ignorant question feel free to set me straight!! I know NOTHING of yoga!!! =)

 

[monkeyhatfork]

pranayama for breathing(and breath holding), diaphram stretching, thoratic flexibility. and pretty much any form of hatha yoga asanas for strength/flexibility. stig severinsens breatheology is packaged nicely for free diving mostly pranayama based with some extras thrown in. Ive been doing pranayama first thing in the morning and a program called yoga for athletes( a cheap gaiam dvd) in the evening.

 

[tcrusson]

I am looking to get into yoga in the new year to help with my mental illness, and want to know what would be the best type.

I have been practicing Yoga with a school in the Iyengar "style" (which is basically traditional Yoga, based on practice - vs. theory) for the past four years. I think you do get from Yoga what you put in, this school of Yoga is making you work everything from your practice (and they recommend a daily practice). I found it a great help in balancing things, both physically and mentally. Of course you do get other side benefits (like flexibility, alignment, etc. which helps for freediving), but overall I find it a great personal practice to find a healthier, more balanced, more aligned, lifestyle - contrasting with the erratic ups and downs we can face.

 

[Simos]

I am no expert but a lot depends on the instructor too, I'd go for a 'slower' style that let's you gets deeper into poses and stay there for a bit longer while focusing the mind rather than a faster 'power-yoga' style which might be a bit more athletic but not as effective for the mind (for me at least).

Yoga really helps, just stick with it - once you start getting into the zone it's an amazing experience and can brighten even the worse days

 

[dannybuoy]

Brittany Trubridge is a very good and sweet yoga teacher -plus she's married to William Trubridge, so she knows a thing or 2 about freediving. She has written extensively about yoga and freediving.

* B. Tru Yoga

 

[Simos]

Finding the right teacher is really important but tricky. I was very lucky with my first teacher but hadn't realised just how much until I tried other teachers too. With a bad (or maybe wrong for you) teacher yoga can be a waste of time so if you feel like that after a few sessions, just try a different teacher.

Like the style of yoga, you will be probably drawn to the teacher/style that might be make you feel more 'comfortable' but they do say that sometimes what you 'need' is the opposite otherwise it might just reinforce existing patterns eg say you are aggressive/impatient, you will be probably drawn to a faster, more energetic style of yoga but you might benefit more from a slower, more relaxed style if you stick with it... Just something to keep in mind.

Best advice I was given was to observe myself without judgement - I didn't understand it at the time (I kind of thought it was referring mainly to the way i approached the asanas but after a while i realised it was a bit more than that)

 

[ReefTroll]

Thank you very much to everybody who has contributed. I have definitely taken it all on board.
I am looking into this lady : Sawtell Yoga 4 Health - Sawtell, New South Wales - Jacky Cramer - NaturalTherapyPages.com.au