Is yoga a good thing to do for exercise or is it just to stretch and relax or what? There is a new studio opening near me in january and I wonder if it is worth it?

I've been considering yoga and pilates myself. I'm still a little too big to do much serious running, and I'm not sure if my knees will tolerate that once I lose weight anyway. So, I'm looking to build up my core muscles especially. I'll probably get a couple of beginner's videos and see if either (or both) work for me.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer us both.

Depending on the type of class/video yoga can offer relaxation, stretching, core and even muscle toning. I am pretty new to it but I am finding it extremely beneficial. As a runner, it really helps stretch and lengthen those muscles that get tight.

I used to do yoga when I was heavier and I've always appreciated that most poses can be modified for beginners. Good luck!

I just took a beginning class and was sore for 3 days! A good sign it is working to do more than just stretch and relax... The gals teaching said you never have to so situps again if you do yoga. They were very slim and toned.

Thanks for the input. I thinks I may check it out. It can't hurt to try it!

I love yoga and have in the past kept up a regular practice at as high as 230 lbs and do so again now at 180. It really is something you can modify for any size and fitness level and still benefit from. My advice is just to keep going back initially...learning the poses and names for them and getting into the flow of it can take a few classes, and I see beginners looking frustrated during that time. But then it clicks into place and is the best thing ever! Once you learn it, you stop having to think about where your foot goes or whatever, and get into how your body feels. It's helped me a lot with keeping in touch my new body and really learning how to listen to it. I feel like it's similar to the way we really have to listen to our stomachs now to see how full we are and respect those signals more than we did before.

It is awesome for stretching and relaxing. You will become much more flexible over time, but you can also work up a heck of a sweat and do extreme toning! Great for your mental state as well. I love and recommend it 100%!