I, too, was once firmly in the "I hate yoga" camp. Zach and I begrudgingly did the yoga for our first 90 days through the program before bagging it altogether for about the next year and a half.
What's with the yoga, anyway? You're contorted in weird positions, holding yourself stationary, breathing in and out, in and out. You're not jumping, you're not lifting something really heavy, you're not covering ground. Pointless, right?
Wrong!
Last September when we went to see Tony Horton live, we did two workouts with him, one of which was yoga. He harped on yoga virtually the whole day, and said that if he had to choose only one workout to do for the rest of his life, it would be yoga. Why? Because it builds strength. It increases flexibility. It helps you recover faster. It quiets your mind and helps you focus.
"Gah! I still hate yoga!" I said when he was talking. But that day planted a seed in our mind about maybe giving yoga another chance.
Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better!
After that meeting we put yoga back into the workout rotation and started actually applying ourselves. I stopped grumbling about it, and started trying to get better at it. And lo and behold, I started looking forward to it...a little. Then we would occasionally do a bonus yoga workout on the weekends. My transition from chaturanga to upward dog went from a hurky-jerky mess to a smooth movement. I could hold the plank positions for a little longer. I could hold "Crane" for 30 seconds...then 40...then 50. I found myself incorporating the deep breathing throughout my day.
On Valentine's Day this year, I surprised Zach with a visit to a yoga class at a local gym. Even though we had never done a formal class, we held our own just fine with the rest of the participants.
Maybe you think yoga isn't fun or isn't for you. But before you give up, give it a fair shake. Give it a chance to do the things it's designed to do. If I can't convince you, maybe Tony Horton can:
(Video courtesy of superstar Beachbody Coach Monica Ward from Phoenix.)
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Workout of the Day:
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"Even though we had never done a formal class, we held our own just fine with the rest of the participants."
ReplyDeleteI would argue that you did better than most of the participants. Including me!
I do love me some Yoga. I wish I had time to go to the classes more often.
I like yoga. But don't really like the p90x video. Any other yoga videos anyone can recommend???
ReplyDeleteHey Shiver,
ReplyDeleteMost of my experience is with Beachbody, so those are the videos I know...Tony Horton has three yoga videos in his "One on One" series: Fountain of Youth Yoga, Patience Hummingbird, and Yoga: MC2. I've heard good things about F of Y yoga-it's about 40 minutes long. I have Yoga: MC2 and it's awesome. 64 minutes, not as repetitive as P90X yoga, and very challenging. There are some moves to grow into, and it works a lot of flexibility. Highly recommend it!
- Susan