Sunday, January 2, 2011

Return to Yoga (part 1)

Recently, one of my marathon friends mentioned that he was going to add yoga and strength into his routine. This reminded me that I have taken quite a long break from my yoga DVDs over the past several months. I decided to turn that around with a goal of add yoga back into my routine at least 3x per week for the next month.

When I originally got started with yoga back in 2008, I took a few classes and determined that Hatha yoga was too slow and boring. Without knowing too much about the various styles of yoga, I decided to try something else. I looked at reviewed on amazon for various yoga styles and decided to try Ana and Ravi Kundalini Yoga. Yeah, you read that right. The extent of my research was checking reviews on Amazon.com.

Anyway, I found a good deal on about half a dozen of their DVDs through a combination of ebay and amazon. Together, the DVDs together were about the cost of a month and a half at the gym. It seemed like a good deal even though most of the DVDs that have several sections that I don’t care for. They conveniently have a Matrix option that allows me to customize which parts of the DVD to include in each workout (and which parts to skip) which works out well for me.

Anyway, I now have a few yoga sessions behind me after returning to it. Here are my thoughts thus far. I also noted which DVD I put in and which sections I included in my workout.

Session 1: Yoga Beauty Body. warm up, set 1, set 2, & deep relaxation

“There must be three dog toys under the couch. I better get those out now while I’m thinking about it”

“Half the stuff they say is crazy talk. Connect with your inner. What does that even mean?!?”

“Are you kidding me? I think I needed to modify the last 6 poses. I suck.”

“There is a LOT of dog and cat fur on the rug. I really ought to vacuum. Wait, what did she just say to do? Crud, where's the remote? I need to rewind.”

“Did she just say not to let anyone or anything cause us to doubt ourselves?!? Hahahahahaha. How funny, since my inability to keep up is causing me to do just that.”

"I don't remember this workout being so difficult. I must really be out of practice."

“I’m sooooo not flexible or strong. And I can’t relax. No wonder I took an extended break from Yoga.”

Session 2: Beginners and Beyond. warm-up, set 2, & deep relaxation

“Wow, my arms and my abs are quite sore from yesterday. That must have been a good workout."

"I'm glad she just said to go at your own pace, rest if you need to, and begin again when you feel ready. This is killing me.”

“I like what she just said - don’t focus on what you think the pose is supposed to look like, but to experience it right where you are – Okay, I can do that.”

“I think I get it now. This isn’t just about exercise; it’s about being present. When my mind wanders, I shouldn’t follow it.”

“I feel strong, stretched, relaxed, and somehow more peaceful”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have skipped set 1. Actually, maybe I’ll do that part later today. Next time I do this DVD, I’m definitely doing both sets”

“You know...there are a few DVDs in my collection that I really don't care for. I should pay-it-forward and do a give-away" [likely foreshadowing for a future post later this week]

So there you have it. I'm not the typical yoga type. But I'm working on it. And I really do feel better afterwards. Having said that, I have a few questions for my readers.

  • Can you think of a yoga DVD of any style that you think I would *love* and therefore should consider adding to my collection?
  • Have any of you also tried Ana & Ravi or other Kundalini yogi DVDs? What do you think about this particular style of yoga compared to others?

18 comments:

  1. I like Yoga, when I'm done with it. I know how good it is for me but about 10 or 15 minutes in, I'm bored and my mind wanders. Plus, doing a DVD would bore me even more because then I couldn't "people watch". LOL

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  2. I use the yoga downloads mp3s and mp4s. They are inexpensive - some are free. Sometimes I just do my own practice or part of the ashtanga primary series. I went to studios for quite some time, so I feel relatively confident of putting together practices on my own.

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  3. I've only done YogaX in the P90X series. However, rule #1 for me...always vacuum before yoga. I have the same wandering thoughts!

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  4. I always get so bored with yoga ;( I wish I didn't though because it seems really beneficial!!

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  5. Congrats on getting back to yoga!! I'm sure your body will thank you.

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  6. Yoga took awhile for me to get into it. I've done it on and off for the last five years or so but it wasn't until I found a studio that I LOVED that I started going regularly!

    After doing yoga 3-5 times/week for the last 1.5 months my body felt VERY stiff today when I went back after 2 weeks off for the holidays!! It takes time to see results from it but I feel like the results kind of sneak up on you!

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  7. I have bought a few different yoga DVDs and my fav is The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga

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  8. P90X yoga is half butt kicking half stretching. I always enjoyed the second half the best :-) It left me very relaxed....

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  9. I am the wrong person to ask....I bought a Rodney Yee Yoga for Athletes 4 years ago and I have yet to try it. Perhaps I will give it a shot and report back. Your day one thoughts were cracking me up.

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  10. Yoga is great but hard, its the only CD in the P90x bx that makes me want to cry....lol

    kennyo

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  11. I love the comment about dog hair on the carpet! LOL That's so me, too! :0)

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  12. LOL that's why I stopped doing stretching dvds - we had polished boards and a white dog at the time!

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  13. LOL that's why I stopped doing stretching dvds - we had polished boards and a white dog at the time!

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  14. You just cracked me right up, *she says unfurling her yoga mat*

    Thanks Lisa, I knew I could count on you!

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  15. I love yoga, but I really don't love it via DVD. For me, it's better in a class setting.

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  16. i do yoga via dvd too - "yoga shakti with shiva rea" (i think i'm spelling her name right). it has a matrix too where you can pick from a good number of "flows". mostly i do either the preset "basic" class or pick a few from the matrix to make up a 20-45 min session.

    i just found these two sources the other day, so i haven't tried them yet and can't vouch for how good they are-
    http://www.yogajournal.com/podcast/
    http://www.yogamazing.com/podcast.html

    or if you have a netflix account - you might find some on there you can "watch now" instead of having to get in the mail?

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  17. I went through USAT Level II coaching certification with Sage Rountree. She has a yoga for athletes book and DVD that you might like.

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  18. Yes! The inner voice that won't shut up! funny.

    Unlike you, I love Hatha Yoga. I always feel so relaxed afterward, like a mini vacation.

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