Is Yoga A Good Workout? Yes, Ma’am!
A Damn Good Workout
I’ve been exercising for like 150 years. OK, maybe it isn’t quite that long, but it feels like it. Why? Because I get bored. Lift weights, hit treadmill, blah, blah, blah. Meh. So over it. What I am not over is how exercise makes me feel – lean, strong and healthy. I recently set out to find a new exercise program that would give me a good workout but be different what I’ve been doing. Enter Rodney Yee’s Power Yoga Total Body.
This is not for wimps. I only recommend it if you have a some yoga experience under your belt. It’s done in a flow style, where one pose flows into the next. Rodney calls the poses by their names, so if you don’t know Warrior One from Downward Dog you’re going to be lost. Even if you are an experienced yogi, this is a challenging workout. It’s meant to help you gain strength as well as flexibility. You will sweat. You will curse Rodney repeatedly (or maybe that’s just me). But in the end you will be damn glad you plunked down the $8.99 plus shipping for this baby. Like I said, I’m an experienced yogi/exerciser and this is challenging for me.
The workout is 60 minutes – that’s one hour of almost constant movement. The pace is quick, not relaxed like you may have experienced with other yoga workouts. This is not for relaxation and centering, it’s for toning and conditioning your body.
I like Rodney Yee as a yoga instructor. Sometimes I giggle at him, but it’s in the privacy of my own home, so it doesn’t count (does it?). Other instructors irritate me because they talk too much or too slowly or whatever, but I think Rodney gets it about right.
If you’re looking for a new challenge or just want to add new dimension to your workouts, try this video. It’s under $10 and since you do it at home, no one can see you when you can’t get your head off of the floor in Reverse Bow.
Namaste indeed.
Oh! Look what I found at Target! Why did no one tell me about this before?!
I might have to check out this DVD. I’ve been doing vinyasa flow hot yoga for about a month now. I think it’s one of the best work outs I’ve ever gotten, even if it’s considered low impact. I love it.
I did Bikram hot yoga for a month or so, but the “hot” part gave me a banging headache every time (And? It was expensive.) The yoga was tough, though. That’s what got me looking for a similar workout that I could do at home. This is good, and now I’m looking at getting the DVD with all three workouts on it for variety.
I’m going to have to try this one because my yoga DVD is 90 minutes and that’s just too damn long. Plus it makes me fall down.
Ninety minutes is way too long. That’s another reason I stopped with the Bikram – it’s an hour and a half too. An hour is about perfect.
There have been a few variations of the typical Yoga of late. This power yoga is only one of the few types of yoga that people can try. I think yoga is great because it tones the body and helps us achieve our desired look. No surgery needed to look as good as some hollywood celebrities.