Yoga Is Awesome. At Home.
Posted on April 2, 2009 by Miss Britt in Health
I am an inherently lazy person.
I’m convinced that God made me that way. That’s why I am not one of those people who glistens when they workout. I sweat. And get red faced. And swell. And my legs itch when I run.
I’m practically allergic to strenuous exercise.
Which makes yoga perfect for me.
What is not perfect for me is a yoga class. That you take with other people. In front of mirrors. In a room that discourages swearing.
If I’m going to fall over trying to stand on one leg, I’d like to be able to do it in the privacy of my own home where only my children can mock me and be scarred by my inevitable cursing.
If you’re trying to ease back into fitness and you’re not quite yoga studio ready, I highly recommend getting into a yoga routine at home. It won’t feel like you’re doing anything hard and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see results within a couple weeks.
Everything You Need To Do Yoga At Home:
A.M./P.M. Yoga DVD with Rodney Yee
Rodney Yee is a favorite with beginners and experienced yoga.. uh… doers. Yoga Doers. Yes, that’s the word.
He’s all talented and stuff. And he’s not bad to look at.
The AM and PM routines give you a little variety. And it’s nice to have the option of getting perked up to start your day or unwinding to end it.
But the best part is, even if you have a dart board with Denise Austin’s face on it, I assure you that you can complete these workouts. Without crying.
Premium Skidless Yoga Mat – (in Purple even)
Yes, you really do need a yoga mat.
This is the one I use and the few times I’ve tried to do yoga without it – well, let’s just say there is a reason it is “skidless”.
I do yoga in my living room on carpet, so I don’t need a super thick mat. I have the thinnest version in the smallest size.
If you have hardwood floors or tile (or actually plan to go to a class because you are obviously more secure than I am), then you’ll really want to get one of the thicker sizes. You’ll also want to look at length if you’re a little taller.
I am the last person to advocate buying something just because if you can make do with something you already have.
But it is really helpful to have the right clothing when you’re trying to do yoga.
Baggy shorts? Not helpful. Baggy sweatpants? Not good.
You need something that fits close to the body and isn’t going to get in the way when you’re trying to contort your body. Yoga requires a lot of concentration and ill fitting clothes really will make a big difference in your concentration level.
That being said, my favorite pair of yoga pants is a maternity pair I got from Old Navy 5 years ago. They’re form fitting without being too tight and they aren’t too long (which is an issue for me) because they’re capri length.
Yoga (or some kind of) Tank Top
I’m assuming most people already own a tank top that will work for yoga.
What you’re looking for is:
- A tank top – or something with fitted arms, which would make me, personally, want to strangle someone. A t-shirt would bug the crap out of me though. There’s no way.
- Fitted – even if you’re home alone, if you’re doing down face dog and suddenly your shirt is up around your neck and your boobs are swinging out, that’s distracting.
- Not tooo fitted – you obviously want to be comfortable. Duh.
If for some bizarre reason you don’t already have a tank top that fits the bill, this one is on sale for $11.99 and is actually flattering enough to wear in public if you do lose your damn mind.
And that’s it!
One of the best things about yoga is that it doesn’t take a lot of fancy equipment to get started. And once you have the basics, you can reuse them over and over again (I’ve had my yoga mat for about 7 years now).
If you’re looking to lose weight or just get in better shape, I cannot recommend yoga enough. It is by far the least intimidating form of exercise I’ve found that actually works.
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Posted on April 2, 2009 by Miss Britt in Health
Been doing yoga on wii fit. In sweats. No mat. Can you really lose weight with yoga though?
@Melanie (Modern Mami), well NO no mat – because you’re doing it on the board, silly.
And yes, you can really use weight with yoga if you’re consistent with it.
Although I will say a cheap DVD might be a good idea so you’re doing a routine. The stop and start as you go from pose to pose on the Wii Fit doesn’t give you quite the same experience.
@Melanie (Modern Mami), LOSE weight. Not use weight. Sheesh.
@Miss Britt, Yea really. I don’t think I could use any more weight.
I do love the yoga. Great recommendations!
@Sybil Law, you and my friend are two of the skinniest people I know – and die hard yoga peeps!
I would also recommend some type of headband or something to keep your hair out of your face. The only thing more distracting that your breasts flopping out during yoga is your bangs flopping around during yoga.
@Finn, YES! OF COURSE!
I have to give a shout-out to my favorite yoga site,http://www.yogadownload.com/. If you’ve been doing yoga longer than two months and know what most of the poses are, you know that watching a DVD is not only difficult but physically painful in many poses.
These downloadable mp3s are teacher-guided, with or without music. There are different types of classes, different lengths of classes. They come with pdfs of the flow of poses so you can put them on the floor in front of you (where your eyes are focused in many poses anyway) and not get all kinked up.
And it’s totally affordable. I have a year membership for $89.95, which gives me unlimited downloads for 365 days. That’s about what it would cost me to take 6 classes at a studio.
You can try it out for free!
@Lynn@human, being, what an awesome idea!! Thanks for sharing!!!