Yoga Conditioning For Weight Loss
Ooooooodelally! I don't know about you, but my life has been topsy turvy as of late. I moved into a new apartment, which was totally stressful, and I'm still getting settled and adjusting to my new life. Moving is stressful enough, but on top of that I have fibromyalgia, so everything I ever do is more difficult than it is for the average person. I'm not saying your move wasn't tough - I feel for you - but you don't have to deal with moving in, then having a huge fibro flare up that knocks you flat for a week. What I'm trying to say is, I totally know what it feels like to be a Holocaust survivor. Oh man, I hope you realize that was a joke. Yes, I joke about the Holocaust. I'm a regular Roberto Benigni. Okay, look, the point is, I've been stressed. You can tell because I regularly throw myself on the floor and yell, "STRESS!" It's taxing on my mind, body, and soul. BUT! I have found a solution that, at least for 45 minutes a day, allows me to chill the fuck out and get rid of all the little stress balls that cling to me like thetans.
The thing I like most about Yoga Conditioning For Weight Loss is that it provides many different modifications for the various poses (asanas, if you want to be a yoga snob about it). There are four women yoga-ing on screen, and you can either choose to watch them all do yoga together and follow whatever modification works for you, or you can choose to do the whole routine with just one woman as your specific instructor. There's the barely flexible woman, the kinda flexible woman, the advanced yogi woman, and Suzanne Deason herself, who's basically Gumby. Because of this, you can cater your yoga routine to your own personal needs, and take on harder poses as you improve. One of the drawbacks of doing yoga at home with a DVD is that you don't get that personalized attention a real, live instructor can give you. This DVD is structured so that you can find the pose that works best for you, and not end up overdoing it or messing up a pose because you didn't understand. It's about as close to having a private yoga teacher as you can get for $10.
I love how I feel after yoga, and how it helps my fibromyalgia symptoms stay under control, but I do not like chanting, singing, pretending I'm breathing through the soles of my feet, and whatever else yoga teachers encourage students to do. Suzanne (we spend an hour a day together, so we're on a first name basis, obvs) does this to some extent, but not so much that I want to smack her. Usually I just smile and think, "Oh, Suzanne! It's so cute how you say turning my body upside down will rejuvenate my brain!" Suzanne keeps the spiritual side of yoga to a minimum, and instead encourages you to focus on your breathing and maintaining the pose that's right for you.
One whole yoga session is about 45 minutes long, but it's in three parts, so if you're in a rush you can skip to wherever you like. The first part is all about stretching and breathing, the second focuses on active poses like triangle pose (which I hate and I'm convinced exists only to frustrate me), and the third is ab work and stretches done on the floor. If you're flexible enough you don't need any props, but I'm no Stretch Armstrong, so I use a block and a strap. I keep my mat and props next to the TV, and my DVD is always in the DVD player, so it's easy for me to take time for yoga, and hard for me to pretend that it's too much of a hassle and weasel my way out of it.
Note: The DVD says "Conditioning for Weight Loss," but besides that, there really isn't a focus on weight loss. I think it'd be more accurate to call it "Yoga with Plenty of Modifications So Anyone Can Do It." But I guess that wouldn't sell as well, huh? Anyway, don't be deterred or encouraged just because of the weight loss title. You may lose weight, just because that's what exercise does, but it's not like this is the P90X of Yoga or anything.