peace :: love :: blog

Since starting Triathablog, the only exercise I’ve participated in, for the most part, has been swimming. Just getting those four workouts in is challenging enough, much less trying to do things on the other days of the week. I miss running, and even caught myself watching the people in the weight room last night, from my post-swim hot tub soak, with what I think was envy. I miss the monotony of weight machines? Apparently so.

Another thing I’ve realized that I miss is yoga, thanks to this week’s Peace, Love, Blog physical challenge. In this challenge, we do twenty minutes of yoga for five days. Before this week started I was thinking, “How the heck am I going to get five days of yoga and four days of swimming into the busiest week of December?” Luckily, I purchased a DVD last week that I’ve been wanting for a while and have been successful, so far, in working that twenty minutes into my day. I am fortunate enough to live within about a mile of my office, so it has been most convenient to do the DVD on my lunch breaks and get my swims in after work (and before parties).

The DVD is called A.M. Yoga for Your Week with instructor and yoga guru, Rodney Yee. I have looked at several of Yee’s DVD’s before and have always been slightly put off by how much of his junk I could see in his yoga shorts. But after reading some reviews, I decided that his workouts would be a definite step up from the one I have, which is on VHS and is led by an aerobics instructor who says stupid things like, “Feel the stretch through your soul.”

There are five separate workouts to choose from including Standing Poses, Twists, Backbends, Forward Bends and Hip Openers. While some reviewers didn't like this format complaining that there is no option to combine workouts, I find that it fits into a busy schedule well and provides just enough time to relax and get in some good stretches without taking too much of your time.

Due to a dead battery in my remote, I could only do the Standing poses workout the first two days. After replacing the ridiculously expensive battery (five dollars for one?!), today I tried Twists. I have loved both workouts so far. Since it is intended to be done in the morning, it is very simple and not overly strenuous, which is nice when it’s the middle of the day and I have to go back to work. Yee does a voice-over that is calming, gives great instruction, and is much better than listening to the aerobics-instructor-style barking of commands. The only complaints I have are, 1) He says the words “buttocks flesh” way too much and it kind of grosses me out, and 2) Sometimes I have no idea what the hell he is talking about. “From the strength of your back leg, levitate your pelvis and your chest.” What? I don’t know what that means, Rodney. Must be some voodoo yogi language.

Overall, I’d give A.M. Yoga for Your Week 4 ¼ stars. I’ve posted a clip below which is really long, but good if you are in the market for a good yoga DVD and thinking of purchasing it.