P90X Yoga

Last year, I completed a round of P90X (Classic).  Boy, let me tell you, that was an intense 90 days of strength training.  I can't say that I achieved the same results as those people on the infomercial, but it was definitely a serious challenge.  I'll detail that experience in a later post.

One of the videos I still do regularly is P90X Yoga.  It is a "Power Flow" style of yoga that is meant to complement strength training.  It's very, very different from the other styles of Yoga that I'm used to (Hatha, Bikram, etc.) in that there's not really a "recovery period" between intense sets, just flow from one movement to the next.  I guess it's a good variant and something that's very simple to do in the comfort of your own living room.  Push play on the DVD, grab your mat, water, towel, and go.

Tony Horton, the inventor of P90X, is a very cool guy, and a great teacher.  I think he has the right balance of intensity, humility, motivation, and acceptance that you look for in a trainer.  "Do your best, and forget the rest" is his mantra.  And in yoga, he changes up his approach big time, a lot quieter and open-minded.  An interesting quote from Tony H. in the first part of video, "...There's a whole bunch of people that say, I don't wanna do no Yoga, it's silly, it's weird and they do these crazy Ohms at the end.  Expand the mind here a little bit, and try something new.  I can do things at my age not because I can do a bunch of pullups, but because I do yoga."

I like to do different types of Yoga, some more focused on meditation and relaxation, while others more on strength, flexibility, and balance.  The variety keeps me flexible, strong, and focused while I'm running.  So, my running schedule for this marathon training will be 3 runs per week, TU, TH, and SA.  And Yoga on M, W, F, with SU as a full rest day.  It's hard to find time to get everything in, so they'll be a few lunch time runs or yoga sessions thrown in there, with the occasional skip or flip-flop of schedule.  It's all good, just have a plan, and stick to it the best you can.

Give yoga a chance, if you haven't already.  It may seem silly or weird to you at first, but I think you'll find the benefits amazing, and like Tony H. says "...stay in the moment, clear your mind, it'll feel like a ride you've never felt before."  Namaste, Tony H.