Yoga and P90X

A reader left me a comment today about her delight at finding a blog that discusses both Yoga and P90X. It made me think back to an ironic story that I wanted to share.

I've been practicing yoga for about 10 years now and always dreamed of some day getting my teaching certification. Then 3 years ago I discovered the awesome workout routine that is P90X. I was amazed at how challenging it was and how motivated I was to complete those 90 days. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was going to stop me from my perfect workout record. I would avoid social events to make sure I could go straight home after work and there was no way a cold, menstrual cramps, a stiff neck, nor any other ailment was going to break me.

I got through the 90 days like a champ and in the end I must say, I was looking pretty buff. But the problem was that P90X completely changed my view of Yoga. I went from loving it to . . . well, I'm pretty sure I hated it. The P90X Yoga was grueling and way too long for my short attention span. It turned out to be my most dreaded day of the week. And the so called 'recovery weeks' were torture. They required 2 Yogas per week. I didn't think I would ever do yoga again after these 3 months.

But then the summer came and went and I normally don't do as much yoga in the summer as I'm busy on my bike, in my kayak, and on the trails. When winter rolled back around all too soon I had to make the decision to go for another round of P90X. Of course I did. This time it was different. I knew what to expect and that was both good and bad. Bad in that it was a little less motivating, but good in that I knew I could tackle anything Tony was going to through at me. When I completed the dreaded Yoga routine for the first time during this second session I was stunned at how easy it seemed compared to the first year. Was this the same routine that nearly broke my yoga spirit? The routine got to be so familiar that it got easier and easier.

I reassessed my feelings toward getting my yoga teacher certification. During the first year of P90 I was convinced that yoga was not for me and I would never make it as an instructor. But during year two I had a renewed sense of confidence. Heck, if I can get through Tony's 90 minutes of pure Hell I could do it! And I did it. I even modeled my final exam class after Tony's Vinyasa segment. P90X went from causing me to hate something that I once loved and breaking my spirit . . . . to making me realize that I must be good at it and giving me the drive to just go for it.

So, for me, there is a big connection between Yoga and P90X. After cursing Tony for 90 days I now thank him for pushing me to Bring It and follow my dream.