A New Yoga Book for the New Year

Does anybody have "Start a Yoga Practice" at the top of their New Year's Resolution list? Many people may be very interested in starting yoga, but at the same time may feel overwhelmed by all the different types of yoga that are offered. How do you pick one when you've never tried any of them? I've been practicing yoga for nearly 15 years and I still don't really know the differences between all the various types. When I discovered the new book, Pick Your Yoga Practice: Exploring and Understanding Different Types of Yoga I just knew that it would be a great reference for a lot of yogis, both new to the practice, as well as veterans like me who may never have ventured into the different approaches.

In Pick Your Yoga Practice: Exploring and Understanding Different Types of Yoga  (New World Library, December 15, 2013), yoga teacher and author Meagan McCrary provides the first encyclopedia of different yoga styles as a reference for those new to yoga and experienced yogis and teachers alike. Her comprehensive approach offers an informative and in-depth look at all that yoga has to offer.

Pick Your Yoga Practice explores seven of the most prominent approaches, plus ten “best of the rest,” in terms of what a class is like, the level of physical exertion involved, and the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings. McCrary’s approach digs deeper than the physical descriptions of the practices to include everything from a style’s philosophical foundation and teaching methodology to what-to-expect and health benefits.

Meagan McCraryis a Los Angeles based yoga teacher and the author of Pick Your Yoga Practice. She teaches for Equinox Sports Clubs, works one-on-one with some of the entertainment industries leading professionals, and holds workshops and retreats nationally and internationally.  Visit her online at http://www.meaganmccrary.com.

Start your year off right by learning about all the difference yoga disciplines and picking the best one for you. You can find the book on Amazon here.

Yoga Challenge on Hold

Well, so much for my 108-day yoga challenge. I got two days into it and I already need to halt. Not sure what I was thinking when I decided to take on this challenge as my first post-surgery exercise, but I certainly wasn't thinking very clearly. I got a little too wrapped up in all the excitement surrounding stepping foot back onto a yoga mat.

The first day of the challenge called for the DVD named "Cross - Train" and I was able to do as many modifications as needed to get through it. I woke up the next morning sore, but it was a good sore - a muscle soreness that reminded me I worked out the day before. I love that sore. The second day, however, called for the DVD entitled "Cardio" and I wondered how they would pull off cardio in a yoga program. I was very much looking forward to getting my cardio back, but in my mind that involved rigorous hiking, running, or even some biking (if the New England weather cooperated). What I entered into with this video was not at all what I had in mind.

Looking back to the torture known as P90X Yoga, it seemed not-so-bad after seeing this program. I managed to muddle my way through about half of it before I had to call it quits. There was simply no way of modifying 20 high speed repetitious vinyasas and I just don't have the upper body strength for that right now. I thought I was being smart and I thought I stopped early enough to avoid any risk of doing stupid things, but after a sleepless night of shooting pains in the back of my neck and more bad (bone) pains this morning I decide that enough was enough. My head was filled visions of the possibility of wrecking my fragile vertebrae and ruining whatever bone fusion has already started. That fear is what kept me awake all night and I couldn't believe that I took that risk so soon.

So I'm sorry to say that I'll need a little more time before getting back to this Ultimate Yogi Challenge. I am so far from being an Ulimate Yogi right now that I had no right thinking I could do it.

Yoga is Like Riding a Bicycle

Yesterday was Day 1 of my Ultimate Yogi 108 Day Yoga Challenge and I'm happy to report that I survived! Of course, this morning it might have felt like I crashed my bike and fell down a ditch, but I'm still proud and excited by the fact that I got through my first class (with lots of modifications, of course). My first thoughts and impressions were as follows . . .

First, yoga is similar to riding a bicycle. You really don't forget how to do it and it comes back pretty quickly. It's been nearly one year since I did any real yoga. My neck was in terrible shape for most of last year and not only did that cause me to get very weak, but my flexibility also went down the tubes. Most of my yoga session last night was a bit of a roller coaster, going from, "Oh my goodness, I can't even touch my toes" to "Hey, this isn't so bad. It's coming back quickly (as my fingers were wrapped under my feet in standing bend). There were times when I felt good, like I knew the strength was still there, just maybe dormant and needing to be awaken. That excited me. Then 5 minutes later my arms and/or legs were shaking so bad I thought I would collapse. I constantly bounced back and fourth between feeling good and feeling bad, but I'm well accustomed to riding a bike and I know that you have to be strong, more mentally than physically, to go the distance.

So far I'm impressed with the overall "program" that the Ultimate Yogi offers. Now granted, I only completed one day, but yesterday was the first day that I opened the package. The included DVDs have me intrigued and excited to try all of them. Each DVD is labeled with things like: Cross-Train, Cardio, Vitality, Flexibility, Hard Core, etc. It reminds me so much of P90X in that every day concentrates on a different aspect of fitness. And it's set up similarly in that it calls for the Ab work (Hard Core) 3 times per week, in addition to the yoga class. It's also reminiscent of P90X because I'm curious and eager to see what tomorrow will bring. That is the best part of it - the newness of it all. I love not knowing what to expect during each class and that is also just like riding a bike. Every time I ride a brand new route I find the entire trip to be easy and enjoyable. But, as soon as that same route becomes routine and I start to know every pothole, every hill, every gear I should be in, what time it should take, etc. it suddenly loses its enjoyment. It suddenly becomes a difficult chore. I have a feeling that it's going to take months for this Ultimate Yogi to become routine.

I'm excited to get home to begin my Day 2 challenge.

108 Day Yoga Challenge

I think I found my answer to getting back into yoga shape. It's been a very long time since I've taught or even practiced yoga. For the past several months I haven't been able to do any upper body conditioning at all and it's completely destroyed all the strength that I've worked so hard to build over the years. So here I am, in the weakest condition I've ever been in and I've been looking for a place to start. I think I found something to get me back to my old yogi self.

The Ultimate Yoga Challenge promises to be the most comprehensive yoga DVD set on the market. It was created and is led by Travis Eliot, a yoga instructor that says he will push your physical limits and beyond during the 108-Day Journey. The program consists of 14 thematic classes and they say that the sequences that will challenge the expert yogi, as well as encourage the beginner. I think at this point I fall back into the beginner category. This will my first time reviewing an exercise program from the perspective of a beginner and I look forward to the new experience.

According to the propaganda, The Ultimate Yogi is more than just a fitness program. They claim it to be a transformational experience guaranteed to improve your quality of life with the addition of meditation and diet instruction. Just like P90X, this is not a quick-fix easy solution to whipping yourself back into shape. I would never believe any program that claims that. Instead this program requires a 108 day commitment and I am very excited about making that commitment. I have spent this first week of my "post surgery recovery period" just trying to get my body moving – simple stretching and light resistance. I am almost afraid to attempt my first down dog, side plank, or even to lift some real dumbbells so I need to be cautious and take this slowly. With any luck I'll be taking this Ultimate Yogi for a test drive next week and I plan to share my experiences with you. Please stay tuned.

And, if you yourself have ever tried this program, please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of it. Or better yet, let me know if you don't think I should be attempting it as my first workout after neck surgery!

New Yogi Book Hits the Streets

If you"re looking for a holiday gift for a yogi in your life (and you already got them all the adorable YogaDudes accessories) or maybe you"re shopping for a male yogi, or maybe you just want a little something to read for yourself over the holidays . . . There"s a new book out called Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi: My Humble Quest to Heal my Colitis, Calm my ADD, and Find the Key to Happiness, by Brian Leaf. In the book, the author shares how with no real understanding of the practice he signed up for a yoga class.  Little did he realize then how that one class would ultimately set the course for a lifetime of exploration into the healing powers of yoga and other holistic therapies.

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi details Leaf"s triumphs, trials, and tribulations as he hilariously navigates his way through the world of yoga and holistic health. Along the way, he road trips to visit yoga studios around the country, has a spiritual experience at a Grateful Dead show, cures his chronic ulcerative colitis, and lives at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in his quest to become a certified instructor.“I explored, I traveled, I trained, and I experimented,” writes Leaf. “I searched for a way to feel comfortable and happy. I consulted psychics, scientists, yogis, swamis, Ayurvedic physicians, life coaches, and even (accidentally, I assure you) one prostitute. I tried meditation, herbs, flower essences, psychotherapy, and shouting out my angst…. And, I learned a lot.”

Twenty-one years later, Leaf teaches yoga and meditation, practices multifaceted healing, and is the beloved founder of a holistic tutoring center that helps students — whose ailments he once shared — manage ADD and overcome test and math phobias.

Through his adventures and misadventures, Leaf ultimately discovered eight Keys to Happiness, or rules to live by for health and vitality that he shares throughout the book’s 32 rollicking and wise chapters. Things like: Do yoga and if you already do yoga, do more yoga; cultivate and follow your intuition; apply Ayruvedic wisdom to your daily schedule; meditate; speak and act from your true self; and more.

I got my copy and I"m ready for some peaceful reading over the holidays! Well, one can hope for that anyway. Perhaps the book will help me get through the hectic holidays. You can check out and purchase the book .

Day 3 of My 30-Day Yoga Challenge

I have some mixed emotions about yesterday's 30 Day Yoga Sculpt Challenge workout. The first half of it was all upper body yoga moves and although just 3 short days ago I was struggling with the upper body challenges, yesterday I felt like I really made some improvements. I was strong throughout the whole first series. I notice this often with yoga. Consistency is key. No matter how hard the routine, if you do it consistently (preferably every day – or even every other day) it's get so much easier, so much quicker. I was shocked at how different I felt in just a two day span of time.

But things changed quickly. The second half of yesterday's workout was ab work, which I am notoriously very strong at. I was eagerly looking forward to it . . . and it didn't take long to regret those feelings. I am just stunned at the moves these guys come up with. After years of consistent exercise and trying every workout video known to man, I have never run across anything like this. Where did they dream up these moves? I could barely do them and there's no doubt I did my fair share of cheating (which I NEVER do). I even sort of pulled a muscle in my thigh . . . doing ab work! Unreal. I am really eager and curious to have that workout come up again in the rotation, just to see if I am any better at it next time. Now I'm challenged. Bring it on!

My New Attitude Toward Teaching

I was due to start teaching my first yoga class of the season a couple of weeks ago and, of course, that meant that I was starting to stress out. I had such mixed emotions about teaching when I started last year. I never really imagined myself in front of a big class. I really only got the teaching credentials for my own knowledge and benefit. I wasn't sure I would be a good instructor or I would at all enjoy it. And I must say, after teaching last year I didn't really enjoy it. It became work, a second job. The type A personality in me had to strive for perfection and I had to plan out the classes far in advance and rehearse them to death to make sure they would last exactly one hour. I worried about having enough things to say during class and I was all around too uptight about everything. It was completely counter productive to what yoga is all about.

I considered not teaching again this year, but then again, I also consider closing YogaDudes for business every single year. But it never happens. I get one email from a happy customer and it gives me the drive to continue. Same thing with teaching. So many of the students are so enthusiastic and excited about taking the class and if I don't teach there will be no more yoga in my town, so again, I dig down deep for the drive.

This year I wanted it to be different. I didn't want to dread it. But would that be possible? A friend of mine gave me some good advice a few days before my first class. She just reminded me that it was a beginners class that I'm teaching and they have no expectations. They likely will have nothing else to compare my class to. She also reminded me of a class that we used to take together that we thought wasn't the best class, but the next day we were always embarrassed to admit that we were sore. Whatever else she told me this fateful night changed my outlook. I decided that I wasn't going to get so worked up. I was just going to wing it a bit and not rehearse everything.

I have to say, walking into the class I did feel a little more nervous than I would if I had rehearsed, but that feeling slipped right away as soon as I started. I had a basic plan of what I would do, but I just let time pass as it would and I adjusted the class on the fly. Without trying to memorize all the things that I wanted to say, the words just came natural to me. I am still in shock at how smoothly and easily the class went. I really hope I can continue this new attitude toward teaching. And my class ended with the students applauding. Would could feel better than that? Thank you Lisa for giving me the relaxed yoga-attitude that I so needed.

Fit in 5 DVD Review

I’ve been testing out a lot of new work out DVDs lately and unfortunately I’ve been finding more that I don’t like than those that I do. But at last I found a winner. I just love DVDs workouts that are broken into multiple shorter segments. It seems I never have time to spend an entire hour working out and these shorter segments are the perfect lunchtime office routine for me. Actually, they are the perfect anytime routine (morning, after work, hotel room sessions) and getting multiple sessions in one DVD always seems like a good value.

This particular video, Fit in 5: Total Body Tone, by Acacia is a very nice well-rounded workout. It includes five 20 minute workouts: Strength, Yoga, Pilates, Abs, and Cardio. No matter what you’re in the mood for, there’s something to suite you. Sometimes I only do one of the 5, but on days that I have more time I combine two. The only one of the five that I’m not terribly thrilled with is the Strength one and I feel compelled to mention why. The moves are all great, but the pace is very fast. Normally I love a fast paced video. Nothing annoys me more than feeling like I’m wasting time. But when it comes to lifting weights and doing squats, form is very important. I felt like this video just moved a little too quickly to allow you to get a good form. I tried it twice and two times it left me with a sore knee so I’m going to caution you on being careful when doing this segment. Just be careful of your form. My tip would be to do all the moves (they are great), but don’t worry so much about keeping up with the reps. Just concentrate on your form and don’t worry about how many reps you did.

The Yoga session is done by Shiva Rea and it is one of the best combinations of relaxing and challenging yoga that I’ve encountered. Seems like most every yoga DVD is either very challenging (and not relaxing at all) or very relaxing, with not much challenge. This routine is my favorite “after work” one. The music and flowing movement just relaxes me, but yet the moves are just the right amount of challenge so my legs can burn while I’m feeling the stress melt away. I don’t know how she does it, but Shiva found the perfect combination.

The couple that leads the Abs session, Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, have become my favorite duo. I reviewed and raved about another one of their DVD workouts and they continue their style with this Ab workout. Some of the things I love about this couple is their no frills approach. They get right down to business. I like the fact that they are not 20 years old. They impress the heck out of me with their strength. I guess this is just the living proof that yoga works and that is always motivation to push harder. And push harder you must do. I have yet to find an Ab workout that I can’t do. I sailed through P90X Ab Ripper X, but this one . . . this one got me. Holy cow it’s challenging and I love the fact that I need to keep at it to get better each time. Totally motivates me to want to do more.

The Cardio session is just plain fun. I always loved cardio kickboxing and this routine is nice and easy to follow. Overly complicated routines just serve to discourage. I don’t want my brain having to work overtime when I’m trying to work out my muscles. Violet Zaki makes this one so much fun that the time feels too short. This is a great one to use a warm up for the others.

The Pilates session is a pure pleasure. I don’t have much experience with Pilates and was pleasantly surprised by how gentle and calming the entire experience was. Kristin McGee has such a soothing and pleasant voice. I could see that it’s a sneaky way of working out your entire core, but yet you feel so relaxed that you don’t even realize your working. This is a perfect session to couple with any of the others. I like to use it as my ending.

I think this DVD would make a perfect gift for somebody wanting to get back into shape for the New Year. I know I’m thrilled to have my copy. I will surely put it to good use throughout the year. You can find more info on the workout and purchase a copy for yourself here.

Buddha's Hands

A fellow yogi, a terrific photographer (Sandy Foster), and a good friend of mine took this wonderful picture of a fruit called Budda's Hand. She was shopping at her local grocery store (and knowing Sandy, it was a health food store) when she stumbled upon this ever so strange looking fruit. She was so drawn to it and compelled by it that she bought it, took it home to her photo studio, and captured this beauty shot. I do wonder what the fruit tastes like, what it's used for, where it comes from, etc. Perhaps one of these days I'll do some research. But in the meantime I'll just enjoy this unique piece of art.

Please check out some of Sandy's other work on her web site here: www.photoesque.com.

Horrifying DownDog

Are there any 40+ female yogis that can perform downdog in shorts, look at their thighs and not be horrified? Is it just me having this problem? Here I am in good shape, fairly happy with my overall body, and yet I’m completely disgusted in down dog. In fact I may never do it again. Ok, that may be a little extreme, but I don’t think I’ll be doing it in shorts any more. What is it about down dog that makes my skin look so terrible? I hate it. Yoga should not depress me. And life is so incredibly unfair. My husband is 13 years older than me and that darn bugger can still be an underwear model. His legs and rear end are as firm and chiseled now as when he was a teenager. I’m pretty sure I hate him and I really need to have a word with Mother Nature. Where is she when you need to talk to her?

The Best Yoga Bra and the Best Compliment

This past weekend I was shopping in a boutique in Mystic CT when I ran across a great bra. It seems to be a clever combination of a sports bra and a cami. It has no hooks or wires and is meant to be worn under deep v tops. I was imagining what tops I would wear it under and then the idea struck that it would be the most perfect yoga bra - super comfy with the option of switching out to invisible straps. I was sold! When I brought it up to the check out counter the woman takes a look at what I’m buying and says to me, “Do you do yoga? You look like you do yoga.” I just had to laugh. I couldn’t believe the question and was so incredibly flattered by her comment. When I told her that I had yoga in mind during my decision making process she told me that lots of people were buying these bras for that specific reason. She just wanted to make sure I knew that they also offered a different bra model (without the pretty lace) that was better suited for yoga class. I have gotten lots of compliments in my life for various things, but I have to say . . . hearing “You look like you do yoga” had to be one of my all-time favorites!

And by the way, for more info on this great new bra, please click here.

Yoga While Cycling

I’ve read lots and lots of articles about Yoga and Cycling, but never anything about yoga while cycling. Maybe that is because it’s darn difficult to do. But today I had a great experience from stretching while cycling. And before I go any further I just want to say that I am not in any way recommending that anyone who may be reading this attempts to ride their bicycles without holding the handlebars. If you are not a cyclist that regularly sits back and rides ‘hands free’ than perhaps you shouldn’t read any further. But if you’re like me and are accustomed to riding hands free, or maybe you’re a unicyclist, than by all means, read on.

For the past two days I’ve been suffering from (what I think is) a pinched nerve in my upper right back. When I move in certain ways I get strange unexplained shooting pains. Sometimes it feels as though a creature with extremely sharp teeth has a hold of me and won’t let go. Or perhaps this is what it feels like to get shot and have the bullet still lodged in you. Bottom line, it’s no picnic and I’ve been miserable in pain. But, of course, that doesn’t stop me from hiking, biking, kayaking, or doing yoga. I must beat this thing!

So this morning I started my day with my favorite 30 minute yoga routine. By 20 minutes into the routine I was convinced that yoga is going to cure me. I was feeling great. Every down dog and side plank gave me more and more relief and I was thrilled. Until I got to the chair pose. For whatever reason putting my arms out in front of me and slightly lifted is a recipe for disaster. The shooting pains started again and I barely got through the rest of the routine. My spirits were breaking and I knew I needed a bike ride.

Fortunately, the riding position on my road bike was favorable to my pinched nerve and most of the ride was pain-free. But when I deviated from my standard riding position (by standing up, moving my hand position on the bars, or going over rough gravel roads) the pain started again. I remembered a tip I recently learned from a yoga and pilates instructor . . . she showed me a great back stretch that involved hunching up your shoulders, rolling them all the way back and then dropping them as far down as you can. That move completely opens your chest. From that point you bring your arms almost to a ‘namaste’ position in front of your chest, only instead of having your palms facing each other you point one palm to the ground, the other to the sky and clasp your fingers together while pulling one hand firmly with the other. The more tension you use to pull on your fingers, the better stretch you get along your back. It’s pure magic and I performed this little number several times while riding my bike today. I’m pretty sure it’s what got me through the otherwise painful ride. I am going to continue to practice yoga while riding, pinched nerve or not. It was great!

Free June Desktop Calendar

I swear I had this done before June 1st. First month ever that I was actually early. But then I went on vacation and now I'm late again. sigh. If you would like to make this image your desktop calendar, just click on the image above to bring up the larger image. Then right-click and "save as desktop."

And a special thanks to Nadia Nasiri of www.getoffthemat.com for supplying the photograph.

30 Day Yoga Challenge

I just stumbled upon an interesting web site. It’s called Dashama 30 Day Yoga Challenge and they are offering a free 30 day program to bring yoga into your life. If you sign up you will receive one email per day that will include a brief (usually about 10 minutes) instructional yoga video. If you are ready to dedicate just 10 minutes a day to a yoga practice this is a great way to stay motivated. So far I just watched the first video and it included 7 minutes of seated stretches. I think these daily emails will serve as a great reminder to take a break from your otherwise busy day in order to something beneficial to your health. Everybody can spare just 10 minutes. I plan to watch and practice with these videos every day before lunch.

Here’s a peek at the promotional video that explains this 30 day challenge.

What do you have to lose? Give it a try!

Things I Learned This Week

I was on the road this week, on a business trip. This meant that I got knocked off my P90X schedule. I really hate when that happens. Fortunately my last business trip landed conveniently during a Recovery Week which meant that I could manage to keep up in my hotel room. But this time my trip landed during my last ‘real week’ of the program. I’m getting home just in time for my final Recovery Week and it pains me to think that I have to prolong the program by yet another week. Uuugh.

But this week has taught me two things. First, I realized that I soon as I removed the weight lifting and one hour hard-core cardio sessions from my life, my appetite went right back to normal. I have been starving non-stop for the past two months and now here I am, in the middle of a big city, surrounded by great food (on the company tab, no less) and I can’t be bothered with food. I get to normal meal times and almost force myself to eat something, when normally at home I’m counting down the minutes until I get to eat again. This just proves my theory and makes me wonder why I bother burning so many calories a day when it just causes me to eat that many more. Seems like a silly run around on a hamster wheel, but I know that won’t stop me.

My second lesson of the week involves yoga. Because the hotel that I’m staying in doesn’t have a gym, yoga is the best and easiest way to work out every day. And what I’ve discovered is how much I improved by doing my routine every single day. I started out this week sweating and watching the clock in anticipation of the routine ending. But the second day was a littler easier. And the third day even easier. By the fourth day I was stunned at how easily I breezed through the rigorous routine. I know that practicing anything makes you better, but the speed at which you see improvement in yoga by a consistent and frequent practice is astonishing. Practicing once a week seems like you never get a chance to really build those yoga muscles and get in the zone. You are therefore struggling every time you practice. But if you can increase the amount of days per week in which you practice it really seems to pay off. For me yoga went from a chore to pleasure in just 4 days!

I’m curious how many days per week most enthusiastic yogi practice . . . Please share if you will . . . How many days per week to you practice?

My P90X Yoga Secret

My last posting talked about how I went from hating and dreading P90X Yoga to how I tackled it. A comment from a reader made me realize that I should also explain my little P90X Yoga secret . . .

Like I said before, the biggest challenge with P90X is the time commitment. Dedicating the hours every week is far more painful for me than the actual lifting or working out. And doing anything for more than an hour is like bamboo under my fingernails. I mean seriously, I can't think of many things that I can do for more than an hour – even things I love, I lose interest after an hour. I guess I have a 59 minute attention span for most things in life and it's actually becoming a joke to my friends. As soon as I tune out my friends say, "Paula has reached her 1 hour limit." So here's my P90X secret that I started to do last season.

The hardest and most grueling part of P90X Yoga is the first 45 minutes of the vinyasa flow. That is the part that makes the whole routine seem endless. But when you think about it, the entire routine can be broken into two distinct parts: the 45 minute vinyasa Hell; and the rest of it. So on Yoga day, I tackled the first 45 tough minutes during my lunch break at work. Then I would come home and finish the second 45 minute segment after work. Taking the work out in two pieces made it a million times more doable for me. I don't think you are getting any less of a work out or benefit from splitting it in two pieces and for me, it worked like a charm.

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.

Yoga Teachers Who Blog

Check me out. I just realized that YogaDudes is listed #2 in this cool list of "100 Incredible Yoga Teachers Who Blog." YogaDudes is listed under the "Yoga News and Inspiration" category. I must say that I'm honored. The idea that I may be inspiring people out there to do yoga and get fit just thrills me. Check out the link and see if you can get inspired by some of the other yoga instructors of the world.

The Perfect Yoga CD for Teaching Class

I just found another must have for my yoga classes. A couple of weeks ago I set my mp3 player to play songs from just one CD. I thought it would automatically repeat until I hit stop, but no . . . it just ran out of music and left my class in silence. Wouldn't it be nice to find a CD that just runs for exactly one hour (the length of most yoga classes)? Why yes it would. And how about if the CD included a mediation at the end? That would just be too much to ask for. Well, ask and you shall receive.

The My Yoga 2 Go Music CD was specifically created for teaching a yoga class. It includes 60 minutes of continuous music with tranquil gongs at 1 minute and 3 minute intervals that signal the transition of poses while keeping you in the flow of your yoga sequence, it ends with a 15 minute meditation. Even if you don't teach it would be nice to practice at home with this CD. It would help take my mind off of looking at the clock and keep me focused on my practice.

Here's the best part . . . Now through April 15th you can get the My Yoga 2 Go CD for $10 (reg. $19.95). Just enter promo code MUSIC at checkout. Offer is only valid for 1 per customer.

In Case You Need to Renew or Subscribe

And by the way, in case you don't already have a subscription to Yoga Journal magazine, or need to renew your subscription . . . here’s your chance to grab a great deal on a one year subscription for only $4.29. But the catch is that it’s only good for one day, today, Thursday, March 18th. Just click on the text link below to get the deal.

Yoga Journal Magazine for $4.29