With the new year, there's been a onslaught of promotional marketing around various fitness programs and regimens, including many centered around some form of yoga. To that I say, great! The more people that become inspired to practice yoga, the better.However.There is a negative message between the lines of a lot of the language I've seen, and I don't like it: the implication that, in terms of yoga, one must look or be a certain way to "achieve" a "yoga body".Well. There's a not-so-secret secret you should know...Despite all that noise, there is nothing you need to do to get a "yoga body".You already HAVE a yoga body.EVERYBODY has a yoga body. It's the one you're born with.No matter your size; whether you're a seasoned yogi or just testing the waters; your level of fitness or physical abilities; your shape, height, sex, age, etc. etc. -- you have a yoga body.Take a moment, sit quietly, inhale and exhale deeply through your nose if possible, and focus on your breath. Therein lies one of the simple yet profound foundations of yoga (that can become all the more profound and layered the more you do it!). Move into asana if you want to and can (and that too can look like many different things), or focus on other yoga forms. Explore, and keep exploring, and see what feels right for you.Like with anything, progress takes time. But yoga is about the process and the now.Just don't get deterred by what you think yoga "should" look like. Focus on the physicality of yoga from a structural, safety, cuing and health standpoint.Yoga is not about looking a certain way. It does not discriminate. It's a practice and an intention. It's collective and individual. And it's for everyone -- or, at least, anyone who wants it.
Travis Eliot's "Ultimate Yogi" Cross-Train Class: Free Online!
This is such a treat.One of our favorite yoga programs available on DVD is Travis Eliot’s “The Ultimate Yogi”. Whether you follow it as a guided 108 day program, or use it at your own pace, it’s a wonderfully supportive and effective home program that really touches on all elements of yoga and can guide you through a major body/mind shift. Much of it does emphasize fitness, so always be mindful of your breath and slow down if you need to -- remebering to prioritize and never compromise your breath and proper form whenever you practice.Udaya Yoga (which has a massive online catalog of yoga classes) has shared for free (viewable above) the entire cross training practice from “The Ultimate Yogi” DVD set.Something we appreciate about Travis’ teaching style is even through a tough workout, he always keeps form and true yoga principles at the core of his instruction. It is well-balanced, and works from the inside out.No matter your level of yoga experience or exposure, check this out – take it slow, listen to your body and do what you can. And tell us what you think!
Cross Training Yoga from Travis Eliot's "The Ultimate Yogi" Program
This is so exciting!One of my (if not my most) favorite DVD programs is Travis Eliot's "The Ultimate Yogi". Whether you follow it as a guided 108 day program, or use it at your own pace, it's a wonderfully supportive and effective home program that really touches on all elements of yoga and can guide you through a major body/mind shift.Udaya Yoga (which has a massive online catalog of yoga classes) has shared on their YouTube channel for free this video, also viewable above, which is the entire cross training session from "The Ultimate Yogi" DVD set.If nothing else, it'll show you just how much of a workout yoga can be! But that aside, something I love about Travis' teaching style is even through a tough workout, he always keeps form and true yoga principles at the core of his instruction. It is well-balanced, and works from the inside out.No matter your level of yoga experience or exposure, I strongly encourage you to check this out - take it slow, listen to your body and do what you can. I think and hope you'll like it as much as I do!
Yoga Yoga Yoga!
So. I have a love/hate relationship with workout DVDs, throughout the years often getting excited and high hopes at the prospect of some, but then only finding about 25% of them to really be great with the remaining 75% leaving some or much to be desired. I do think that even the good ones need to be taken with your own grain of salt - knowing you need to move at your own pace, being mindful of your form and heart rate and fitness goals, and adjusting how you follow along and/or adapt based on those factors.I recently read about the "Ultimate Yogi" program - a set of 12 DVDs that takes you through 108 days of consecutive yoga, consisting of three phases - and was intrigued. And yoga is something that I previously really only enjoyed in a studio setting or doing on my own. I have found some YouTube videos that I liked, but never a whole DVD that really nailed it.Something about "Ultimate Yogi" seemed different though, so I read and read... and read... as much as I could about it, before biting the bullet and purchasing the DVD set (on Amazon.com for a much-reduced price). If the "program" is being followed as designed, there is a yoga practice every day for 108 days; that full duration is also divided into three segments, with the overarching goal being a "transformation" from start to finish. These classes intend to stretch, strengthen and revitalize your body from the inside out, in different ways. I've never looked at yoga as something that focuses on how you look - visible physical changes are a secondary result - but how you feel and how your body functions, which seems to be at the core of "Ultimate Yogi."Peter and I decided to do take this on together, and we started on Monday so are only two sessions in (the third being tonight), and so far I am REALLY happy, enthused and motivated. And sore. Each session has a different focus, and the instructor of the series - Travis Eliot - does a great job guiding each session, focusing on the core intentions of each pose and yoga in general, combining movement and meditation. He really gets at the mind-body balance that's at the core of yoga, and I haven't felt that resonate from a DVD before (only in-person classes).As for the aforementioned soreness - my triceps, deltoids and obliques are quietly screaming at me, but in a "yay, you just awoke me from a long sleep!" kind of way, which to me is a good thing (aka the activation and use of muscles and other tissue in new and important ways!).Like any physical activity, precautions must be taken, care must be exacted and certainly benefits/risks should be assessed based on your individual self and needs... but there is so much positivity in yoga, so much to be gained on body, mind and spirit levels; I really believe everyone could benefit from incorporating it into their life in some way. Even if it's laying in child's pose or savasana for ten minutes a day and breathing mindfully! It's carving out the time, however short or long, to dedicate to your practice in the way that best suits you. And Travis speaks to this in the sessions, which I really appreciate.I love yoga so much - different kinds for different reasons - and am always looking for new ways to expand and evolve my practice. 2013 has been a year of yoga for me in that I practiced more than any other year in the past, and I'm excited to feel that 2014 is going to take it to the next level.My two biggest goals in going through this program are to increase flexibility and strength. I'll post updates as I make my way through... stay tuned!
