BBM Connection

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga

It’s been about a week since my last abs workout. There’s been a stretch of time where I’ve been trying to take care of job search related items, so yoga sort of fell to the side. Yesterday, I decided to get back on track by doing Total Body; that also happens to be the reason why I did abs yoga today.

Even though I’m fairly comfortable with abs yoga now, it’s a bit of an experience when yesterday was probably the first time in over two months since one has done the Total Body workout. I think the experience could be concisely summed up into “I really feel it”. Although the muscles definitely haven’t recovered from yesterday, but I’ll try to plow through Total Body tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga

Although I purchased the triple threat abs DVD back in December, I didn’t get around to actually cracking it open until this year. So far, it’s been the workout I’ve been doing the most this year - it’s just a lot easier to commit to it vs. other workouts when I’m feeling dead.

This morning’s workout was a bit on the interesting side - I’ve been suffering from a cold that’s left me rather congested in my right nostril. That made synchronizing the breathing with the poses that much more difficult. In spite of it, I thought the workout went pretty well. I’ve grown accustomed to the various exercises so that I’m not as fatigued by them. I do feel like I need to work on getting the my legs tucked closer into my body, but I recognize that I am not Rodney. The other problem I have is that my workspace is carpet (bad) and a bit poorly laid out for the straight legs to the side poses.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure I’ve asked this question before, but does any one have any suggestions on an “intermediate” level workout? Total Body is probably a bit too rough to do very regularly, the Yoga Journal Yoga for Beginners is too slow + low level and I’m not sure if 4 sun salutations is necessarily the best of workouts for me at this stage.

Workout: Free Form

Today was my second (2nd!) consecutive yoga workout this week. It just so happens that the shame of the scale is a greater motivator than being fit, super flexible and strong. I’m continuing the sun salutation oriented workout, but I’ve retreated from the 45 second holds on positions - it was simply too much, too soon. Instead, I’ve added a lighter (read: no leg extension or pose) sun salutation rotation as the first and fourth rotation. That means a total of six (6) sun salutations plus stretches and other miscellaneous poses equals one workout. Right now, I feel that this level of difficulty is “The Right Place” if I continue doing daily workouts: not too difficult, but still taxing on the body. I would like to eventually add an abs workout at some point though. Sadly, the BeBusty did not have the “kid tested, chaos approved” multi-workout video, so I’ll have to order from some place online. Alas.

Workout: Free Form

Since I started yoga again, I have been using a workout based around sun salutations. Currently, it’s four (2 x left leg, 2 x right leg) modified sun salutations + stretching/relaxing exercises at the end. The deviations from the orthodox version include a leg extension from downward dog that returns to a downward dog, a leg exercise - warrior I, warrior II, triangle pose, extended side angle pose - afterwards and another downward dog following that up. Recently, I’ve been working in warrrior I -> warrior III and triangle pose -> half moon pose into this workout, but it is very much a work in progress. Overall though, I do lilke the workout - it seems to hit the right balance of taxing the muscles and restorative elements. I probably will need to increase the intensity and/or lengthen the work out once I get more comfortable with it.

For now, I’m not going to any classes. Things are too uncertain financially and time-wise to commit to such an endeavour at this point. I do hope that I’ll be able to do so during the new year.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body

In an effort to be good again, I did the sun salutation portion and cooldown portions of the PY:TB workout. Since I haven’t been very good about yoga the past month & 1/2, I decided to take it light and do an abbreviated version. Asides from that slight bit of post-workout euphoria from abusing the body, I noticed that even the most basic poses tax the body since I went to those yoga classes a while back. I suppose having your form corrected does that to you.

I think I’m going to make an effort start going to classes again as well as do a work out every morning. Wish me luck peeps.

Workout: Studio

After a *long* hiatus from yoga, I finally felt settled enough in my new place to seek out a class. For a while now, I felt like I needed to yoga with someone else - be it a partner or an instructor - in order to actually know whether or not I was doing things correctly. Interestingly enough, I sorta stumbled upon a place by chance when I found a coupon in the local ad book for a free class. Free class and short drive/not too long walk = why not?

Luckily, it just so happened that tonight was an introductory/beginner’s class: the perfect class for a hapless, hopelessly out of shape person like Y.T. It covered a number of poses I was already familiar with - e.g. upward/downward dog, triangle pose, warrior I, warrior II, cobra pose, upward bow - plus some new ones and the customary relaxation/cool down period where I very nearly fell asleep BECAUSE THE WORK OUT VERY MUCH KICKED MY ASS. Still, I enjoyed it enough to go again. It always feels good to put the body through the paces like that. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there’s plenty of eye candy. (=

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body

Had an unsatisfying Death Yoga workout today. Two days of rest just wasn’t enough - I was missing a lot of what I got the last time and ended up skipping some sections out of fatigue. Although I feel good that I did a workout today, I feel like I need something less strenuous for these sorts of days. Suggestions anyone?

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body

Since I cut out of work fairly early today, I felt somewhat motivated to actually do a workout. Given my incredibly limited selection of workouts, I opted for the aptly nicknamed “Death Yoga”. All things considered, it went pretty well. I did alright on the Half Moon Poses as well as the Warrior III. The Upward Bow, however, was not so hot: I only pulled off the initial one for part of the duration. In addition, I think I pulled out a few strands of hair when I adjusted my hands. Alas, that is the price of yoga. Unsurprisingly, I was remarkably tired by the end of it. I came remarkably close to falling asleep during the relaxation poses. Hopefully, I’ll get back into the groove so it isn’t that rough the next time.