Day 47: Yoga XT

Mike's love of yoga, as he finally reaches his toes.

It's a sunny and beautiful Tuesday - on Day 47.  I was totally enjoying the day, until I remembered that Yoga was on the calendar.

If you've been following along, you know I'm not a big Yoga fan. I've admitted that TapouT Yoga is better than other Yoga workouts I've tried. But still, I'm not a fan. Unlike Mike, who loves Yoga as evidenced by the photo left.

Until today, I've been pushing myself to like Yoga. I've been hoping that one day I might even love it. And then it hit me... to stop.

Stop trying to love it. Just accept Yoga as something that's good for me - and do it anyway. I have to say I feel a great deal of relief in "accepting" Yoga as a necessary evil vs. struggling to like it. It's my cough medicine of workouts. It may be good for me. It just tastes horrible. :-)

To the rest of the headlines, below.

Headlines

1. The minute I gave myself permission not to like Yoga, I liked it a little more. Weird.
2. My shoulders were killing me early on. I looked up and saw "Warm Up" on the screen. Not exactly a "zen" moment for me.
3. Some of the poses, I really like. They feel good, they work my muscles, and they make me more flexible. All good.
4. And by "some" of the poses, I mean only a few. :)
5. I found yet another kind of Yoga gloves online today, padded, and bought them. I feel like I'm trying to woo Yoga with gifts.

Memorable Move

My memorable move today isn't a move - it's a technique. I've gotten some tips from my TapouT team members and others on how to ease strain on the wrists. I feel very wimpy doing Yoga, because my wrists hurt even earlier than my shoulders. As you read above, my shoulders are hurting during the warm up.

I tried a few different hand placement techniques today. The variation helped. Maybe some of these ideas will work for you too... although remember that I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm not the best source for insight on Yoga. <grin>

• I turned my hands toward each other a little bit, and spread the fingers a little wider. Better.
• I tried balancing the weight where both the thumb and pinkie meet the palm. This is probably what Mike meant when he said to dig in the palms, but I didn't get it until I visualized it this way.
• I also tried subtle shifts of my weight on my palms, first back and then forward. Nice relief.

I'm not sure if these are big game-changers that will make me like Yoga. But I did get some wrist relief from mixing it up a bit today. That's a big win, given that my wrists are what make me break pose more than anything else.

Favorite Mike Quote Of The Day

Mike's quest to touch his toes after stretching with Yoga is awesome. He struggles with flexibility, so he starts off not being able to reach. I feel like he's in it with me - although he clearly likes the journey more than I do. He's so delighted when he finally grabs his toes. It makes me smile and is the best part of this workout for me. It's like working out with a good friend - I'm cheering him on just as much as he's cheering me on.

Early: "I'm gonna make this promise to you. I'm gonna get to my toes before the end of this. You watch."

Mid-Way:  "So close! I'm almost butter!"

Later:   "Toe test... Who can get it?... I'm gonna get 'em if it's the last thing I do today. UGH. Locked out. GOT 'EM!!!"

At the end: "Roll up. See if you can get those toes. Oooohhhhhh. MONEY!! Roll back. Ready? Reach up. And down. Oh. Look at that. And down. Ready? Up. I'm gonna grab my toes. Watch this. RIGHT THERE. There's proof in the pudding. There's proof in the box. There's proof in the workout. It works!" So fun.

My view, toward the end of the workout, from the mat. Had to stop and take a photo. :-)

Final Comment on Yoga

So there. I've said it. I don't like Yoga. And I probably never will, at least in 52 minute doses.

But I'm a TapouT Warrior.  I will not quit. I will not tap out. I will do it. I will push myself to get better. I will push myself to get stronger. And I will swear a little bit, with every single stretch. But I'll be way more at peace accepting Yoga, than I ever was when I was trying to like Yoga.

Who knows? Maybe it will sneak up and surprise me one day, and I'll have love in my heart for Yoga. Until then, I'll just come and get it. My cough medicine of workouts.

More tomorrow,
 Lisa
"Bandit"

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My "real" life beyond TapouT XT:

    Executive Consultant: www.laiventures.com

    Author and Coach: www.soulforbreakfast.com