Still Worthy

Monday Night’s Yoga (8/30/10)

I waffled about whether or not I wanted to do anything special on Monday night.  My weekend had been full of exercise—lots of bike riding and a gentle yoga session.  I would have been totally happy to take a rest day.  Rest days are good.  I like rest days.  On Monday night, after cooking a nice weeknight dinner and watching my usual episode of The L Word on Netflix, I found myself with a block of time and a craving for some more yoga.  My back had been feeling a bit sore and tight, and I thought that yoga might loosen things up and help me sleep better.

I reached for something I haven’t used in a long time: one of my yoga videos.  Video, as in VHS.  Does anyone else even own VHSes any more?  I do, and I still enjoy them, particularly the yoga videos from CRUNCH Fitness featuring Sara Ivanhoe as the instructor.  Sara is an amazing yoga teacher.  I love her gentle voice and detailed instructions.  She gives just the right amount of information to guide you through her class, and she’s not very hippy-dippy about yoga (though to be honest, I don’t mind a little hippy-dippy with my yoga.  But maybe you do!).  On Monday night, I pulled out Sara’s Fat-Burning Yoga video, which I see is now available *NEW* for $4 on Amazon!  Wow, that’s a steal.  I should buy one just in case my old one wears out, which it might because I’ve played it a thousand times.

I digress.  What I like to do with fat-burning yoga is the first 20 minutes of the video.  I think 20-30 minutes is the perfect amount of yoga time for me, especially because I do yoga at night before I go to bed, and I don’t always have more than half an hour before I need to be in bed.  The first 20 minutes of this video features a flowing series of downward-facing dogs, lunges, twists, and plank poses.  It’s deceptively challenging: on the surface, it looks like it will be a snap but because you keep moving into different poses and trying to breathe with the movement, it requires physical and mental focus to do it well.  I really enjoy it, and I’m even convinced that it makes my legs look especially toned.

Does this video really burn fat?  I have no idea.  I didn’t choose it for its alleged fat-burning properties—I just wanted another yoga video and I liked Sara Ivanhoe, so I bought another Sara tape.  I do know that yoga makes me feel better about my body—fat, muscle, scars, everything.  Feeling good in your own skin is a priceless experience.