So today I finally had a chance to review the P90X- YogaX routine, I have been hearing about it, it's supposed to be Ashtanga yoga style inspired. In today's fitness world, as soon as you put the word "yoga" to anything, it will sell like hot cakes. I have seen class descriptions such as 'Yoga Aquatics' or 'Yogalites' - the hybrid child of 2 hot trends: Yoga + Pilates. In today's busy world, we want to squeeze in as much core/body workout into a 60 minute time frame. P90X's first YogaX routine is 90 minutes long, insanely long according to some of the reviews I have read. Hence the creation of YogaX3, shorter version of Ashtanga inspired 30 minute high intensity Yoga workout for the mass.
I can't help but have to blog about what I saw with P90X's Yoga X and related videos on YouTube. Yes, the wonders of YouTube, one person buys the DVD and shoots it up on web for the mass to use for free. Why should I pay for yoga if I can get it for free? So, in MHO, please....do yourself a huge favor and find a good live teacher to teach you all the right from the wrong. I am hesitant to say this, maybe if you are a seasoned yogi and have a solid practice, you could use this video for "flow" purpose, I guess. Actually, maybe I wouldn't suggest it. I am a seasoned yogi and have been practicing solidly for the past 4 years with a lot of good teachers, even I can't support the sequence of the YogaX routine. Seven minutes into the sequence, they are in a humble warrior pose; another 3 minutes, a bound extended side angle pose. Honestly, these 2 poses are considered advanced poses. While you certainly can muscle your way into the poses because......for whatever reason, I would look at what are the different muscle strengths and flexibility are required to get into these 2 advanced poses; you have to have extremely flexible hip flexors, hamstrings, and back muscles. In a 60 minute class, these 2 poses would surface around 45 minutes into the class. If you are not warm up correctly before getting into these deep poses and you are prone for injuries.
The majority of us are not conditioned like the 3 fitness celebrities from the YogaX video, case in point, I then clicked over to another video with a big guy demonstrating his Yoga X workout. I applaud his effort for trying yoga. The word "Yoga" sounds intimidating, but he's doing it. 15 minutes into the routine, he is struggling big time. There is no correct alignment cue for posture setup, his back is hunching over in forward fold, his hips are out of alignment for standing postures. Basically, he's just going thru the motion without the guidance of a live teacher. To further drive the point home, another lady with the same video on her couch and begin.....only she doesn't even know where to stand on the yoga mat to begin her sequence, foot placements are all out of whack! YIKES!!
If you are a beginner to yoga and have been wanting to try yoga but intimated by the whole idea of yoga, this is where a private sessions can be helpful. A few sessions with a qualified teacher is the best investment that you can do for yourself. When my younger son first started swim lesson at the age of three, he was not liking the idea of putting his face in the water, we went thru a couple sessions of small group class, but his confidence in the water was still not there; to get him over that hump, I enrolled him in a few one-on-one lessons, it is in the private lessons that he gained the confidence to put his face in the water. The best bang for my dollar! He now thrives in his small group lesson and enjoys swim lessons very much.
Yes, a video at home is good, but only good enough to cue you from one pose to the next. A good teacher will see you, hear you, teach you the fundamentals and help set you up for success as you step foot into any group classes.
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