Power Yoga.  You may or may not be a fan of it. Most likely, if you're not, you've had very limited exposure to it. Before today I've had a respectful appreciation for yoga. That is, having done P90X Yoga X, which is definitely power yoga, with mister intensity Tony Horton pushing you through warrior moves and balance moves, some rather advanced, I generally either begrudgingly got through it, praying for time to zoom by, or I switched it out for Tony's One on One Hummingbird Yoga, a more zen like, shorter yoga workout.

However, today was different, more zen than power yoga. This morning I ventured up to my aunt and uncle's house to try yoga via a professional, a friend of theirs named Bill Foreman (469-222-0232, bforeman@contactdallas.com). It was a great experience. Bill was well versed in the methodology, but also in the deeper understanding of WHY you do certain moves, and in what order, and what is really going on in your body, and he explained it all to us as we went, so that our minds were getting just as good a workout as our bodies, and coincidentally keeping us from thinking about being tired or sore.

We started by centering our bodies while lying on our stomachs in perfect relaxation, truly taking our time. We moved up from there, pushing ourselves just outside our comfort zones, yet in complete peace and relaxation, the so-called "calm during the storm". Yes, there were some down dogs, up dogs, even a few warrior positions, but it was part of a larger whole, a true feeling that your body was aligning itself, centering itself, so that by the time we were done, we felt pretty amazing.

Does this mean I don't appreciate the power yoga of  Yoga X? Not at all! In fact, this actually gave me a much better understanding and appreciation for it. Now, when I do Yoga X, I can add a few moves, making it a more whole experience, pausing the video during the balance moves so that I can truly take my time, do it RIGHT, and gain more from it than I ever have before.

Honestly, after this morning, I was trying some of the balance moves again later in the day just for fun. So my suggestion would be, if you're in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, get in touch with Bill, otherwise take a yoga class with a yoga master near you. It's a great experience, and will deepen your understanding and appreciation for this very useful art form.

 

About the author:  John Hays is a super friendly web developer, photographer, and health & fitness coach using products like P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, and Shakeology to help people get in the best shape of their lives.  His proven methods of personal accountability and constant support have helped people see major life changes.  John's photography has been seen in numerous publications, and he has worked with such web clients as Jack Daniel's, Mission Tortillas, Joe's Crab Shack, Conoco/Phillips and many more.