Getting Centered

So, my previous company had a wonderful workout facility in the building with accompanying wonderful workout instructors. One of my favorite classes was a power yoga class. (Her name was Shawn, her husband created the meditation cd for our class...I have to admit, initially the whole thing weirded me out, what was this namas day crap??, until I realized how awesome it was and how effective it is at making me feel so much better mentally and physically.) I can tell since leaving that job over a year ago that my posture has deteriorated GREATLY. I sit at a desk five days a week and find myself consistently slumped over. A couple of weeks ago while visiting friends in Charlotte, we took a group shot. And then I saw it, SWOOP NECK, aka - grandma hunch neck, aka - nasty vulture neck.

So, back to yoga I go via Comcast OnDemand. I have only done it once but I felt SO much better afterwards and I could tell the next day sitting at my desk that I felt stronger. I just need to keep doing it but those dang plank into chaturangas (aka - really hard push-ups "flowing" into cobra back to a pushup and into downward dog) are KILLING me. Lady, do I LOOK like I do a bunch of pushups?? Can you PA-LEASE limit those to maybe five a class?? Oh right, TV, hmm...I'll sit this one out, and looky there, I'm in downward dog now and moving to the next pose...Anyway, I need to build my strength back up and get my posture in gear. Lifting weights isn't exactly the same as being able to hold up my body weight. No twenty-something should have grandma neck in a picture. Sick.

Images Source (Poses are 1. Plank 2. Chaturanga 3. Cobra)

Looks fun right? It isn't even showing you the part where you push your body back into downward dog after the cobra. Is yoga the same as running? No. Does it work you out just as well? Yes. (If you have a good instructor, dvd, etc. and do a flow or power yoga, it isn't all just sitting there and stretching.) I highly recommend Bryan Kest's dvds.

PS - I am highly aware that this post is probably extremely boring but I try to turn people onto yoga whenever I can ( ;