Yoga Zone: Yoga for Fat Burning

[muck_a_luck]

And now for something completely different!

When I was first starting to think about yoga, the talented, wonderful, and beautiful uisgich suggested the six-disc Yoga Zone set.

Six discs are each 40 minutes long, but divided into two separate 20 minute sessions, so this is a nice set if you need bite-sized yoga. :D

I did Yoga for Fat Burning this morning.

If you like to do yoga for more vigorous exercise, rather than mainly for flexibility and relaxation, this is a routine that can definitely contribute to a raised heart-rate and a good sweat.

This is an especially good disc for you if you are just sick to death of the usual transitional vinyasa. All that jump back, plank, chaturanga, up dog, down dog. So. Bored. :D

The heat and calorie-burning movement in this routine comes from almost continuous deep lunging and chair, with the addition of upper body and arm movement.

The opening vinyasa was new to me. They call it "Cat Chaturanga." From all fours, extend one leg, then move the arms and shoulders into an approximation of chatruanga. Nice for arm strength. It started getting my heart-rate up and my body warm almost right away.

After that, it is lunge series after lunge series. This sounds worse than it is, though, because it is, after all, only a 20-minute session, and there is a small cool-down at the end.

The second segment uses chair and even more deep lunging. The second lunge sequence in particular is creative and interesting, but that's what you're doing, and you will be sweating hard by the end.

These routines do not include much if any final relaxation, so if you want to incorporate that into your practice, you need to plan to do it on your own.

I need to remember this disc. It is not really for me. I find that yoga that uses a lot of upper body and arm flailing to raise heat and heart rate are not very interesting to me. But on the other hand, it is a change of pace, and something new to do. The instructor is good, though occasionally and without warning she just *stops* instructing, expecting you to continue the vinyasa with your own breath. That's fine, it just caught me by surprise. There is also much more "new agey" talk in this instruction than in my other discs. You are "burning the tension out of your cells." And the mere practice of yoga is going to teach you to curb your cravings for bad foods. I'm sure there are plenty of yoga practitioners who would not even note these comments. I found them non-intrusive.

Overall, a challenging routine, especially if you plan to do the two pieces together in sequence.

Watch your toes

[muck_a_luck]

When I started doing the Yee disc (Power Yoga Total Body), I used to worry that I was going to sprain my big toes, particularly my left one. I couldn't figure out what I was doing, but it was bad and I was doing it a lot.

Then I quit yoga, and most exercise, for a long time while I was pregnant and nursing.

Then I came back to exercise through weight traning and aerobics.

So before I re-started a lot of yoga, I had been doing a lot of strength work with my legs and butt. Squats in particular with a lot of weight.

When I started doing yoga again, I could really tell the difference having much stronger legs made.

In particular, I realized that how I was hurting my toe was that I was using it to push off when I left a lunge pose and stepped my foot back forward. I realized for the first time that the power in that move is not from the back foot pushing off. That foot is supposed to sort of float forward, as you take all your weight in your front thigh and draw the back leg forward to the standing forward bend.

Wow.

It makes a HUGE difference. That's why Shiva Rea says to move "like you are walking on the moon." That back leg is just along for the ride.

It occcurred to me to share this insight this morning after I did the Yoga Zone routine with all the deep lunging. My legs got very tired, and I started pushing off with my toes and I immediately felt that bad old feeling from the beginning.

One thing I know from the internet, if it has happened to me, it has happened to thousands of other people. If this is a problem you have, try to be aware of how you are stepping forward. Honestly, as with a lot of yoga, this is yet another component that becomes easier when you have supplemented your exercise with other disciplines. You might consider some weight work on your legs, if you have access to equipment. In any case, focusing on that transition of weight so that the work is in the front leg could really make a difference.