In my efforts to begin seriously working on my emotional health, I’ve decided to start trying to do yoga again on a daily basis.
The problem with staying committed is not that I don’t like yoga – I do like yoga. Not only is it meditative and good for peace of mind, it also gets your body moving, your chi flowing, and your organs working efficiently. I think it is an incredibly good addition to your life, and can really help in making your skin glow.
But I get bored of things quickly.
I began yoga by learning a bunch of poses out of an old book from the 60’s called… well… I can’t even remember anymore because I lent it to a friend and never got it back. It had three different half hour routines, which I quite enjoyed. I stuck with alternating between the three for many months.
But then it got a bit boring and I slacked off. So then I downloaded a yoga app for my Mac called Pocket Yoga which has several different animated routines that you can follow along with. That was pretty good, but again, it got boring and the lady’s automated robot voice began driving me crazy.
Then, last week, I discovered My Yoga Online and I’m hooked!
It’s an online site that lets you access hundreds of full length video yoga classes by tons of different (real live) instructors. You can search for videos that suit you via queries like length of video, level of experience, type of yoga, and a bunch of other things so that you can always find something that suits your time frame, level of experience, and mood.
The best part about it though, in my opinion, is that because there’s so many different videos, you can do a completely different class every single day. So you can’t really get bored if you’re constantly switching up your routine.
Unfortunately it’s not free though – it does cost $10 a month. But if you consider how much the monthly fee for joining a fitness studio or yoga ashram is, or the cost of individual yoga classes (anywhere from 5 to 20 dollars a class) – $10 a month for unlimited classes really is pennies. And you don’t have to waste any gas or time leaving your house to go do it! And My Yoga Online doesn’t lock you into any contract either – you can cancel your membership easily whenever you want.
Anyway – I just wanted to share that with you, because I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s been inspiring me so much that one time, I even did yoga twice in one day! That’s pretty much unheard of for me.
Oh – also, I guess I should mention this – if you’ve never done yoga before in your life, I’d recommend going to their site first and clicking on the “poses” tab and practicing some of the poses first. Sometimes the classes can be difficult to keep up with for a first timer (not like it matters though – no one’s watching!) And when you do graduate to the videos, start with beginner videos and work your way up! Yoga can be a lot more physically demanding than you think it is.
Anyway…. Namaste! PS – I’m away for the weekend at my favourite festival so no internet access till Monday! Have a really fabulous weekend my friends 😀
hey Tracy! believe it or not i started doing yoga on my Wii. I’m on the larger side so i got a book “mega yoga” Regardless of your size of level of fitness I believe it can be done by everyone. While standing watching some tunes just get into standing tree pose..let the earth take over friend!
Awesome! The wii’s pretty cool, actually – do you do wii fit too?
Great post, I’ll definitely be back to read more. Namaste!
I LOVE yoga. I don’t know how or why, but it just fixes me every time. It gets rid of every tiny negative feeling I might be having and leaves me so serene and happy. I personally do the P90X YogaX routine, so I don’t know how authentic that is. But I like the fact that it involves a lot of strength building, which is just what I need.
Thanks for the tips Tracy, I really like the focus on emotional health of all your recent posts!
Maybe I should look into that – I also like the idea of doing strenuous yoga because then you don’t have to make a point to do strength training on the side 🙂
^ I echo that! If there were a magic pill for happiness… Bikram is my personal favorite (actually the only yoga I’ll pay for). I can go into a Bikram class feeling practically suicidal and by the time I walk out (every time!) I’m feeling seriously Buddha-level happy. I just got a great deal to attend 20 classes at a studio through one of those internet groupon things, so I’m looking forward to a month of Bikram bliss. I’ll definitely be needing more affordable access in general, however, and this website looks like a great resource. Thanks, Tracy! And happy festivaling this weekend! 🙂
Yes, just turn the heat way up in your house hahah 😉
Hot yoga is like the best thing that’s ever happened to me! I agree with the second commenter. I could go in suicidal and come out wanting to hug the whole world.
I’ve been on My Yoga Online for over a year now and I love it! It’s significantly cheaper than going to in-studio classes. I can do a yoga session any time of the day or night. I can do as long or as short of a session as I feel up to. And I get to do yoga in the comfort of my home, oftentimes naked or in my undies. *lol* Luxurious!
Yes, it’s so good! I’m so happy that I came across it… for me the fact that I can do something different of varying lengths every day is the best part
Thank you so much for the tip, Tracy! 🙂
Hi Tracey,
Cool beans with the yoga info! I skimmed the website super quick and I saw my favorite teacher…Shiva Rea on the front of the website. I try to go see her once a year in Los Angeles for a pre/natal yoga training/Goddess retreat. It usually falls right around my birthday, and Shiva always has it be different. Last year she took us to a park that inspired Jim Morrison, and she brought in a snake trainer with a bunch of huge snakes for us to meditate with. I know it sounds crazy, but it was pretty amazing, and a great time. I definitely was able to work on my fear of snakes that day. Anyhoo…you should check her out on that site, and also Sarah Joy Marsh who is another one of my favorite teachers from Portland, Oregon.
Thanks again for your fun website!
Kristin:)
Cool, I gotta check her out! I might have already done one of her classes on there, but didn’t notice. Sounds like a really amazing retreat!
Thank you so much for sharing this resource, my studio closed this week! My last class was Monday actually. I am SO excited to have all these yoga classes at my fingertips!
Yeah it’s awesome! I love it. Happy yogi-ing Michelle 🙂
Hi! I am a yoga instructor and practitioner for 10 years now and I can say that there really comes a time when you get bored of doing the same old routine and system over and over again. The secret is to have variety in your workout system but still maintain the consistency. You can either take online yoga classes or try a different system which will suit you.
Look at Shapeshifter yoga on YouTube or Fitness Blender. Some great videos there. You can follow their plans or create your own. Minimal equipment is needed. Yoga equipment are cheap. A lot of the videos on those sites are shorter, so you can squeeze them in when you can.