Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Yoga Meltdown: Level 1

   Good gracious! I can tell you, without stepping on the scales or lifting the tape measure, that yoga - Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown, at least - is an actual workout. It starts out easily enough, standing tall and strong and breathing deeply, but once you get past the warm-up and actually start the yoga you start sweating really quite soon.

   Now, I'll start by saying that I've got pretty good balance and good core strength from all the work I've been doing over the past couple of years, so I'm not struggling to find my balance in any poses except Warrior 3 on my right leg. As a result I can't really tell you how difficult the poses are to a beginner. But suffice it to say that you don't hold the moves right away. Instead, you're moving in them, repping in and out of the movements for a while before holding them for 10 to 15 seconds, and both the repping and the holding is hard. It's mad. I've actually slipped on my yoga mat because my hands were so sweaty at one point, so I always keep a towel next to me to wipe them off when moving from one pose to the next.
   The moves are tough, certainly, and I find the first circuit to be the hardest in level 1 (moving onto level 2 tomorrow). The first move isn't so bad, and I can do the downward dog with a leg flex just fine, but the chaturanga push-ups are just mad and I struggle immensely to the point that, I admit, every few days I skip them completely. I know, I'm ashamed of myself for it, afterall I'm only cheating myself, but I just can't do it. When I do try, I try hard, mind you.
   After the first circuit, it's not so bad. A couple of the moves are difficult to hold, but others are surprisingly easy. But, like I've said, I've got experience in yoga so that probably helps a little bit. I struggle with the dolphin in circuit 3 because, yoga mat or not, my elbows have been torn to pieces by pushing through an elbow plank.

   I'm really enjoying the workout, despite how hard it is, and I'm still surprised every day by the sweat I get out of it. It's been very unexpected, to be honest, and because I'm enjoying it, doing well, and getting a proper workout from it, I'm totally psyched to do it every morning and every other night.
   I'm excited but also nervous to find out what level 2 has in store, but I do feel ready to move on, so instead of worrying about it I'm just going to do it. I felt the same about moving onto level 2 and subsequently level 3 of the shred, but I managed it, and it turned out that level 3 was the easiest shred for me, personally. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be massively harder because it's the next level. It usually is, of course, but not always.

   I'll update in 2 and a half weeks!



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