yoga | Allison Getting Fit

It’s all in the title! We’re talking about how PiYo compares to Bikram style hot yoga. I’m going to tell you a little story about why this is on my mind though!

Before I was pregnant, I took 5-6 hot yoga classes a week, mostly Bikram style. This was usually on top of whatever workouts I was doing at the time. I prioritized those first, and then if I could make it to yoga, I went. What can I say…I loved it, and I had time! I started leading a student-run early morning class once a week as well. My yoga instructor was the second to know i was pregnant after my husband. Do you know how you’re not supposed to hot tub while pregnant? Yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees isn’t recommended either!

After having a baby, the timing/scheduling made it difficult to fit in. There’s no childcare at yoga! I believe I made it to my 8th class in almost 23 months yesterday. But I have done a lot of yoga in that time. I take it at the gym sometimes, where there is childcare if I need it, but someone seems to really like to fall asleep when we’re supposed to go!

See that little girl asleep in the back? We were supposed to go to yoga!

I have also done a lot of PiYo – both from the dvd program and in the instructor videos as I’m certified to teach it. So how does it compare? That’s what popped into my head while at yoga yesterday.

First, for convenience, the PiYo dvds are awesome. Flexibility in my living room? Hiya! And it moves quickly enough that it doesn’t make me think about turning it off 5000 times a second. Next is sweat. You will sweat doing both…likely a little more with the 105 degrees, but still dripping from PiYo. For class feel, hot yoga at a studio definitely wins, but of course it does.

One of the things I love about the Bikram style is that the poses are athletic and there’s too much to think about to get into your own head and drift off. You need to remain present in the poses. With PiYo, it moves faster, with also very athletic poses. This was the point that clicked with me yesterday. The poses are different, but both have the athletic side which is something I love.

So while the two are immensely different, the feeling I have after the workout is extremely similar. It took a long time to figure that out (I was certified in PiYo in January 2013, have had the home program since it was released in July 2014) but now that I have it’s like angels singing. I won’t lie, it’s always been hard for me to press play on yoga at home…even if i like the workout. But remembering that this feeling is waiting on the other side should be the key that has me doing it more often!

Post yoga glow!

If you have a love for the challenge of a hot yoga class but can’t make it like me, this might be something to check out for you! What keeps you away from your practice?

Continuing on the P90X3 posts, we have X3 Yoga!

So, I’ve talked before about how I have a hard time with home yoga programs. It’s hard to be at home, alone, doing yoga. This one moves fast, which helps to not let you think about it too much! I have nothing bad to say about this workout. For yoga, that’s saying a lot!

My favorite part is that it includes a shoulder stand. I love shoulder stands and you don’t get them much in home workouts. Coming out of it was always one of my favorite parts of my Ashtanga practice. We also do camel here. I do hot yoga (now occasionally, used to be 5x a week) and camel is a part of that practice. I had forgotten how much easier camel is in a non-heated room! In the heat, it’s really tough to put your head back. A lot of people feel nauseous after that pose. Without the heat though, you get less of a flight response. That was lovely, and I called on that when I took a hot class on Monday.

The star of this show is Ted and his amazing yoga abilities. You don’t expect it and then you can’t look away. Watch the video to be amazed and then do the video yourself and try to maintain his focus!

So, onto June! June is arms, and I’m staying with the pattern we tried out last month with one base exercise and one that changes daily. Contact me to join in the fun!