P90X, Tony Horton's extreme workout series, promises almost miraculous results in just three months. One of the videos in the series is a high-powered yoga session modeled after Ashtanga yoga, also known as power yoga. If you find the P90X yoga video too challenging, try a few of these alternatives. Always consult your health care provider before beginning this or any fitness program.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is one of the first styles of yoga that was introduced to the West. It is based on traditional yoga teachings. Swami Sivananada, the guru who developed Hatha yoga as we know it today, taught five points of yoga: proper exercise to maintain a strong, healthy body; proper breathing to relieve stress; proper relaxation to reduce fatigue; proper diet to keep the body and mind healthy; and, positive thinking to eliminate negativity in our lives. Hatha yoga is a more well-rounded approach than that which is presented in P90X. The asanas, or poses, practiced during a Hatha yoga session are meant to stretch all the muscles in the body and bring harmony to the mind, body and spirit.
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar yoga was developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, who had suffered from poor health throughout his childhood until he began to study yoga. Through yoga he regained his health and went on to teach yoga and author several books on the subject. His method focuses on proper alignment, technique and breathing. The poses are generally held longer than in other styles, but the goal is to perfect the posture and avoid injury. What makes Iyengar yoga a viable alternative to the P90X version of yoga is that it allows the practitioner to move at his own pace. You begin with a modified version of the pose. As you progress physically, the poses can then become more challenging.
Bikram Yoga
If your intent is to lose weight, you may want to try Bikram yoga. It is practiced in a room set at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. According to ABC-of-yoga.com, Bikram is designed to warm up the muscles, ligaments and tendons in the order in which they should be stretched. Advocates of Bikram say that this warming process helps you to go deeper into the poses than you are able to in a cooler environment. However, Bikram is not for the faint of heart. Because of the temperature extremes, it should not be practiced by pregnant women or patients with heart disease or high blood pressure. Consult your medical doctor before trying Bikram yoga.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa yoga is one of the oldest styles of yoga still in practice today. It is the form on which Ashtanga yoga is based. It is also sometimes referred to as Vinyasa flow. In a Vinyasa or Ashtanga yoga class, you will practice the sun salutation series familiar to you from P90X. After warm-up exercises, you begin with five basic sun salutations. Following that are modified sun salutations including poses such as warrior and triangle. The session ends with inversion poses and relaxation. There is no need to go to extremes in these poses. Many postures can be modified for your particular level. For example, although advanced practitioners hop from pose to pose, you may step through the poses until you build up your strength.
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