Discover the Joy of Stretching (Yoga Video Included)

I’ve been very inflexible all my life and one of the things that really make it obvious, among other things, is that I can’t touch my toes without bending my knees.  I’ve always wanted to be able to do that but lately my determination and motivation to be flexible has been very high.  I mentioned this to a friend and he said he had the same problem until he started following this yoga video for 3 months and now he can bend so much that he could touch his chest to his knees!

He then asked me if I want the video and I said SURE!  What better way to discover the joy of stretching than to follow a yoga video in the privacy of your own home, right?

The first time I followed this video, I did it for just 20 minutes and my cycling-legs felt incredibly good for the rest of the day and night. Since then I have done it a few times and I always feel no less than absolutely phenomenal afterwards.  So I have uploaded the video so that everybody could have the opportunity to experience this kind of bliss.

Download this video so you could do yoga for free in the comfort of your home:

Power Yoga Total Body Workout by Rodney Yee (Right-click and choose “Save Link As…”)

Video Troubleshooting:  If you can’t play the video for any reason (QuickTime won’t play it) install the K-Lite Codec Pack which will literally allow you to play any movie file that you can find on the internet and includes a simple media player.  This pack does not affect system performance either.

While the video downloads, read these tips to get better acquainted…

What is Yoga?

Yoga is the art of stretching that helps increase your strength, balance and flexibility.  When you stretch your muscles and extend your bones, it places your awareness on those parts and the perception of your bodies position in space gets cultivated.  Once you get into the groove of the exercise, it becomes a beautiful moving meditation that quiets your nervous system while simultaneously strengthening your entire being.  For that reason, while it is not a religion, it is often used as a stepping stone toward experiencing spiritual enlightenment or inner peace.  Yoga also means “to yoke” and is in reference to creating a union between the mind and body.

Make space around your room.  It’s surprising how little room we actually have to lie down until we have to do it!  Clean your room, move furniture and do whatever is necessary to be able to lie down and completely stretch your arms out to the side without hitting anything.

Be gentle with yourself.  You don’t have to be as flexible as the instructor for the exercise to be effective.  Just go as far as you safely can.  This is a transformation process that will take time to undo the years of sitting around in one position.  Even with that said, this video is great for beginners and I think most people will be able to follow it successfully. 🙂

Hold your pose, not your breath. Whenever you are in a stressful position, you will find yourself holding your breath or practicing shallow breathing.  This is something people generally do in any tense situation as anxiety is a huge cause of unusual breathing patterns.  If we are to maintain deep breathing during these tense situations, it helps to dissipate that tension and help us get comfortable.  Try to remember this little tidbit and take deep breaths, for the rest of your day as well.

Incorporate yoga after exercise. Yoga is great to do alone but doing it after any workout session is magical.  It helps stretch those muscles so good.  I can’t even describe the elation and relaxation you feel after such a combo.

Well I hope these tips were useful… and if you enjoyed the video, please let me know because if I get positive feedback I will upload more videos in the coming weeks!