Yoga Gear

When I first started doing P90X, I gave the Yoga DVD a quick try. Having never done Yoga, I was easily frustrated and since it was a long workout, I opted to skip it the first few times through the P90X program. Then, between the 2nd and 3rd pass, I decided that I heard so many good things about Yoga that I wanted to learn. I sought Yoga advice from all of my readers and based on a recommendation from one reader, checked out Yoga Step by Step from the library. It really was a good learning program. I really liked how it was arranged in one section where they showed you the poses and the things that people do wrong and another section where they put those poses together into a workout. After a few times through, I started to get the poses and transitions, so I decided to give the P90X Yoga X a try.

What struck me most about the P90X Yoga X workout is how intense of a workout it was and how much I could feel the workout after I was done. I had always known Yoga as a centering and flexibility routine, I had never fully grasped that it was a bona fide work out with physical strength and balance benefits to me. Unfortunately, the one thing that I was still missing was the proper gear. As a result, when I do some of the poses, like Downward Dog, I find myself sliding and slipping - which means I don't have good form and am constantly readjusting. Without a block, I also found myself struggling with poses like Twisting Right Angle Pose. So, when I was contacted about checking out CSN stores, I decided that it was a great opportunity to get some Yoga gear. I did some looking through the store and I found a Yoga Mat, a Yoga Mat bag (to carry/store my Yoga Mat) and a Yoga Block. When I received the gear, I was anxious to try it out. I started using it a few days later, when Yoga X came up in my rotation. Let me say, that having the right gear has made all the difference. No longer am I finding myself slipping on the carpet when I am trying to hold poses downward dog and no longer am I feeling like I can't fully open up when I do the twisting poses. I am pleased with the thickness and stickiness of the mat I selected - the Yoga Direct Charter Oak Deluxe Extra Thick Yoga Sticky Mat. I do my workout on carpet, so I guess the thickness of the mat is less important to me than if I working out in a studio with hardwood or other hard floors, but still it works. As I mentioned, the stickiness is sufficient to keep me from sliding as I'm doing the various poses and transitions. The Yoga Block I selected was a Gaiam Yoga Essentials Block. I'm not sure how much difference there are with different brands, but this block feels like it is the right size and it certainly is lightweight enough that I can easily move it in and out as I transition between poses. I like the carrying bag that I selected for the Yoga Mat as well. It was a Yoga Direct Charter Oak Nylon Yoga Mat Bag. Right now, I don't carry my mat anywhere, but it makes a great storage container for my mat. Otherwise, I am concerned I would have to tuck it somewhere that my cat would rub up against it and leave behind pounds of cat hair as he generally does. With the bag, I can store it out of the way and protected from cat hair. The handle is nice and would certainly make it easy to transport if I needed to.

It's funny, I know how important the right gear is for any exercise, but for some reason, until I got the Yoga gear, I never realized that I really was missing something. I had always just seen it as optional, but now that I have it, I feel like I am doing a better job with the poses and in turn, getting more benefit out of the work out. Having the right gear for my Yoga workouts, works for me!

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

CSN Stores - Gift Card Giveaway

Started in 2002, by two guys with one online store, CSN has grown to become the #3 online retailer for home and office goods. Offering excellent customer service and one of the largest product selections on the web, they have now grown to over 200 stores offering a wide variety of products. Their product categories cover everything from cookware, ultra modern furniture, bunk bed-office combinations and fitness equipment to gaming chairs, grills, greenhouses and much more. If it's a piece of furniture or an appliance that you need for your home or office, you should check for it at CSN (www.csnstores.com) first, as there's a good chance they carry it and at a competitive price.

When I was contacted by CSN about doing a review and giveaway, I was overwhelmed with the selection. I wasn't sure what I would want to review and giveaway. Whether you're looking for a dining table , dinnerware, decorations, lighting, cribs, rugs, whatever, CSN has got you covered. A few other categories include kids + baby, pets, outdoor, health + fitness, furniture, home decor, and more. And, to make it even better, many of their items come with free shipping, which is clearly noted on the search pages and the item listing (even big things like a dining table has free shipping). Those that do not, have a simple shipping rate, based on the total amount of your purchase.

The last thing that I found at CSN stores was a Razor 3-wheel scooter for my daughter, so my first thought was to find something for the kids to play with outside (she loves it by the way). I saw riding toys and backyard games like croquette and mini-golf. Then, I thought, what about some new rugs for the foyer. I clicked into the store that offers bar stools, there were over 1900 choices for counter height bar stools. They have so many choices and so many types of items, I just couldn't decide.

Then, as I continued to explore, I came across their Health and Fitness store. As you may recall, I recently started doing Yoga as part of P90X. I don't have any gear for Yoga, and when I do some of the poses, like Downward Dog, I find myself sliding and slipping - which means I don't have good form and am constantly readjusting. I did some looking through the store and I found a Yoga Mat, a Yoga Mat bag (to carry/store my Yoga Mat) and a Yoga Block (to help me with some of those poses like Twisting Right Angle Pose). I decided that I should get something for me, so this is what I chose. I can't wait for it to arrive.

I decided in the end that for the giveaway, a gift card would be the best route - that way the winner could use it towards something that they want. This could be the Yoga Gear that I selected or something else that you want.

What would you do with a $35 CSN Store Gift Card? Would you put it towards a chair for your family room? A dining table for your kitchen? A rug for your foyer? An umbrella for your deck?

Giveaway!
What would you do with a $35 CSN Gift Card?
To Enter:
Visit CSN Stores and tell me what you would use your gift card towards.

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Giveaway will remain open until August 30th at 6pm and is open to residents of US and Canada only. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. I am receiving the Yoga gear that I selected and the opportunity to giveaway a $35 gift card to CSN stores, courtesy of CSN Stores as a CSN Preferred Blogger.

Yoga Advice?

So, as you might recall from some of my past posts, I do P90X. I don't just do it, I love it. I've modified to fit my life/time - I only do 5 days a week not 6 and I don't always do the Ab Ripper (takes too much time in the morning). The workout that I cut out was Yoga. The main reason - it is really long!!! and I don't have the time in the morning before work to fit it in. I tried it on the weekend, but then I have the kids around and I am trying to learn it while they are there interrupting, asking for this or needing that, or just plain old talking over the DVD.

I've heard though that Yoga is great for balance, centering and core strength, so I would love to do it. I was thinking it might be something I could add one or two evenings each week. The problem - what Yoga? Ideally, I'm looking for something that is 45 minutes - 1 hour in length. I'm looking for something that is either an all-in-one or something that has two or three in a series that I could alternate between. I'm a beginner, the only Yoga poses that I know are those that are used for stretching and on some of the exercises in the balance of the P90X series. I think I can learn, but I know I am not well balanced and fall over trying some poses. I don't want one that is too beginner that I will "grow" out of in a few weeks, but don't want something so advanced that I feel defeated in the early attempts.

I've looked at the store/on-line, but there have to be simply thousands of Yoga titles, which makes choosing one rather daunting. So, I come to you to ask - what Yoga video would you recommend? I'd like to narrow the field to those that others have tried and love. I'm planning to see if the library has it first, so I can give it a trial run before purchasing it for my own collection.

This post linked up at Works For Me Wednesday Backwards Edition.