The Best Yoga Routine – X2 Yoga, It’s Just Right!
The P90X Family and Yoga
“Do your yoga people!” – Tony Horton
As mentioned in the previous post, and a number of other times on this site, Yoga changed my life. Seriously, it did. From a mental standpoint to a physical one, since starting to practice Yoga (nearly two years ago), nothing but good has come from it.
It goes without saying that Yoga helped me with my flexibility and balance but it is important to note it did much more than that.
Practicing Yoga helped my injured shoulder and knees stop hurting all of the time, it helped me achieve strength gains, helped lower my blood pressure, and, last but not least, helped completely change my body composition. I won’t continue this rant because I’ve done it before on this site, but if you’d like to hear it again check out Why Yoga, Part 1 and Why Yoga Part 2.
So, if you haven’t guessed it already, the point I am trying to make is that YOGA IS IMPORTANT!
So much so, I feel I should review each of the P90X’s Family Yoga sessions to share the differences with you all and to let you know that X2 YOGA IS WHERE IT’S AT!
The Yoga X Differences
All 3 P90X’s have different Yoga sessions with different moves in each session meant to do everything the practice of Yoga is known for…but all 3 Yoga X’s are not equal in my book.
Yoga X – The Original X
The original P90X Yoga is, first and foremost, a bit long. Coming in at about 90 minutes it is hard for many people to work it in to their regular workout schedule let alone not get a bit bored during the workout. Though I did not get bored, I have heard from a lot of folks that they start losing a bit of interest towards the end of the Original P90X Yoga session.
As for the workout itself, it is broken up into three parts – yoga moves/sequences, followed by balance poses, and ending with stretch poses.
I personally found it physically taxing while providing a mental calmness factor I really enjoyed. Like X2 Yoga, The Original X Yoga session has a brief abdominal section thrown in the mix which I think is a nice touch.
X2 Yoga – Hands Down The Best
In P90X2’s X2 Yoga Tony trims the fat by 30 minutes. The total running time is about an hour, which is what I find to be just the right amount of time for a good Yoga session.
As a matter of fact, P90X2’s X2 Yoga, in my opinion, is the perfect Yoga workout.
Being that X2 Yoga is 30 minutes shorter than The Original, the sequences in X2 Yoga are a good bit faster than The Original. The speed adds an aerobic element to the session I think everyone would/should appreciate.
X2 YOGA IS THE BEST P90X YOGA WORKOUT
The session is broken into three sections – a warm up, three different yoga sequences, a quick ab sequence, and ends with stretching…each of which are the perfect length of time.
Even though P90X2’s Yoga routine is 30 minutes longer than X3 Yoga, they are 30 minutes you CANNOT afford to miss!
X3 Yoga – A Shorten X2 Yoga
First and foremost, I’d like to be clear about one thing – as noted in the previous post, X3 Yoga leaves you feeling wide awake, energized, and ready to take on the day.
That being said, X3 Yoga does not cut it. It is too short and too quick for me.
X3 Yoga is a shortened X2 with a few new moves, no abdominal sequence, and, most importantly, a lot less strength and stretching poses/sequences (which are the elements that helped me truly advance physically…especially with my knee and shoulder injuries).
I am not saying X3 Yoga wont get someone the minimum amount of Yoga they may need…