Watching Excerise TV

Last night at rehearsal, we started off doing some Horton technique for warm up (Horton is the technique the Alvin Ailey Dance Company uses). Before we started, myself and the other dancers vowed to make a more conscious effort to breathe through the movements, rather than accidentally holding our breath. This time around, it was a bit easier for me, and I did discover that when I was doing incredibly strenuous things like lateral side bends and flat back extensions, I didn't squeal and moan during them because I was so focused on matching my breath up with what my body was doing. I caught it, and everything seemed easier! I am going to keep this breathing up from now on in rehearsal.

Last night when I got home, I sat down in front of the TV. I am not much of a television watcher, but I had some time to kill before bedtime and decided to shut off my brain. That was, until I discovered "Exercise TV," a special feature that lets you choose exercise programs to watch whenever you'd like. So I perused through the short list of fitness choices. Among them were a few cardio classes, some short ten minute workouts, and of course 2 Yoga workouts, and a 10 minute Pilates core strengthening class. I chose to do the 10 minute Pilates class, which was labeled a Beginner class.

Unfortunately, I left my mat in my car, so I ended up just laying down on my hardwood floors. Yes, I know it is not the best thing for my back, but I am pretty good at slowly rolling down one vertebrae at a time, and I am a pretty tough cookie, so hard surfaces don't bother me much. I made it through the short class easily, and the Instructor was pretty good at explaining everything (It was pretty much a basic ab series), but I feel that the fast paced nature of the workout might have been a little too much for beginners. Especially for beginners who are completely new to Pilates who are unfamiliar with correct Pilates positions. All in all though, I will be trying to do a new workout every day just because it is so convenient!

Speaking of convenient, YogaDirect.com has a TON of Yoga, Pilates, and Movement DVD's and CD's that allow you to bring your practice into the privacy and comfort of your own home. You can check them out by clicking here.