Quick-start guide
I know you are keen to get started on your Yoga Gym journey so I’ve created the Simple, Strong and Stretchy Workout that you can do as you’re reading through the rest of Part 1. If you can’t wait to start the full plan then you can jump straight to Part 3 and flick back to read about the Yoga Gym benefits, diet, and mindset tips when you have time. Just make sure you read over the key concepts and test your current strength and flexibility levels using the table below so you can choose the right level of pose and yogacise to suit your fitness.
YOGA POSE AND YOGACISE OPTIONS
Strength & flexibility test
Some yoga poses and yogacises in the book come with different variations and progressions. You can test your strength and flexibility before you begin by performing the five fitness tests below. Hold the poses in the static strength tests for as long as you can. For the dynamic strength tests, do as many repetitions as you can with no rest until you can’t do any more. You may find that your upper body is stronger than your lower body or vice versa, so look at the target area of each pose and yogacise in Part 2 and select the option best suited to your aims.
Use your results as a guide and listen to your body. An exercise is only as good as the posture in which you perform it, so always remember to do a less challenging version of the pose or yogacise if you need to.
Taking ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs of yourself can help you to track your progress. You can use the hashtag #YogaGym to share your progress.
Simple, strong & stretchy workout
1 ROUND
1 ROUND
5 breaths x Down Dog
5 breaths x Plank
5 breaths x Baby Cobra (yang)
5 breaths x Up Dog
5 breaths x Mountain
5 breaths x Tree
5 breaths x Chair
5 breaths x Standing Forward Bend
3 ROUNDS
12 x Classic Push-ups
Push off a wall or elevate hands on a surface if necessary.
Rest @ 60 seconds
1 ROUND
20 breaths x Melting Heart
20 breaths x Caterpillar
20 breaths x Butterfly (yin)
20 breaths x Sleeping Butterfly
40 breaths x Corpse