EXTREME YOGA!!!

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Sometimes in the evenings I like to flip the channels on the TV to relax. I can do this better then most men...flip...flip...flip.... I don't really watch a lot of TV, but I like to flip. There is something relaxing to me about getting these brief snap shots of what is going on in the world (or at least the world of TV.)

As I do my evening "flip flip" I FREQUENTLY see an infomercial for this fitness program called P90X. I'll be honest with you it doesn't look all that bad; it seems to combine a lot of different simple strength building exercises, plyometrics and cardio that should work very well if you do them consistently (that's always the key.) But, the part I LOVE...just LOVE...is that they have an yoga component that they call...wait for it...drum roll please...

EXTREME YOGA!

Wowzie! Really? Extreme yoga? I mean extreme running, extreme kayaking...I went ice climbing once, that was pretty extreme, but extreme yoga? It seems like a contradiction in terms to me. Yoga is all about "medhum," being moderate in all things; walking the Middle Path.

But, then I started to think about it and yoga really IS extreme.

It's:

EXTREME-ly relaxing
EXTREME-ly strengthening
EXTREME-ly balancing
EXTREME-ly stress-reducing
EXTREME-ly flexibility building

And most of all it is an EXTREME experiment and exercise in the development of our Inner Selves. It is perhaps one of the most radical, most extreme journeys, a human being can undertake. To make a commitment to the exploration and development of oneself takes the heart of a warrior and the patience of a saint; and man-oh-man is it worth every moment of effort on the journey.

May your journey be wild, wonderful, enlightening...and what the heck, even a little extreme:-)

Namaste.

P.S. Here are my Top Ten Reasons to Do Yoga.