favorite thing friday

Before we had children, I remember being able to spring out of bed in the morning and not feel any pain. I remember being able to walk without limping or groaning or saying "Ugh, my back and legs are KILLING me." I remember being able to stand up from a chair after sitting for a prolonged period of time and walk without hobbling for the first 10 feet.

I could run up, or down, a flight of stairs and not have my knees sound like someone was crushing a bag of potato chips.

I'm not sure if the reason I became so stiff is because pregnancy does a number on a woman's body, or if the reason I felt like my skeletal structure was comprised of brittle sticks was because I had lost my "youthful" flexibility. Regardless of the reason - or combination of reasons - it felt like my body had aged 20 years in the past 4.

A few months ago, around the time I started running, I found an old VHS Yoga tape that my mother had given to me at least 10 years ago. When I found the tape, it was early in the morning, before the kids were awake, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I pulled out the tape, tried to remember how to operate our VCR, and by the time I actually figured out how to operate the VCR (hooking it up to the television is a good start), the kids were up and so excited that the television was ON which means we must be watching something for THEM.

Five minutes later, we were all doing PM Yoga with Patricia Walden. The next morning, I woke up and followed the tape again. Since then, I've continued watching and following the PM Yoga tape at least 3-4 times a week, for the past six weeks.

I can tell a difference.

I actually feel better and have improved flexibility in that short period of time.

(This is what I'll be doing on Sunday in Utah.)

What I love about this tape is that it's only 20 minutes long, which is perfect for my life. I can definitely find 20 minutes in the morning to carve out for myself, even if I am being climbed all over by four children. (Which I always am, if they are awake.) I also love having someone to follow through various poses before starting my day.

When I went on to Amazon to grab the link for this blog post, I noticed that a lot of people commented that the routine was too short. Or, that the poses that Patricia goes through are too advanced for a beginner. I would definitely classify myself as a beginner and I don't think that the poses are too difficult. But I also think that the beauty of yoga is that you can do what YOU feel is comfortable. Even if I don't do the exact pose that Patricia is doing, I feel like I am stretching in a similar manner and that is a good thing.

At least for me, it sure beats not doing anything at all.

As it turns out, the PM Yoga that I have is now sold with an AM Yoga on DVD.

I just noticed that the link above is for VHS. Here's the link for DVD. (The picture is different but from the text on the bottom, it says that Patricia Walden is still involved. So, I suspect it's the same version as above, but in DVD.)


I will probably buy the DVD because I like having the option of skipping through the introduction and advertisements and getting right in to the routine. I'd also be interested to check out the AM Yoga. Maybe I will start doing that one in the morning (as the title suggests) and the PM Yoga in the evening.

But most importantly, I prefer DVD's over VHS tapes seeing as our kids find great enjoyment pulling the tapes out of their housings.


"Mom, Barney's not on dis tape. I wooked and wooked."