Over the weekend I was out of town and needed a yoga fix, so I went to the local library in search of a yoga DVD. I was anxious to try a new workout video and hoping to find a great new instructor. Unfortunately, the selection was not the best and included titles like Yoga Weight Loss for Dummies. Yes, I do own a few books in the For Dummies series, but when it comes to yoga, I was skeptical and a bit of a yoga snob, thinking that the Dummies could never do it justice. However, I let my morbid curiosity get the best of me and had to check it out.

I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised after I finished the 37-minute workout. It provided a combination of standing and mat yoga postures blended into a flowing sequence that kept me moving and definitely got my heart rate going. I even broke out in a little sweat.

Of note, a standing version of cat-cow that will become part of my regular at-home repertoire to keep my back stretched.

The good: This video is perfect for someone short on time and seeking a combination of yoga and aerobics to get that daily fix of endorphins. It provides helpful tips throughout the workout, along with posture modifications.

The bad: If you are seeking a soothing yoga workout, this DVD is not for you. You will need to block out the unfortunate choice of background music, and there is no shavasana at the end. How can a yoga video not have savasana?

All in all, I would recommend trying it if you like to do your yoga practice in the comfort of your home and need a quick yoga fix. You can always add your own shavasana! Try looking for it at your library or buying a used version on Amazon.

Yoga Weight-Loss Workout for Dummies

Got a great yoga DVD to recommend? Please let me know – I’m officially in search of great yoga DVDs!

Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my daily journal of cool yoga and meditation experiences!  Check out the Yoga category at the Cool Stuff Shoppe for great books, DVDs and yoga products. Thank you for clicking on the ads when you visit to help fund this site!

In case you missed these daily delights in February – here’s the archive of February’s Daily Downward Dogs.

Friday, February 26, 2010 – It was Olympic week at MariaMedia, so the Daily Downward Dogs from Feb 22 through Feb 26 were Olympic themed.

“If you are ever going to achieve as much as you can in a sport, you are going to have to be willing to make a leap of faith to learn how much your body can handle.”

—Meredith Rainey Valmon, two-time Olympian

In yoga there are many poses that I am afraid to try.  It may be a fear of falling or because I don’t think I’m strong enough to do it. I’m going to take the advice from the Olympic athletes I quoted this week, take a leap of faith, be fearless and just go for it during my yoga practice!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

I’m taking my inspiration today from all the amazing women Olympic athletes competing (and kicking ass) in Vancouver this year. Check out this funny article about  five of the coolest!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

“In order to meet the challenge, you have to have that support.”

–Jackie Joyner-Kersee

I learned this lesson first hand last night in my yoga class, when we all worked together as a team to help support each other to get into a wheel pose. If you think this pose looks easy, it isn’t!  For most of the class this was their first time attempting this pose (well, we’ve all done back bends as kids, but once you get past your teens, it’s not a move typically in the repertoire).  With the help and support from each other we met the challenge, and it felt amazing!  It felt good to work as a team, and I watched as they got up from the mat with a huge smile on their face and a major sense of accomplishment.  The stretch in my back felt wonderful too! Our instructor reminded us all that in life, you have to strip away the ego and allow others to help and support you!  I hope the US women’s hockey team follows this lesson on Thursday!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Olympics come once every four years. That thought just slays me every time I watch the athletes compete. I can’t help thinking about what must go through their minds as they get ready to perform. All the training, the pain, the sacrifice, and now it comes down to this one chance to bring it all to fruition to achieve a dream of winning a medal. Intensity Level = 10, Pressure Level = 10, Fearlessness = 10, Determination = 10! Try channeling all that Olympic intensity today, and focus on doing one thing so well, that you could step up on that platform and win your very own gold medal. It can be whatever you want, from eating your Wheaties, to singing in the shower, to attempting a new pose in yoga class. Personally, my goal today is to win the gold medal in hugging!

Monday, February 22, 2010

While watching the Winter Olympics, I marveled at how one of the women skaters in the pairs competition fearlessly allowed her partner to hoist her into the air over his head, kept her balance, spun around, and then landed backwards on one skate, all while maintaining a smile on her face. That is multi-tasking at its finest and also a damn miracle. These athletes have an incredible amount of courage, the ability to put their fears aside, and amazing trust in their partners! Try facing one of your fears today and take it on with a smile!

Friday, February 19, 2010

OK – stop the presses! I meditated for the first time in yoga class last night and it was sublime! I think I had an out of body experience, but then again maybe I was just lightheaded from the heat and exhaustion. Don’t know for sure, but I do want to learn more about meditation. Weekend research assignment here I come!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Variety is the spice of life and I’ve found a spicy way to bring variety to my workout routine and my life! Yesterday, I left my yoga mat in the car and went to a Zumba class to dance my butt off to Shakira, Santana and some great salsa and hip-hop music. It’s like taking a quick trip to a club in San Juan to get warmed up on a cold snowy night, and for some reason I’m always in the mood for a cold tropical drink after class!  Try mixing up your work-out routine to keep it fun!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I just found out about “Yotox” a new and natural alternative  to all the crap out there for women to get rid of wrinkles and turkey neck! This is an anti-aging yoga regimen that I can do for my face!  Hey, the muscles on your face and neck are no different than the rest of your body, so why not work them out too.   I’m reading about it in The Yoga Facelift by Marie-Veronique Nadeau.  I’ll keep you posted and let you know if it works!
The Yoga Facelift

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Feeling much better today – I made it to yoga class yesterday! At one point during class, I pushed myself to go into a wheel pose instead of a bridge pose for the very first time.  I wasn’t able to hold it very long, but I did it, and it felt great! Now I know I’m strong enough to do wheel pose, I just need to push myself a little harder next time and I can hold the pose as long as I need to. I think I’ll take that lesson off the mat today, take a risk and do something new! I hope it feels just as great!

Monday, February 15, 2010

I’m not getting the inspiration today to write the D.D.D.  Probably because I haven’t been to a yoga class in almost a week. Today’s mantra – must go to yoga class, must go to yoga class!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Be good to yourself this weekend – go get a Yoga video from the library and try it!  If you’re pressed for time, check out this quick five minute video on You Tube.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Here’s one way to bring peace to your life…try not to want the things you don’t have and enjoy the things that you do have.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

What is yoga?  I went to Answers.com and found this excellent definition…

“The term yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means yoke or union. Traditionally, yoga is a method joining the individual self with the Divine, Universal Spirit, or Cosmic Consciousness. Physical and mental exercises are designed to help achieve this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment. On the physical level, yoga postures, called asanas, are designed to tone, strengthen, and align the body. These postures are performed to make the spine supple and healthy and to promote blood flow to all the organs, glands, and tissues, keeping all the bodily systems healthy. On the mental level, yoga uses breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana) to quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind. However, experts are quick to point out that yoga is not a religion, but a way of living with health and peace of mind as its aims.”

Interested…check out more about yoga at Answers.com

I was still in diapers when Peggy Fleming competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland and then went on to place sixth in the 1964 Olympics at the age of 15, but I was definitely old enough to catch the magic and national pride, in color no less, as she won the Olympic Gold Medal in Grenoble, France, in 1968! Check out this video of Peggy skating her gold medal routine at the U.S. National Championship in 1968.

I couldn’t find a good quality video of her skating in the 1968 Olympics, but if you want to see the highlights and watch her receive the gold in her awesome chartreuse outfit and puffy 60’s hairdo, then you’ll want to watch this video!

Did you know that her gold medal in Grenoble was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Games?  Imagine the media frenzy that would cause today!

I grew up watching Peggy on TV specials (she was on an episode of Fantasy Island – how cool is that!) and every year when my parents took me to see the Ice Follies for my birthday!  I loved watching her glide across the ice with such grace and beauty, and I felt a mystical kinship with her when she did her solo skate in that magical blue lighting to the music of “Ave Maria.”  Yep, she was a role model, not only for women figure skaters, but for me and countless other women, both then and today.

In 1999, Peggy was honored at the Sports Illustrated 20th Century Awards along with a group of seven other elite athletes (including Billie Jean King) that were named “Athletes Who Changed the Game,” for the extraordinary impact that they had on their sports.

Exactly 30 years to the date of her Olympic gold, Peggy underwent successful surgery for breast cancer and today is an inspiring breast cancer activist, informing women about the importance of early detection and living a healthy lifestyle.  If you don’t watch any of the videos on this page, please take a few minutes and listen to her inspiring words about a woman’s power to prevent breast cancer: A Golden Moment Speech.

So, if winning a gold medal and conquering breast cancer are not enough to qualify in my book as a woman who rocks, Peggy and her husband also make wine and own and operate Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in Los Gatos, California!  She is living one of my dreams! The winery produces close to 2,000 cases of wine per year, with profits from one of the wines going towards charities that support breast cancer research.  I love drinking wine for a good cause!

Today Peggy’s interests are focused on health issues: fitness, eating healthy, and balance, she feels, are the keys to living a vital and satisfying life. Peggy – I couldn’t agree more.

I started taking yoga about five years ago and fell in love with it. Not only was it a great workout, it was just what I needed to stretch and strengthen my back, and it provided a much needed sense of calm at that time in my life. Unfortunately, I was swallowed up by my typical type-A lifestyle, couldn’t find the time to work out anymore, and went into what I like to call my “toxic” years of stress, sleep deprivation, and unhealthy living.

One of the first things I did when I got off the toxic train last year was to sign up for yoga. After just one class I felt the love again!

What’s so great about yoga? Let me tell you the top ten reasons why I love it:

1)      It provides the chance to learn something new about yoga and my body each and every class. This is an adult furthering education class I can take the rest of my life.

2)      In a non-threatening atmosphere I’m challenged to push myself to try new poses, reach further, and not be afraid to fall or lose my balance.

3)      I feel like I’m back in kindergarten when I lie on my mat during the resting poses. I mean come on, how many forms of exercise let you take breaks?

4)      Anticipating what music the teacher will play and loving it when we do yoga to rap or dance in class!

5)      Clearing out the thoughts in my head and being in the present during class (an enormous challenge for me).

6)      Noticing that my body is becoming more flexible and that feeling of accomplishment when I can reach a little further in a pose.

7)      The natural yoga high I get from breathing in so much oxygen throughout class.

8)      Tingling muscles and feeling great all day after a morning yoga class.

9)      All of the spiritual aspects of yoga – the inspirational messages conveyed by the instructor, chanting, meditation – it’s like going to a church where you stretch and sweat and honor others and yourself.

10)   Savasana – the meditational resting period at the end of the class when you get to take a spiritual nap.

11)   (I couldn’t stop at 10.) The fact that you can take the principles of yoga into everyday life!

If you practice yoga, please let me know what you love about it!

Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my daily journal of cool yoga and meditation experiences!  Check out the Yoga category at the Cool Stuff Shoppe for great books, DVDs and yoga products. Thank you for clicking on the ads when you visit to help fund this site!

I grew up watching Paige Palmer with my mom and sister on TV and can still remember sitting on my mom’s feet, at Paige’s urging, so my mother could reach her toes as she exercised. Paige was smart, worldly, confident, and invented her own way to be a feminist (no bra burning or hairy legs were involved)!

For those of you who have never heard of Paige Palmer, she was known as “The First Lady of Fitness” and was the star of a daily one-hour fitness show on WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio, where she demonstrated jumping jacks and scissor kicks in black fishnet stockings and pumps! She was responsible for helping most of the stay-at-home moms in Northeast Ohio build their muscles and their confidence. Remember, this was before Jane Fonda, workout videos, and going to the gym for step class.

Here are just a few of the cool things that Paige accomplished:

• At age 16, without her parents’ knowledge, she became an entrepreneur when she rented a house in Akron and started the School of Expression to teach dance and invited her friends to join along in teaching other subjects they knew. Her parents found out when she invited them to the open house. The School of Expression was a huge success!
• When she was 18, she was the physical education director at a private Akron girl’s school.
• She graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in physical fitness (what she loved) and also majored in home economics (because that was what was acceptable for women at the time).
• She parlayed her accomplishments into a highly successful television career in the 1940’s – and for over 25 years, she educated women about the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and fashion.
• She used her position to help women break down traditional barriers at the time by urging them to turn their hobbies into businesses, so they would not be totally dependent on their husbands.
• Taboo topics were not off the table for her as she educated women about the importance of yearly Pap tests.
• She patented exercise equipment and created her own fashion label.

In essence, she was an incredible role model for women and one who lived a full life until she passed away this past November at the age of 93.

Thanks, Paige!