Tony Horton on the importance of YOGA X!

This is Tony Horton himself answering a question from someone asking if they could skip yoga and substitute something else in its place. I copied and pasted!

"Can I skip out on yoga and substitute Cardio X or Plyo?

My short answer is NO! No you can't skip out on yoga and substitute Cardio X or Plyo. These are not substitutes for yoga. They are completely different than yoga. Yoga's effect on your body is 180º from standard cardiovascular training and jump training. Each one of these routines feeds off the other. The crazy mix of routines creates the variety the body needs for real change and overall conditioning. The whole point to P90X is to work on your strengths and weaknesses. The fact that yoga is a pain in your butt right now is the reason why it will change your fitness, aid in your weight loss, make you less vulnerable to injury, and improve the effectiveness of all the other workouts.

Don't feel bad, because most people dislike yoga at first. It's the anti-American workout. No punching and kicking. No jumping, or running, or lifting, or dancing. It's slow and quiet and requires time and patience. It's the other side of a (complete fitness) two-sided coin. It's the yin to the yang. It's the tortoise not the hare. It forces you to look inward and not outward and/or all over the place for a change. Its balance, strength, coordination, and flexibility all wrapped in one, and sometimes all at the same time. It will and has messed with your mind like no other workout can. It's perfect! When you can turn this foe into a friend, then and only then will you be able to understand it and appreciate its purpose.

Does this mean you need to continue to suffer the way you have? No. You conquer (tame or understand) yoga by modifying it like any and all other routines that are difficult. If you don't want to do the whole 90 minutes then don't. Use your remote to help you decide which 60 minutes you feel like doing. Keep a secondary timer close by to keep track of the full hour. You also have to change the way you feel about the experience. Stop caring that you're not good at it and start understanding that the "struggle" is where the action is. The Struggle is how your mind and body change for the better. The Struggle is why you're doing P90X. The Struggle is the magic that separates the old you from the new you. Struggle but don't give up. The other short answer is... Do Your Best And Forget The Rest!"

Tom - Independent BeachBody Coach and Avid P90X user!
http://www.passionforfitness.info