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Saturday, January 18, 2014

INDO YOGA: Lose Your Balance; Gain Namaste-bility

by Kari Tervo

wobble wobble WHOMP!

wobble wobble WHOMP!

No, you didn't just wander into a dubstep song. That's me falling off my Indo Yoga Board at an Indo Yoga demonstration class the other day. I just giggled, cuz the thing is only like an inch off the floor. Based on Stand-Up Paddle Board Yoga, which I didn't even know was a thing, Indo Yoga combines standard yoga moves with a wobbly balance board to challenge your core and kick a little extra cardio into your yoga workout.

The workout cycled through a number of yoga pose combinations on the instability board, which was challenging enough for a yoga beginner like me. Add one to three special cushions under the board, and the level of instability increases from Moody Teenager to Reality Show Romance. It's a tough but gentle workout that will stretch your muscles and your balancing capabilities.

CLICK RAWR TO FIND YOUR CENTER IN WARRIOR POSE. OR SOMETHING.

I haven't done yoga very often, so I had some difficulty following the instructor, who would say things like, "Cycle through your vinyasa if you wish, or just take a horse pose." What? But I managed okay, and I'm pretty sure that after a few times moving through the workout, even yoga first-timers will be able to pick up the lingo.

The Indo Yoga workout is one of my favorite kinds: It incorporates movements that are challenging to execute, but don't involve complicated choreography. Well, there was one move where everyone bent in a way that I am sure is not legal in Alabama, and rested their ankles on their elbows, or something. I could only laugh in disbelief at the very idea I'd be capable of that on solid ground, much less a wobble board.

In elementary school, I consistently failed the Sit-And-Reach portion of the Presidential Fitness Tests. I struggled to stretch during these moves with those tight hammies. But even with my non-elastic history, the next day, I felt a little more limber and energetic.

I recommend Indo Yoga for the moderate-to-highly experienced yoga practitioner. It's a satisfying challenge, and I think you'll like it. Oh! And at the end, you get to lay there on the board in "corpse pose" and listen to whale calls. It is all very Enya-tastic.

Look, here's an official Indo Yoga video of a chick using the Indo Yoga Board. I think there might be some cycling through of vinyasas! Namaste, yo!







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