Can You Skip Yoga on P90x?

Skipping yoga on P90X is at your discretion. But even Tony Horton would urge you not to play hooky. Horton attributes his youthfulness and much of his physical success to his yoga practice. Horton urges participation in yoga for its many benefits, including better mental outlook, minimizing aches and pains, and increasing balance and flexibility. In addition, yoga also helps to build strength and endurance. Skipping yoga would result in missing out on many benefits.

  1. Better Living, Day to Day

    • If you’re following along with P90X, you are likely trying to improve your quality of life by toning your muscles and giving your heart an aerobic workout. P90X is a system that is designed to help you achieve those goals. Yoga, in and of itself, also improves quality of life by easing everyday aches and pains and improving mental outlook. A study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" claims yoga, rather than just stretching, can help improve back pain. Additionally, according to Harvard Health Publications, yoga can reduce migraines, benefit heart health, and improve depression, stress and anxiety.

    Flexibility, Range of Motion

    • While yoga is not just limited to stretching, yoga does increase flexibility by stretching your muscles, and improves range of motion in your joints. In Yoga X, Horton includes many yoga postures that focus on stretching. According to the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine," yoga not only decreases knee pain in those with osteoarthritis, but it also improves knee joint flexibility and range of motion. Similarly, it was found in the "Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics" that yoga increases range of motion in day-to-day activities.

    A Balancing Act

    • In Yoga X, Horton includes three balancing postures to help challenge and improve your stability: tree pose, dancer’s pose and standing big toe pose. It is believed that yoga helps you feel mentally centered through your breath, which promotes stability. Yoga also builds core strength and pelvic stability, both of which are factors in balancing, according to "Yoga Journal." According to Harvard Health Publications, yoga also builds foot strength and flexibility, which helps to prevent falling.

    Strength and Endurance

    • Yoga is more than stretching. Yoga also helps to build muscle, and in Horton’s vinyasa style, it is aerobic, which helps to burn calories and build endurance. In a study conducted by the American Council of Exercise, it was found that participants burned an average of 144 calories during a 50-minute Hatha yoga class – similar to going on a walk. Participants also increased their muscular strength. Following the study, the group was able to do an average of six more pushups and 14 more curlups.