Long before I knew anything about the Camino, I started doing yoga. I loved how it made me feel instantly relaxed, as if I just had a massage. I decided that I needed this good feeling on a daily basis to relieve stress, slow down and breathe deep. I quickly became addicted.  If I didn’t do yoga for a period of 2 to 3 days, my upper back and shoulders  would tighten up, and my hips would feel sore at night. At times I would become grouchy. I knew I needed an attitude adjustment, so I would hit the yoga mat and the feeling of calm dissolved any angst. Stress melted away and life would become balanced again.

I am so grateful that I found this practice 17 years ago. My posture improved, my weight is under control, and I can deal with stress. While yoga studios are plentiful in the Bay Area, I have done most of my yoga at home where I can practice anytime. I’ve tried a variety of yoga workouts via Netflix, the library, or buying DVDs on sale.

My commitment to daily yoga intensified in 2014 when I discovered The Ultimate Yogi practice with Travis Eliot.  This set of 12 DVDs includes a booklet, detox recipes and a calendar to track the routines for 108 days. Each practice is about one hour and many of them are great cardio workouts. A few feature deep stretching and one DVD has Pranayama breathing with beautiful gratitude meditation.

Everyone who completes the Ultimate Yogi program has significant results—the most noticeable for me were my arms became tone, I lost a few pounds and I gained more flexibility.  I completed my first round of 108 days of yoga while I was in Santiago on a tour of northern Spain. It was a huge accomplishment— a personal Camino of sorts, without the stamps.

After I completed the 108 day challenge last year, I went back to some of my favorite yoga DVDs that I had missed. However, within a few months away from the Ultimate Yogi, I went back to some of my favorites from the collection: Detox, Yin, Cardio, Strength and Cross Train, which is available on YouTube. I even missed Travis’ southern drawl (he sounds like Matthew McConaughey). I recently decided to commit to the 108 day challenge again, to get me through the holiday season. I am currently on day 71 of my  Ultimate Yogi 2.0.  I learned to customize the practice based on how I’m feeling, my schedule and how to adjust the intensity.  Now that you know the background, below are some tips for anyone interested in taking the 108 day Ultimate Yogi challenge. Continue reading →