ddp yoga and motivation

In June of 2013, I started doing DDP Yoga. That was 8 months ago. Eight long months. In that time, I've trained hard and worked hard to teach my body new things, ways of moving it has never done and I've aligned my thinking to match up. DDP has a video that he encourages new folks to watch. You can find it here: Living Life at 90%. The password is ddp (all lower case).

I'm writing this blog post because I am listening to people around me make excuses. I'm listening to people say things like "well, I can't do that by myself, I need someone to push me" or "I don't know how you find time to do this." These kinds of comments have really gotten me thinking. I started by watching Living Life at 90% again, and then I talked to a few friends who, like me, are committed to this program. You know what came out? I don't FIND time to work out, I MAKE time to work out. Do I like working out alone? Yes, I kind of do. Know why? I am completely focused on me and my workout. I'm not having to stop and wait for someone to catch up, I'm not fighting to keep up with some 20 year old instructor who has no idea what it's like to be making a 53 year old body pretend to be Gumby. Instead, I'm able to pause the DVD, catch my breath, get a drink of water, mop the gallon of sweat off my mat, and restart.

Am I perfect at making time? Am I perfect at working out alone? Heck no. But, I am owning my life and I am proving to myself just how far I can go and how much I can do. With every workout I do, it's one step toward being healthier and happier. I've reduced by 28 pounds and 37 inches. That's a whole lot! Sometimes I catch myself comparing myself to some of my friends who are doing this program, and losing a ton of weight. I look at them and think I haven't lost much, but go ahead and lift 28 pounds and let me know how heavy it is, because for me? 28 pounds is very heavy. Look at a yardstick, look at that 36 inches. I've lost one of those!

So what am I saying, exactly? I am saying that motivation comes from within. You can't expect a video to motivated you to the point where it makes you check in and do your program.  It's not fair to expect a teacher to do that either, right? When you sign up for a class, like an aerobics class, the teacher doesn't call you and make sure you are coming. You paid your money, it's your job to make sure you spend wisely and actually show up. I think it's the same with this program-- you have to show up.

You have to motivate yourself to do the work. We all know that there's no such thing as a free lunch. There's no such thing as a program that will do the work for you. You have to commit and you have to show up and do the work. Is it easy? Nope. Is it impossible? Nope. Is it fun? Heck yea! As DDP says constantly during the workouts, "there's always someplace to go". This means that no matter how long you've done DDP Yoga, there is always a way to modify a position or move to make it more challenging.

After 8 months, there are still things I can't do yet. (Notice the yet, I'm not saying I'll never do them, I'm just saying that, right now, these things are not easy for me, and I am still learning.) Also, there are days when my heart rate just doesn't behave. Days when I have no balance. Days when I don't want to work out. But you know what? My accountability partner, Mark Furniss has taught me that on the days that I don't want to work out, those are the most important days, because, typically, those are the days when you have the best workout.

So, in closing, I want to challenge you. If you are one of those people who purchased DDP Yoga and you haven't even opened it yet, or if you are one of those people who did one or two workouts and thought "holy cow, this is hard, this guy is crazy." Get those DVDs out and commit to do a month's worth. A solid 30 days. Then tell me how you feel. I can just about guarantee that you will have lost inches, pounds, and gained confidence and strength. I find that with each workout I do, I gain a bit of flexibility or refine a movement a bit more. Really, it happens that fast. If it can happen that fast for me, it can for you too. What do you say? Leave me a comment and let me know when you're starting, ok?  You can do this. OWN YOUR LIFE!