I wanted to do everything: go on runs, strength training, and practice yoga daily to keep my flexibility and mobility on point. However, it is quite difficult to juggle all this together. From this issue is where YIIT is born. YIIT is a 12 week strength program based on yoga that also includes sequences for flexibility and recovery.

So, what does a workout look like? Here you can find a small taste of it. We start with 5 sun salutation and then we continue with 2 series of exercises. You will perform another sun salutation after each repetition of the given series. Since there are exercises that are just for one side, you will have to repeat each series twice to work both sides ;)

First things first, how do you do a sun salutation? No worries, here you have some indications (I give you two variations to try out):

Sun salutation A with knees down

Sun salutation A with knees down

1. Begin in tadasana with you feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, tailbone towards navel.  Inhale the arms up.

2. Exhale fold forward, bring your hands all the way down to the mat. Bend your knees as much as you need.

3. Inhale into half-way lift to lengthen the back and keep the gaze 20 cm in front of your feet. Neck in line with your spine.

4. Exhale as you place the hands down and walk the feet back into plank. Press your hands away from the floor and engage the quads. 

5. Inhale and bring the weight forward so that the shoulder overpass the writsts and you are on the tips of your toes.

6. Exhale into a triceps push up (full chaturanga or with knees bent). 

7. Inhale into upward facing dog (UFD).

8. Exhale to downward facing dog (DFD).

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation A

Are you ready for the YIIT series? Here we go!

FIRST SET

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SECOND SET

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Do your best to keep your breath steady throughout the work out (don't hold your breath!).  If you are familiar with ujjayi breath, please go ahead!

Did you enjoy the workout? If so, you can get the full 12 week program here. And in case you have any doubts on how to perform the proposed exercises, you can find a description of them here:

Bakasana abs

  1. Inhale extend your hands over head.
  2. Exhale round up the body, bring your knees to the triceps and squeeze your heels towards the glutes. 
  3. Inhale straighten once again (feet don’t touch the floor) while keeping the lower back in contact with your mat. 
     

DFD to knee to nose

  1. Start from downward facing dog. 
  2. Inhale to lift up one leg. Exhale to bring your knee to the same side triceps as you shift the weight forward like in plank. 
     

Eagle abs

  1. Cross your legs one on top of the other and cross your arms with the lower arm of the same side that the upper leg. The backs of the hands can touch or the palms can touch. You can also keep elbow to elbow and palm to palm (no cross).
  2. Inhale to extend while keeping the lumbar region on the mat and exhale to bring elbows towards knees. 
     

Lifted table top to plank

  1. Start in a table top position: wrists under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Curl the toes and lift the knees 1-2 cm from the ground. Curl your tailbone towards the navel and chin to chest.
  2. Inhale to shift the weight forward into a plank variation where the shoulder overpass the writs. Exhale back into a lifted table top. 
     

Side plank - knee to wrist

  1. Begin in side plank and cross the lower ankle over the other. Upper arm can be extended up or hand on the hip.
  2. Inhale bend the lower leg and bring it towards the bottom wrist. Exhale go back to side plank. 
     

Side plank to thread the needle

  1. From plank, shift the weight back to the feet and place your weight over to one side as one foot is in front of the other. 
  2. On the inhale, lift the other arm into the sky. Exhale as you thread the needle under the other arm. Repeat. 

 

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