I have seen this a few times already, and I wanted to post one reply to those who have asked it before as well as those that will ask it in the future. I'm not being smart-assed, but I thought one answer would help.

No, X-Stretch cannot take the place of yoga, nor can Cardio X or another workout. Yes, it is really necessary...it wouldn't be in the package if it weren't important. Yes, it IS and hour and a half long, and yes, it is tough and boring the first few times, but with time, it will get easier and you will actually look forward to it. I found this bit of info on a yoga site, so maybe it will answer some questions as to why yoga is included with P90x. Hope this info helps:

Yoga is extremely effective in:
Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.

Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.

Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.

Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.



One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection. This in turn enables the person to take pre-emptive corrective action



Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

Excellent post, RJ!! Thanks for the info!

Ditto what BigHurt1972 said.

Yoga has helped me immensely and I've found my other workouts are far more productive because of it.

Ditto what Lady_Stealth said.

While I do think the yoga is a bit longwinded at 1.5 hours compared to the other workouts, I just love it. My husband is your typical bodybuilder-type who's always just lifted weights and never stretched or done cardio. He's done the yoga DVD probably 6 or 7 times now (even though yesterday was only officially yoga day for week 2, we both did it before starting P90 full force) and yesterday he was standing and bent over and touch his toes. He said "look at this! i've never been this flexible" and was so proud of himself.

It makes me feel so good to do all that stretching while relaxing and some of the poses are still a challenge, which I like.

Good post runningjunkie!

So can X-Stretch take the place of Yoga or not? Hehehe...