In this 39 minute DVD, yoga
professional Chris Freytag guides you through a workout aimed at toning your
muscles and helping you slim.  The
exercises are based on yoga positions, but she keeps up a quick pace and unless
you are already very fit, you are going to be sweating by the end.  It is split up into four main sections:
standing yoga, 2 heat-building series, and yoga mat work. 

Although the positions are from
yoga, these exercises are quite different from traditional approach, and not
just because the musical backing is upbeat electronic rather than the usual
new-age/Eastern sounds that accompany yoga sessions, nor because Freytag keeps
a big smile planted on her face all the way through the exercises.    Generally in yoga you hold a position for
some time, working on balance, stamina and stretch, and even in what is known
as "flow yoga" there is time to focus making sure your body is
aligned well.  But in following these
exercises, you have very little time to feel the stretch and align your body,
because you are constantly on the move. 
Although there is a short portion of stretching and relaxation at the
end, there’s very little focus on the connection between mind and body. Really,
this is what it says, an exercise video aimed at weight loss. 

On the other hand, since it is a
DVD with a limited number of positions, you can view it again and again, and
with practice you will get better and more comfortable with the exercises.  Of course, as with any such DVD, it is not
always possible to be watching the TV screen, since your head is pointed in
another direction, but Freytag says out loud what you should be doing and how
you should be breathing for most of the time.  
Occasionally for some repetitions of movements she stays quiet, and on
those moments you just hast have to know what to do.  Often, another voice provides information about the positions and
how to perform easier or harder versions. 
It would have been helpful if there had been an extra section showing
exactly how your body should be posed for each main position, but you can
always use pause and rewind to study how Freytag does it. 

So the DVD has a limited use, but
it provides what it promises.  For
people who are already familiar with yoga positions and want to use them as a
way to work out, or for people who just want an alternative to ordinary
workouts, Yoga Weight-Los Workout for Dummies will get the job
done.  Once you have been using it a
while, you’ll want to move on to something more sophisticated or
demanding. 

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main research is on
philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: SelfHelp, Movies