With my attention span, I’ll be honest, yoga DVDs sometimes bore me. I do often do them to relax and for the good of my body, but, until now, I haven’t had many I crave doing. This DVD was very different.
Music:
First of all, I love the music…relaxing but with energy. Not boring electronica. It’s very enjoyable to hear in the background.
Instruction:
The DVD switches from the voice of one of the trainers to the other. It kept it interesting but they also have very…hmmm, trying to find the word I want here…I’m thinking “happy” voices. It imparts a good feeling, good energy, and goes well with the instruction. And that is the most important aspect…the instruction. If you have NEVER done yoga before, you will be told how to adjust your moves to fit your needs and how to move so that you get the best results by doing it correctly…the instruction is clear. If you’ve been doing yoga for ages, you won’t find redundancy and boredom in the instruction. It’s natural and she is very comfortable on camera.
Time to workout:
I love this option! You say how much time you have to workout that day and you can customize your workout to fit your schedule.
Caloric Burn:
Granted, yoga is meant to stretch and tone muscles but I have to say…many aspects of this yoga DVD result in far better caloric burn than I’ve ever found in yoga DVDs in the past. I say this because I wear a bodybugg which not only measures my exact calorie burn during my workout, so that I can compare it to other DVDs, but it also shows any metabolic boost afterwards. This one was a calorie burner! A good one! That is in part due to the fact that it actually has some cardio moves in it but done very differently than any DVD I have had in the past (and, I can assure you, I have a pretty big fitness DVD library…it keeps me motivated…)they are oddly RELAXING while your heart rate is up and you are burning more calories…it’s the music and the voice. Hard to explain but I loved it. Because she also adds in strength toning, it’s just a fantastic overall workout…I usually mix up yoga, strength, and cardio. It did it for me. That kept it interesting for me, but also made me feel like I’d bought several DVDs rather than having just this one.
Easy to follow:
Some yoga DVDs are odd in that they have you do moves where you have to face away from the tv, yet they don’t explain vocally what you should be doing so until you memorize the DVD, you get lost or do your poses wrong because you HAVE to look up. Not so here. This was kept in mind and when you have to look down or away, you are guided fully along whether the first or 100th time of doing it.
Equipment needed:
yoga mat and, during the cardio portion only, workout shoes if you are not working out on a soft surface.
Negatives: I typically try to balance out all my reviews on all products with positives and negatives but I really liked this DVD and, best yet, it hit deep muscles I don’t always reach with my other workouts that I felt the next day.
Level: For all levels. You are told how to adapt your moves, or be challenged.
Time: 90 minutes total
Conclusion: Favorite yoga DVD for me.

© 2010 Alana Chandler

Alana Chandler is ranked by Amazon.com as their #1 reviewer on the site. She is also a professional Weight Loss Coach, with her Masters degree in Counseling, & has a strong interest in fitness & healthy cooking.