Customer Reviews

Bryan Kest - Power Yoga, Intensive Body Sculpting

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Well I just did this Intensive Body Sculpting program for the first time and it was really tough! Tough in a good way but tough!

After almost 8 years of daily yoga practice, years of classes and with a collection over 70 yoga videos that I rotate day by day, it still amazes me how my body,mind and spirit, are continuously challenged in new ways.

Depending on the sequencing, rate of flow and length of time the asanas are held in a given practice it can feel like the first time one has practiced yoga..

This particular program is a power yoga flow that will challenge you especially in your lower body, particular the legs and hips. Don't worry though, you're whole body will be challenged, but those legs and hips should be REALLY burning. If not, I salute you and want to know what you're eating, supplements your taking and congratulate you on superman/superwoman genetics :).

Of course, to be truly doing yoga and not just exercise, there is much more than the physical practice involved, the mindset is crucially important. Bryan really goes into all this in his introduction. I personally like his introduction and feel it's helpful to listen through it before each practice to prepare you mentally for what is to come (that's just a personal viewpoint of course). All that being said, there is no doubt that if you do this program you'll be doing a VERY physical practice.

Anyway....., This program which is about 50 or so minutes (once the intro is over)is pure Kest. I have his older videos "Energize, Tone and Sweat" and this is definitely up there with those in terms of challenge. Those are EXCELLENT videos by the way and highly recommended.

The primary difference is that on this program you do a really long series on one side (primarily standing poses though not exclusively) before moving on to the next. I have to admit that I had to take breaks and go into child's pose on more than one occasion because I was getting so fatigued on each side before the sequence was over.

I will definitely try to do this program on a regular basis because it definitely brought to light many areas that could stand to be strengthened. Not only that but it is one heck of a practice to use to develop one's in the face of a physical challenge.

If you are looking for a full body workout which will push you to the max I highly recommend this. I don't think I would recommend this as a first video for a brand new beginner because I think that it's too intense, but if you buy Bryan Kests "Original Power Yoga Set" you should in time be able to work up to this one by using the other programs first.

Other good preparatory programs I would recommend are:

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga For Beginner Series (Flexibility, Stamina and Strength-3 tape set) which are challenging but not as long or as tough (though the Strength tape is actually very tough compared to the other two). These are also only about 25 or so minutes long so very easy to fit into one's schedule.

Baron Baptistes "Hot Yoga" three tape set are quite challenging along with his "Soul Of Strength Live", "Core Strength" and "Unlocking Athletic Power". "Power and Precision" is also an excellent program. The "Core" and "Athletic" programs are pretty short, around 25 or so minutes while the others are longer (45-60 minutes).

Sherri Baptiste Freeman n (Baron's sister) has a very different style of yoga that is still quite challenging with her program "Baptiste Power Of Yoga" which I highly recommend.

Rainbeau Mars "Sacred Yoga" set is a 4 tape set that really covers all bases, from a wonderful beginner tape thru to very challenging (but not as hard as the Kest Stuff). These are also reasonably short, around 30-35 minutes or so.

Total Yoga's Flow Series are another set that builds incrementally from it's "Earth" program (the easiest) to "Water" (more intermediate) to Fire (incredibly tough,).

Of course Bryan's earlier set that I mentioned is also fantastic, but even the first one is pretty tough (Energize) so you may want to check out one of the others to work up to it.

Namaste

I recently bought this DVD after borrowing this one and Bryan Kest's Yoga for Weight Loss. I love them both. They are paced at an intermediate level, so if you are advanced in your practice you might not feel as challenged as his Sweat/Energize/Tone set. I felt this one was perfect for me,as it gave me poses I felt I was good at, a few I needed to modify (at least for now) and ones that I am trying to master. This keeps me challenged, and that is what I am looking for in a workout. Most of all, to get the complete benefit, you need to pay attention to the breathing, which is the most important aspect of doing your yoga practice. I do this workout at least once a week and alternate with strength training, aerobic work outs and just about anything that will keep me interested and motivated. The one drawback is that he talks way too much at the beginning of the class. This easily could have been done at the introduction section. Other than that, I felt this was a wonderful addition to my yoga practice and would suggest to anyone that would like a change in pace from their normal workout.

I have done many yoga workouts from Denise Austin to Rodney Yee, but this is by far the best!

The workout is challenging enough for advanced students, yet simple enough for beginners. He is constantly reminding you to only do what you can do, and shows plenty of modifications.

His personality helps to keep the DVD interesting no matter how many times you view it. He presents yoga in an interesting format, without being overly mystical. Yet he touches the heart of yoga when he discusses the unchanging quality of us, which is represented by our breath.

This review is for all of the average yoga people out there. Unless you are in love with Bryan you will probably not enjoy this DVD. It starts with his seemingly endless pontification of his yoga workout philosophy. When the workout does finally begin he never shuts up. Instead of a soothing relaxing voice as in his previous tapes, his voice comes across as hard and abrasive. I actually got a headache and stopped halfway through. Personally, it's not him. I blame bad writing, directing and lighting. The production value of this DVD is terrible which leads to a less than enjoyable experience. Bryan, did you just knock out this DVD over lunch and publish it for the cash? While not on DVD, stick to his Power Yoga series from 1995.

Well, after being absolutely stiff and sore for days after I started doing BK's original power yoga series, I couldn't wait to try out the new tapes.
Bummer. Not very good, I'm sorry to say. The pace is tooooo slow, the moves are fairly basic (although options are given), and it just feels uninspired.
If you are just starting, these would probably suffice, but I would recommend that you quickly purchase the entire series from 1995. The only downside is the format--no DVD option on those.

About myself:
I'm a Power Yoga Teacher with my own studio. I'm into Yoga since about seven Years and I train every day.
Personally I prefer fluid Vinyasa programms challenging strength a lot but still contributing to every aspect of Yoga.
Since I'm german my english spelling is pretty bad, excuse me for that.
About the DVD:
I highly recommend Bryans earlier Complete Power Yoga Collection. I also own two of his CDs (Long, slow, deep and Advanced2) and think they're really great.
Unfortunatly I'm not content with this DVD.
The problem is not so much Bryans voice, like some other Reviewer stated (although he was right, the voice changed a little, but that doesn't bother me at all).
The problem is that Bryan talks all the time. Other Yoga Teachers do that too, but in a different manner. A Yoga Teacher should give a lot of information and he should encourage his students. The problem with Bryan is that he seems to try to win a Speedtalking Competition. He obviously reached such a high level in Pranayama that he doesn't need to breath at all between sentences. The most important thing in Yoga is a calm mind. This is hard to do with Bryans way off talking in the Background. It is absolutly distracting, even if you, beeing a Yogi, try to stay calm, concentrate on the Asanas and ignore him.
My girlfriend who teaches Yoga too, found it distracting aswell.
Bryan gives a lot of verbal information on all of his programms. On the other programms I own that is absolutly ok. He talks much but not to fast or to distracting. I don't understand what went wrong with this programm, but I think anybody can screw up a little somtime.
I truelly think Bryan is a great teacher. I totally respect him and I like his style a lot.
This beeing said, back to this DVD.
The other thing that I disliked is the Creation of the Flow. In my opinion it ist not round and not fluid enough. It is a very hard workout for the lower Body (legs and Butt) but seems to overlook most of the rest.
A complete Power Yoga workout should for example start with Sunsalutations, move over to Standingposevariations, Stomach- and Backposes, Twist and Inversions and in the end Shavasana, so the whole body is adressed. It's ok if some Programms specialice more on some Parts off the Body but I feel Bryan was not successfull with this one.
It misses the Vinyasa and seems to be unbalanced.
One thing I strongly criticise is that Bryan doesn't feel the need to comment on Shavasana (Resting Pose). He simply guides you there and the programm and music stopps. He talkes all the time but nothing on Shavasana, the so called most important Pose in a Yoga workout. To me this is a No Go in Yoga. He should at least tell his students to stay in the Pose for a few minutes, totally relaxed and feel what there Body is telling them.
If Bryan was tryin to create a Yoga Based Fitness Workout for leggs and Butt, he was successfull. But that is more gymnastics, not Yoga.
If you are looking for a real Power Yoga Programm, try his earlier DVD, his CD's or try Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, some of Rodney Yees Programms, Eoin Finns Happy Yoga DVD or Rainbow Mars (See my listmania list on Power Yoga for all DVDs I recommend).
I hope this was helpfull to you! Let me know.
Namasté

First I must admit that I am a fan of Bryan Kest, so his constant chatter during the practice sits well with me. I enjoy the encouragement. However, a "cue only" option would have been a good idea, allowing those who prefer less talk to still benefit from this practice.

The practice itself is tough, with plenty of lunges and challenges to the lower body. It does not have a fast pace, but not every yoga class needs to be fast. In fact, holding some of those poses for 5 or more breaths is pretty darn hard and works your muscles to the point of fatigue. I practice yoga regularly, and I had to pull back and straighten my leg in a few poses because my legs were just giving out. In addition, keeping the breath slow and steady during the entire practice isn't as easy as it sounds and provides yet another challenge.

In order to use this dvd, I recommend being constantly aware of what your body can and can not do on any particular day. Do NOT push in order to keep up with someone in the class ~ you can easily hurt yourself. Prepare to modify poses if necessary (some days I modify, some days I don't), and you'll be able to enjoy all of the benefits Yoga has to offer.

Having been a big fan of Brian Kest's 1995 series, I had been waiting for a new video. I admit that I did buy this video with some skepticism, and the first time that I did this video, I will admit that I initially felt disappointed. The set looks cheaper, and Kest does not refer to the poses by the Hindi names,and it seemed as though he were capitalizing on the popularity of yoga to sell this video and sell himself out. But it doesn't matter. Once I started doing this video more regularly, I realized that for those who are not as flexible, the modifications are a real help. what I like about his original video, no hand holding, is very intimidating to a lot of people I know. If you are familiar with his original series, expect it to be a bit different and mainstream in presentation, but know that your basic...Kest workout is still there. If you are not familiar with Brian Kest and Power Yoga, this is a body and mind workout. You set the pace and you challenge yourself. As Brian Kest says, the most important thing is the breath, if you don't get anything else from the video, you get the breath and a feeling of relaxation and calm. Slowly you can incorporate the poses and you will find a workout that calms you and makes you sweat and tones your muscles. I have found that this workout in particular leaves me feeling very loose and stretches my muscles a lot. The balancing poses are challenging (!) but fun. If you are really doing the workout you won't notice the cheesy set, and if you are more advanced, then modify your poses from the easier ones that are shown sometimes. It is a good workout.

I've tried many yoga tapes/DVD's and found this one to be extremely beneficial. It left me feeling energized as well as exhausted at its conclusion. I lift weights and run on interval days. This power yoga DVD gives me a change of pace as well as a fantastic workout. I love the INTENSITY of the workout and it works muscles I never knew I had. I would recommend it to anyone.

I've bought a lot of yoga videos and this ranks among the worst. Normally you can select a chapter to avoid all the talk...well not with this DVD. You get a talking chapter and you get a chapter that's supposed to start the workout, only it actually just starts more talk. Then when the workout really starts it's hard to follow because his verbal directions are so poor. This DVD has the potential to be good if he would stop talking and give better directions. With all the DVDs out there you can do a whole lot better than this one!