Product Details

• Actors: Sara Ivanhoe
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 23, 2001
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005NQGR
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,142 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

""Upbeat, athletic-style yoga class of basic standing and floor postures."" Shape Magazine Two complete yoga workouts led by a friendly, down-to-earth instructor. They both feature a medley of classic yoga poses (e.g. downward facing dog, plank, warrior, cobra, triangle and mountain pose) ""Joy of Yoga"" provides the improved flexibility and relaxation benefits of traditional yoga without the intimidating attitude. Sara's unusually laid-back style makes it unusually easy to do (e.g. ""if your knees are doing this, just flop them out"" or ""now just kinda wiggle your fingers""). Her emphasis is always on enjoying the movement, not perfecting each one. It has more energetic, upbeat music than most yoga videos. The second program, ""Fat Burning Yoga,"" also features classic yoga moves. Sara's solid cuing and non-mystical style makes it an effective and exceptionally yoga workout. And by helping you achieve a balanced lifestyle and a deeper body-awareness, it provides a key element in weight-loss success (but it's really too slow to immediately burn much fat...). It ends with a short, but intense, segment of traditional ab-focused floorwork. Bright, colorful, airy set. ©1997 & 2001. (80 min.). Note: VHS version is only the ""Fat Burning"" program; it does not include ""Joy of Yoga."" Amazon.com description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two very good yoga practices for beginners/intermediates, August 30, 2004

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crunch - The Perfect Yoga Workout: The Joy of Yoga & Fat-Burning Yoga (DVD)

The philosophy of all videos in the Crunch line is to make working out accessible to all people, regardless of size or experience. Their yoga videos are no exception, as they take a non-mystical approach and are taught in a very straightforward manner by instructor Sara Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe's down-to-earth style (she frequently uses words like "scooch") is completely non-intimidating; she comes across as a friendly workout buddy.

Joy of Yoga begins with a focused breathing series involving forward bends and down dogs (there are many repetitions of this position) and then moves on to additional standing poses, including warrior, lunges, and twists. The floor portion of the workout consists mostly of relaxing stretches, but there is one tough segment which alternates arm/leg stretches with yogi pushups. This practice is about 35 minutes long. Fat-burning yoga is a more active practice, although not quite to the level of aerobic conditioning or power yoga. Again, the practice begins with breathing and then introduces the use of vinyasas: several poses are combined together in a flowing sequence and then the entire sequence is repeated several times. After a brief warm-up, there is a long, sun salutation-type vinyasa containing lunges, push-up pose, simple backbends, and many repetitions of downward dog. For each repetition, a slightly more difficult variation is introduced, and by the end of this series, your arms and shoulders have gotten an intense workout. Additional vinyasas include twisting lunges, proud warrior, triangle, and side angle pose. This practice ends with a short abs section containing a few boat poses, seated backbends, and two Pilates-like exercises. Finally, there are some brief seated stretches and an even briefer relaxation pose for about 45 total minutes.

Ivanhoe's cues are detailed enough for those new to yoga, and both practices are probably doable by most beginners, especially with the modifications provided. However, for complete yoga novices, I think that some prior familiarity with basic yoga postures would be beneficial. Also, it is important to keep in mind that both of these practices contain some fairly intense moves which demand some pre-existing fitness capacity; Fat-Burning Yoga in particular is a more strenuous practice that will challenge even intermediate yogis. Finally, Ivanhoe's strong emphasis on breathing is a plus for all levels of yoga practitioners, and those who like her friendly, no-nonsense style are likely to enjoy these videos.

79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good workout for beginners only, January 28, 2002

By 

Leslie Polk (Melrose, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crunch - The Perfect Yoga Workout: The Joy of Yoga & Fat-Burning Yoga (DVD)

I've been doing yoga for a couple of years. I thought the workout on the the Joy of Yoga was a good start, then it ended! I was ready for way more. This is a common gripe of mine, I find the tape/DVD workouts should be much longer. The fat burning yoga workout was longer but the pace was too slow for someone who knows what they are doing. For example, there are about 3 sun salutations, that she walks through every step of the way, which is way slower than I am used to. For beginners though, I think the instruction is good, I like the way they describe proper form - I think the instruction is better than other videos I have. I always warn against doing a tape before learning correct form, but these instructors are pretty good at form, which makes me sad there aren't more advanced workouts to work up to.
For beginners bump this up to 4 stars, for intermediate yogis this is just a 3. BTW, I still think starting out with a real yoga instructor is the best way, then supplement with the tapes/DVDs - you will get so much more out of it.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty darn good yoga workout, February 5, 2002

By 

Heather Kenyon-Haff "VermontGal" (Jericho, VT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crunch - The Perfect Yoga Workout: The Joy of Yoga & Fat-Burning Yoga (DVD)

CRUNCH Total Yoga takes a pretty straightforward approach to yoga, and it seems aimed at an audience who is fairly comfortable working out, and is curious to see what this whole yoga craze is about. There's no chanting, or mystics on top of mountaintops, or any of that--and that can be reassuring to those just starting up with yoga.

This is a beginning yoga video, although I think it's aimed at an audience that's already fairly physically fit. There are some poses which may be difficult for someone who is not particularly strong yet. Yet, I am about intermediate level, and while I don't find this as challenging as videos aimed at intermediate students, I find I get a workout that feels like I've "done something". At about 40 minutes each segment (the Fat Burning Yoga is longer), it's easier to fit into a busy schedule than a 60- or 90- minute workout.

One of the small pet peeves of this DVD is the instructor in the "Fat Burning Yoga" sequence...she's always saying, "OK?" in the sort of way some people do and are only half-aware they're doing. I find this verbal twitch annoying, although to be fair I can only imagine how nervous SHE must have been taping an exercise video.

In short, I find this a video good for beginners, but perhaps more so for those who are in fairly good shape already.