Customer Reviews

Yoga Emergency- The 12 Minute Workout with Kristen Eykel- Pregnancy

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Kundalini yoga instructor and wellness consultant Kristen Eykel offers this short yoga routine for Pregnancy, one of five DVDs in her 12-Minute Yoga Emergency Series. The Pregnancy yoga routine is 12.5 minutes long. Eykel is not pregnant (at least not visibly) while performing this practice. Although she does talk a little about how this practice can provide relief both during pregnancy and with labor and delivery, at no point does she mention whether any of the postures might need to be modified and/or avoided depending on your specific trimester.

Eykel begins the practice seated in easy pose for a dynamic move that involves stretching and releasing alternate arms for approximately one minute. After a stretch to either side, Eykel performs another more active pose, a seated spinal rock moving forward and back, again for about a minute. She then comes to a hands and knees position for an exercise that consists of rocking the knee in towards the chest, first on one side, then on the other. This is followed by a brief rest in child's pose (Eykel does suggest the option of using a pillow here if needed). Next, Eykel comes into a squat, holding this position for the optional practice of Kegels. Coming to standing, she does a bouncing move in and out of a half-squat position. The final move of this workout is performed for three full minutes: seated with arms out to the sides at shoulder level and thumbs up, you will make circles with your wrists. Eykel insists that if you can survive this exercise, you can survive a contraction! At the conclusion, Eykel ends the practice with a final "sat nam." Following the yoga routine, there is an approximately 11-minute meditation for Pregnancy (about 2 minutes of guided relaxation continuing with 8 minutes of nature sounds). There are two Stressbusters on this DVD, each about a minute long (these are not specific to pregnancy): 1) Journaling, using writing to both decrease tension and improve the immune system, and 2) Music & Relaxation, which recommends rhythmic chanting (of any type) to foster relaxation.

I should be clear that I am presenting this review as someone who is not (and has never been) pregnant. Despite this, I am fairly knowledgeable about yoga, and this practice is not what I would have expected from a routine targeted towards pregnant women. In particular, it was quite dynamic, most likely related to Eykel's background in Kundalini yoga. Although this might be appropriate for an active mom-to-be and/or one who already is experienced with yoga asana, the workout which Eykel presents here might be a bit more intimidating to those who have never practiced yoga prior to their pregnancy. Also, I believe that it would have been appropriate for Eykel to talk more about any potential contraindications to the poses. Still, some pregnant women are certainly likely to benefit from this short, convenient routine.

I found this particular yoga to be a more gently step by step description than others I have tried. I'm not even Pregnant, and I found relief for my chronic back pain!
I am looking forward to trying the other Yoga Emergency videos that I have ordered.
Sincerely- Liz S.