Customer Reviews

Hilary Burnett's ZEN STRETCH [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I purchase a stretch workout, I expect to leave the workout feeling relaxed. If you are looking for a good stretching video, try Karen Voight. This is an invigorating advanced workout more suited to those who are very familiar with Yoga, Pilates and Modern Dance. This is not at the beginners or intermediate level.

For one, there is a pretty intense "Bridge" pose that I could do a few years ago, but only after many hours of yoga practice. You need to know the yoga positions so you don't have to constantly be straining to see the video as you do the "plank" positions, etc. Since this is a very short video, you could almost watch it first and that is advised. The choreography is not difficult to follow, however it moves at a record pace and by the time you have figured out what Hillary is doing, she is onto the next exercise. You really have to focus and give her your full attention.

The exercise starts almost immediately and the video must be under 15 minutes because I had hardly had time to light candles and pull out my yoga mat before the video started and I had to rewind the tape and start again. By the time I sat down on the floor and started to relax, the video had moved into some intense position that I would call invigorating. This video will get your moving.

The moves are creative and adventurous. For the advanced level, I'd give this 5 stars. As a intermediate level and because of the speed of this video I'm dropping my rating down to 3.

I think Hillary Burnett has a lot of potential and I would love to see her produce a much longer stretch video that has an emphasis on all over body stretching for at least 45 minutes, with the addition of long stretching moves that help you really relax and sink into the floor.

The candles are a nice touch and this is really a moving meditation of the body that brings out creative elements I haven't found in other videos.

Hillary is a Certified Pilates instructor and teaches workshops, classes and trains individuals. As a mother of four, she more than likely was thinking how nice it would be for others to have a very short workout to do in about 15 minutes within a busy day's schedule. If that is what you are looking for, then this might be for you.

I enjoy matwork and this Pilates, Yoga, and Modern Dance hybrid is an exciting way to exercise because it is more challenging than most yoga workouts. However, I think I was disappointed with the title of the workout and expected a longer stretching routine that would leave me relaxed and feeling like I was sinking into the floor in a zen moment.

If you are new to Hillary Burnett's workouts, you might want to start with Pilates basics. I think she has good intentions, but this should have a different title.

~The Rebecca Review

I really enjoyed this video, but was so disappointed in how short it was. The actual workout is just under 13 minutes with the whole tape running 15 minutes. It's a nice fusion of dance, yoga, and pilates. It flows wonderfully. There are some advanced moves in it: shoulderstand, full backbend, one-armed planks, and the cow pose from yoga. The set is really pretty and the background music is classical guitar. I wish it was longer, but I will use it as an add-on video after other workouts.

Hilary Burnett's Zen Stretch is the perfect companion piece to her Pilates tapes. It also works extremely well when you have very limited time and want to feel you've gotten back in touch with your body. The Zen Stretch is peaceful yet challenging. With great time efficiency you can nicely reawaken muscles and feel more toned and relaxed. A great way to end a stressful day when you don't have time for a more lengthy workout, or in the morning when you've got early deadlines. Beautifully filmed, the moves are graceful and flow into one another. I love the fact that no equipment is needed and with Hilary's excellent imagery, you know just what to do as you learn the various positions. This is a wonderfully refined, brief workout. Now that I've got it, I wouldn't be without Zen Stretch.

Although this tape is advertised as being intermediate to advanced, Hilary comes on in the beginning and notes that it is advanced, making no mention of intermediate. At first I was bothered by this, but as I went along with the tape, I found that I do enjoy it. I can't complete all the moves, but am certain I will with practice. I am glad this is not my only stretch tape. For beginners, Tamilee Webb's are a more practical workout.

I ordered this along with Burnett's Advanced Pilates. I am a big fan of Jennifer Kries and I wanted to see how someone else fused Pilates, yoga and dance together. Hilary Burnett has quite a bit of good buzz, so I was hopeful. Sadly, this tape did not live up to my expectations.

First of all, the tape runs under 15 minutes- and it costs as much as many 30 to 45 minutes tapes. Second and most importantly, it just didn't flow. Certainly, there were no instructional breaks, but some of the transitions from one movement to the next felt choppy, particularly into High Bridge/Wheel and Lunge, and the latter as demonstrated did not look safe (knees were too far over the toes). There was also a very awkward sequence from a seated straddle to a half-spinal twist that made me shake my head. All of these sections seemed to lack rhythm, which was strange given the description of the tape. Finally, I was put off by Burnett's closing words, where we were advised to get to a place "where movement was its own reward". There is a fine line between profundity and pretentiousness, and I think she crossed it.

Hilary takes a little of all these practices and puts them together in a wonderful flow. The setting is very pretty. She shot this at Bastyr University in a chapel. The session is short but I like that because I can add it on to another video. You will gain flexibility and core strength. This video would be a great add on to her other videos as well. (check out her Pilates series) I would recommend this video to all participants. You will release tension, gain strength and improve your balance with this little gem!