Customer Reviews

Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown

5 star:		(175)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(47)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

I'm starting from the standpoint of years of yoga practice and having taught Pilates professionally for seven years: needless to say, the boot camp style of "Biggest Loser" isn't exactly what I would go looking for in a yoga tape.

My initial Pilates-teacher bias notwithstanding, this is actually pretty interesting. It takes standard yoga poses and adds repetitions to the movement. What's really smart about it is three things:

1.) The repetitions are movements that don't put a lot of pressure on major joints--you're not moving through the joints in such a way that there is a lot of force, so this isn't likely to cause injury. Specifically, what you're not doing, is rolling through shoulder joints repeatedly, with all your weight on your shoulders, as in most Ashtanga yoga--which does tend to cause injuries.

2.) It's interval training. What that means is that your heart rate goes up and down a lot. Your body, in response, will default to a higher level of calorie burning and oxygen use, so this is a pretty good way to increase metabolism and what we think of as "lung capacity."

3.) It's difficult enough that you don't feel like you're wasting your time. Each workout is only 30 minutes, but it's difficult enough that, if your goal that day is fitness, you're definitely getting your money's worth.

Some negatives: it's filmed on a really bright gym set, which is a little difficult to watch; Jillian doesn't actually do all the poses; sometimes it's hard to see the beginner model when you need to.

Who this is for: experienced yoga folks who want a different kind of more athletic short practice; anyone wanting to add gym-based yoga to their workouts.

Who this is not for: if you have bad wrists, this might be undoable. Your knees also should be good enough to get up and down from the floor without difficulty.

However, this is a fairly safe, more difficult yoga dvd.

Yogi Eric Schiffman has been quoted as saying, "The point with yoga, is to do it a lot." If having another instructor in your dvd rotation, one who isn't airy-fairy, and overly emotional, for days when you just can't go there, then this is worth adding to the mix.

I'm a marathon runner, and I'm used to burning through calories quickly when I exercise, so I've always found yoga frustrating for its slow pace. When I finish a yoga exercise, I feel frustrated, like I should have spent those 30 or 60 minutes running. Most of the yoga classes and videos I've tried before felt more like stretching than working out, and I felt like I wasn't being very efficient with my time.

I had a feeling Jillian's video would be a good fit for me. It seemed more aeorbic than the yoga I've been exposed to before, which I liked. I was working hard enough and my heart was getting warm enough that, by the end, the time I spent doing the video didn't seem wasteful or frustrating. I plan to incorporate this into my nightly routine to wind down, and hopefully start to increase my flexibility.

I love Yoga and although this DVD is not a traditional yoga workout I like how Jillian incorporates Yoga into her style of training. I also respect her for bringing in a yoga expert to consult on the DVD's workouts with her. I think this will be good for beginners who are looking to get a taste of yoga and find out what it's all about. And, for the more advanced athlete, if you are thinking this is going to be a zen workout think again. I was drenched in sweat after doing level 2. Highly recommend.

This is definitely a high powered workout. I believe it will help you burn calories and increase muscle tone. But if you want to experience the full range of the benefits of yoga (along with the aforementioned), this is not a good pick and is absolutely not the best place to start.
I've been doing yoga for over 30 years and I've really come to appreciate the freshness brought to the practice by innovative teachers. I'm very open minded. But, I don't think Jillian has the experience to be an effective yoga teacher--- yet. I don't think yoga has to involve eastern thought; that's not what's missing. What this lacks is the foundations of yoga; proper use of the breath and attention to the energy that we get from it. Sure, Jillian says to move with your breath and the models purse their lips as they exhale so you can see that an effort is being made to synchronize movement with breath. But the energetic flow is just not there, so the energy gain is not there; only a loss of energy. I don't mean to seem vague and point to some imaginary, woozy thing. I'm talking about something thousands of people feel everyday at the end of their yoga practice that I think will be missed at the end of this one. Just imagine burning calories (using energy) yet gaining even more energy to use for the rest of your day. When you do a high energy yoga practice properly, you gain so much energy from the practice that in spite of burning mega calories and using body weight to build muscles you feel energized and balanced when you're done. I didn't feel that way at the end of this one. If you want a fast-paced, effective yoga practice with all of the benefits and very little hype I would recommend Shiva Rea. Shiva Rea: Daily Energy - Vinyasa Flow YogaYoga ShaktiThe newest DVD- Daily Energy- is great and the older Shakti Yoga is the best for both intensity and foundation. Bryan Kest Bryan Kest Power Yoga Complete Collectionand Rodney Yee Power Yoga - Total Body Workoutare excellent also You,ll sweat and feel your strength (muscles) grow while getting all of the benefits touted in the research on yoga. In all fairness, I've only worked with this DVD a few times. But I've worked with a few over the years and there should be something energizing in the practice even in the first few sessions when you're learning the routines. I'll try it a few weeks and then report back.

I am an aspiring Yogini with about a year of consistent practice under my belt. I picked Yoga Meltdown because I became a huge Jillian Michaels fan after purchasing Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones. Since I love a good workout, AND I love yoga, I thought: "I can't go wrong with this video!"

Well, it turned out to be the craziest exercise situation I've ever been in. I never dreamed I would EVER hear the words: "Who's your daddy!!?" being shouted at me during a yoga session! In fact, I never got through it the first time because I spent most of the time on the floor laughing! Still, since I already have an extensive yoga library (full of "serious" yoga), I welcome this addition and will likely use it as a warm-up before doing another yoga video.

If you are a die-hard yoga fundamentalist DO NOT BUY THIS ONE!! I promise you that if you are a hard-core purist, you will see this video as nothing less than profane. When you see how Jillian has done things like turning Upward Bow into a set of inverted push-ups you'll be scandalized and outraged. Spare yourself the coronary and just look elsewhere: Power Yoga - Total Body Workout.

If you are brand-new to yoga DO NOT BUY THIS ONE, because you WILL NOT know how to make the repetitions safe for your knees and wrists. The problem is not the type of poses (they are all basic), but in order to do reps, even with basic poses, it is IMPERATIVE that you are fully competent with proper alignment. Otherwise you are likely to hurt yourself. Try Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners instead.

To experienced Yogis and Yoginis who (like myself) have a sense of humor and enjoy a good work out: you may really like this one! Yes, it's pretty far out there on the edge of the yoga continuum, but so what!? Once you can do the routine (without collapsing into helpless giggling) you will find that this is a very challening workout that will make you sweat. I would recommend that you make the workout what you want it to be (modify to make transitions more graceful, or simply to guard your joints).

Jillian herself is pretty hilarious during this video, too. You will see her in a new light, which may endear her to you a little, since even SHE can't do some of the poses! In fact, I think she actually FELL OVER during Standing Head-to-Knee pose, because just as she's losing her balance the camera shoots over to one of her assistants. The camera then STAYS on the assistant, until Jillian finally comes walking over to "coach" her. It's a total SCREAM!

I imagine that Jillian must have gotten talked into making this video before she was ready (though, for the most part she does demonstrate proper alignment). At any rate, she definitely gets an A for effort. And she even seems humbled by the experience, stating several times throughout the workout: "it's not about being perfect, but about being perfect in your imperfection." If she means that we should accept ourselves no matter where we are on our journey, then I total agree.

For her latest workout video "Yoga Meltdown," Jillian Micheals has successfully blended her philosophy of constant stress on the body to make it burn fat with the healing stretching power of yoga to make it release everyday tension.

This is my second week on Level 1, and I already feel the difference, especially in my thighs. My legs feel stronger, and I am beginning to see definition. Beside the rewarding feeling of seeing results, what I really love about this workout is that I don't get that heavy next-day-soreness feeling that I usually get after my usual workout routine.

For the first day of your workout, the warm up alone may have you thinking "What! What do you mean we haven't even started the actual workouts? I'm already sweating!" but by the time you get to the end of the video, you will feel accomplished, and energized.

I adore every single one of Jillian's workout dvds except this one. In fact, I think her 30-day Shred, Master Metabolism, and No More Trouble Zones are brilliant, 5 star, best of the best by far, my all-time faves. This yoga one, however, is beyond terrible. It's insulting. I love yoga, and have taken lots of classes including Bikrams, and have tried dozens of dvds. JILLIAN MICHAELS AND YOGA DO NOT MIX!!! Seriously? The aggressive "Who's your Daddy?!" comments sound so wrong in a yoga context. The pace is off (she thinks you have to go really "fast" to get your heart pumping for a workout--just holding a good pose will do that); the sound is off (I've tried the dvd 3+ times and must have said "What did she say??" a hundred times"); and the vibe is way off. By vibe I'm not saying I need an ocean scene and new age music in the background and some soothing monotone voice telling me to breathe in and out; I'm talking about a certain rightness, like the teacher really knows and appreciates their work and WANTS to share. Somehow, you kind of get the feeling Jillian really hates yoga and is only doing it because it's trendy and she can make money off it. She warps it into something off. Sour milk for sure. My husband shares my opinions; he likes Sara Ivanhoe (gentler). If you want cardio with yoga, I recommend Bob Harper's Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga--you can tell he gets it. Jillian doesn't.

I have been doing the Shred and the other 2 videos (metabolism and trouble zones) for almost a year now. I have seen an amazing transformation in my body and in what I can do. This new workout is no joke. Maybe not as cardio intense as metabolism but still really challenging. If you are already in good shape and have a strong core, you will really enjoy this. If you aren't in the best of shape, you may want to start with some of her other dvd's and work your way up to this one. I just think that some of the side plank and push up moves may be tough for a beginner. Oh and the balancing on one leg thing with the other one behind you is truly tricky.

The only beef I had with Level One of this was during the stretch where she was talking about life etc. and not indicating that she was switching moves. Not a really big deal though since I'll be doing this again and again.

Just really happy to have a new dvd to add to my workout routines.

I was actually a bit nervous when buying this DVD. I love Jillian, but I've never tried Yoga thinking it wouldn't be a "real workout." Well, I don't know what traditional Yoga is like, but this kicked my butt. I can get through any and all of Jillian's DVDs with no problem. I own them all, and I can do all 3 levels of 30-Day Shred back to back. I'm in pretty decent shape, but this worked my muscles like nothing else. My heart rate went up, although not as high as some of Jillian's other DVDs, but my muscles really got a beating. I was shaking at the end (I did Level 1 and Level 2 back to back the first time I tried it, so that's probably why), and I was surprised at how much I sweat. This is definitely a new favorite.

It's amusing to me that some people don't find this DVD challenging enough. I thought I was in reasonable shape. I run and bike several times a week. I've been doing an in-home resistance routine with weights for over a year. But I still just felt disappointed. I wasn't as toned as I should be, and my upper body was still woefully underdeveloped compared to my legs. The first time I tried this yoga meltdown, my shoulders just gave out on me. I couldn't complete the level one workout (even with modifications) without sitting out some of the moves that just keep hammering your shoulders. (Down dog, plank, Chaturanga push-ups, rolling Ts...yikes!) It was a good sign that I'd found something that would bring my upper body up to the same level of fitness as the rest of me.

After a few weeks, I was able to do level one all the way through with solid form. My shoulders are starting to look strong and cut. My core is leaner and more solid than ever. Also, my butt is in the best shape of my life, and no amount of running or biking or even traditional squats and lunges was doing that for me. I do push myself to really go deep into the poses and get the maximum burn. I sweat some, and my breathing gets a little elevated, but I don't end up breathing all that hard. I think this zone of effort is really more about fat burning than something more aerobic. I've continued my other more aerobic workouts (biking and running) but do them less often to make time twice a week for this one.

I'm tall and lanky, so if you're one of those people who everyone thinks is fit, but you know you're just scrawn up top or not as strong or balanced overall as you could be, this might be just the thing to finally get you there. Jillian is motivating and makes you want to get "bananas" and resist "cheating." If you really push the way she inspires you to, you'll get stronger and toned, fast!