Customer Reviews

Living Room Yoga: Strengthen And Lengthen

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In Living Room Yoga, instructor Eva Barash offers a down-to-earth yoga practice set--where else?--right in her living room (well, in someone's living room, this one being quite modern, with chrome furniture and a flat-screen TV). She describes her 45-minute yoga practice as being "not for beginners," as some of the poses are a bit more challenging, and she does not provide a lot of detailed form instruction. However, a separate section of the DVD, titled "The Library," offers almost 30 minutes of more detailed breakdowns for many individual postures. THe Main DVD menu includes the following options: Play All-Introduction-The Workout-The Library. There are also bonus materials, including "Getting the Most Out of Your Living Room" (see below), and a 6-minute interview with Eva.

As mentioned above, main yoga workout is about 45 minutes long, with Eva teaching live in a casual, laid-back manner (although surprisingly, she mostly uses Sanskrit names for the postures). The practice begins seated on the floor for some opening poses, including down dog and locust, with Eva's sequencing continuing to be non-traditional throughout. She does then move on to sun salutations, completing 10 total rounds: 4 modified, 4 full, and 2 with breathing only (no instruction). Following this, Eva performs some standing side stretches and then moves to the floor to lie briefly in relaxation pose and to perform a reclined twist. A standing series is next, starting with warrior 1 to warrior 2 to wide angle forward bend then side angle, triangle, and another standing forward bend. Next the difficulty level increases a bit with side angle and half moon postures, and then Eva finishes the standing work with dancer's pose. Moving to face-down on the floor, Eva performs half bow before moving on to full bow pose. She does a simple straight leg seated twist before proceeding to some abs work in the form of single and then double knee hugs. Bridge pose follows, adding a block under the sacrum for a supported inversion, and then the practice finishes with a brief savasana.

The Making the Most of Your Living Room segment is a shorter (12 minutes) stretching program that uses a couch for most of the exercises. Seated on the couch, Eva performs modified fish, seated twist, seated forward bend, and wide-leg seated forward bend. She then stands behind the couch for modified down dog, single leg lift, modified push-ups, and tadasana. Moving back to seated, she does a seated backbend over the arm rest and then lies on the floor with her calves resting on the couch to finish.

This DVD would be best suited for those looking for a very down-to-earth, straightforward yoga practice which is more focused on the stretching than the spiritual aspects of yoga (in fact, the DVD case calls the practice a blend of core strength and "yoga calisthenics"). I'd say that it is appropriate for advanced beginners who have a solid foundation in yoga but are ready to experiment with a few slightly more difficult postures such as half moon and dancer's pose. The bonus workout is intended as a means to de-stress without even having to change into your workout clothes, and it's certainly a nice addition for those short on time. Overall a solid DVD that is likely to appeal to many casual yoga practitioners.

This is by far the most accessible and friendly yoga DVD I have come across. While I love to practice with beautiful beaches on screen, I found this DVD very refreshing. I was immediately struck by the sense of familiarity, fun and humility of the video. She was doing it in a living room! You know Eva did not spend a lot to produce the video, but her sincerety, humility and sense of joy come through, and that makes her practice more enticing.

(1) Eva is so accessible - You can understand her and relate to her. Her explanations are simple and friendly. She tells you what to expect so you don't wonder in the middle of a pose whether you should be moving on to the next one. Even if you are a beginner, you will not be overwhelmed. She looks like an ordinary person (I don't mean this in a dismissive way but as a complement), who does not do "perfect" poses. Just watch when she transitions from upward facing dog to downward facing dog - she does it the way I and many other ordinary practitioners do.

(2) She seems to enjoy what she is doing. I rarely see yogis on DVD smile while practicing. In fact, I'm now trying to think of one who actually does smile while practicing.

(3) She gives instructions while actually doing the poses herself, so you know that her poses and sequence are doable. I also appreciate the fact that she doesn't do "perfect" poses.

(4) Her introduction to the DVD is very useful and practical (for example, she says that her sequence is not for complete beginners, and that if you are a complete beginner you should check the library for more explanation).

(5) Her short presentation on how to do poses using objects in your living room, while wearing jeans, is very practical and useful.


I've tried it a couple of times since I got the DVD recently, and I have no doubt that I will use it often. This is by far the friendliest, most accessible, most practical and most enjoyable yoga DVD I've had and I am glad I bought it!

I've bought other dvds where I couldn't stand the personality/voice of the instructor and was really pleasantly surprised in this case. I just love Eva. She's totally sweet and down-to-earth and walks you through every move with some really refreshing commentary. I like the Rodney Yi dvds, but I prefer this one because she's not miles away on some fantasy island--she's in her living room and really guides you through the practice instead of just showing you how to do it and having there be all this dead silence while you wonder if you're doing it right! And for that reason too, I found the library to be really useful. It breaks down how to do all the main poses the right way. I'd definitely recommend the dvd.

The title is completely misleading. This is a very intense yoga tape paced far beyond what is traditionally done in most yoga classes. It is more like power yoga. She moves way too quickly between poses. There is no instruction and it is very difficult to keep up.

Dr. Beth Chollette & Caravaggio38 both wrote insightful reviews on both the personality, pace & content of this yoga dvd so I won't be redundant here.
The fact Eva does it in the living room is great, she's sweet, like working out with a girlfriend. She's very encouraging, she gives both the Sanskrit & English pose names, she tells you how to move your body well, she uses great analogies, "lift up your heart" & even reminders on how not to move or what to watch out for on some poses which most don't give. She also gives a lot of rests in between poses except for during the sun salutations. The extra library tutorial is great. Because of that, I think this is fine for beginner yoga practitioners or even novices. She shows good body awareness, she isn't afraid to add a unique extra stretch during downward dog that really helps open you up that I've always done on my own that's made me relax tight areas.
I'd give it 5 stars except for several reasons:
She really races through the sun salutations, but luckily that's the only place she races, she spends a perfect amount of time on all other poses. When she did it with just breathing, you see her be more aware of her body & go a little slower. She admits she races after she's done.
She has a sweet voice, but she seemed very jittery, overly chatty, racing through words, unable to be quiet though I could see she can be relaxed especially in savasana. It was a bit distracting & I couldn't relax or be more aware of my body because of it. She is silent here whereas most keep talking during savasana which is refreshing. I think it would have been perfect if she did a voice over after so she can be aware of her body during filming & relaxed voice separately. It's probably her first time, so I will look forward to her more relaxed nature in future videos.
Eva's occasional choice of words. Though she means to be encouraging & say that she knows it's hard, she kept saying "we're almost done" or etc. to remind you that it can be hard. But like anything else, if you keep your mind on connecting or enjoyment, anything hard will not seem so, or even seem easy, if you're enjoying yourself. Constant reminders don't help or tell you something is hard when you don't think it is.
The rest after sun salutations bothered me, Yes, sun salutions are demanding, but having me lay down after I'm heated up seems to defeat the purpose. Yes, I'd love a rest & more simple stretches, but there were others I could do that didn't require me to lay down as if we were done.
These are minor quibbles, those looking to work out with a knowledgeable, detailed-oriented girlfriend with body awareness will love this. The second time I viewed this, I wasn't bothered at all by her instruction & I was able to relax & sense my body easily.
Those looking for a more relaxed narration even with the same amount of info during & body awareness should look to Rodney Yee, Rainbeau Mars, Seane Corn, Better Sex with yoga, Yoga w/Ateeka, etc.

After years of trying (unsuccessfully) to "get into" yoga, I stumbled into one of Eva's real-life classes over 5 years ago. Her challenging, honest, and joyful classes hooked me, and contributed to dramatically changing my body and lifestyle. I've taken a lot of yoga in a lot of cities and places, and she remains my favorite teacher. Ever. She made yoga accessible (to a very straightforward, non-traditionally-"yogic" person like myself), and has made me choose to make yoga a part of my daily life.

That said, this DVD is like one of her classes . . . it doens't feel stagey; it's authentic and challenging, and a really good workout. One of my favorite things is that Eva has a real voice, not that annoying sing song that I think of as "yoga teacher voice", and doesn't take herself too seriously. She really makes her classes and DVD about the fun of the physicality of our bodies in space and the awesomeness of our bodies, minds, and breath working together.

I love this 45-minute practice. It's not too short and not too long. And, as mentioned, Eva Barash's non-traditional sequencing is a nice change of pace. I love that she doesn't start off with sun salutations. There's not much to add to Beth Cholette's excellent breakdown of the poses, but here are a few I want to mention:
- A nice hip twist in plank which is challenging but also a yummy stretch.
- In bridge, she has you place a block under your sacrum and then lift your legs up. I am a shoulder stand sissy and this is the perfect way for me to actually enjoy having my legs up in the air.
- In her yoga "calisthenics" portion she does one move, a combination of (Pilates) toe dips and a reverse crunch, which is pure candy.

Eva Barash has a playful, unpretentious attitude and her instruction is both delightful and reassuring. As for pacing, I consider the sun salutations to be just fast enough. They are nowhere near as fast as a Bryan Kest practice, but they will get your heart rate up. The standing poses are held for a good while so you can really dig into the pose. All in all, a well rounded and invigorating practice for the advanced beginner and beyond. (Note: I consider myself an advanced beginner and have been practicing yoga for 6 years.)

Although the filming appears to be independently produced, it's very high quality with only some minor audio difficulties when her mic gets muffled. I only mention this for those who are sensitive to sound. For me the practice is so enjoyable that the occasional audio quirks are easily overlooked.

On her "Strengthen and Lengthen" Yoga DVD, Eva leads you through a focused, energetic, and spiritually uplifting practice that leaves you feeling refreshed, relaxed, and renewed. The workout is simple, but thorough and relatively challenging, although I feel even a novice would be comfortable moving through poses with Eva.

She provides a wealth of resources to encourage movement and self-awareness - from the library section to the abbreviated living room workout, the interview, and the actual workout. The library section of the DVD is particularly helpful in regards to proper alignment and how the body should move or feel.

Eva's personality is utterly infectious, and she easily establishes a happy rapport with compassion and gentle leadership. Laughing is permitted, which makes the experience that much more joyful. Of all the Yoga DVDs I've viewed, I believe hers is one of the best. Anyone who values the mind/body/heart connection will enjoy this DVD. Namaste, indeed.

This yoga session is not for beginners, the instructor mentions this during the introduction but there was no reference to it in the bio or reviews as being "for those who have practiced for some time".

The instructors voice is loud and constant throughout the workout, this really annoyed me as, I just wanted her to shut-up. I expected a soothing voice with long periods of silence which is what I had experienced a few times in actual yoga classes and was really beneficial to my enjoyment and concentration. Her voice and instructions jerk around, are disjointed and not seamless at all.
She also carried on with spiritual references like, get what you can from the earth, feel its energy, which sounded really airy fairy and made her sound like a band wagon yoga groupie.

I sat and watched the remainder of the DVD as I just couldn't keep up with the advanced postures which jumped straight into strong plank poses, with no alternative position for beginners, I could not hold the positions and I am in good physical shape and gym 3 times a week. The instructor bounced between difficult poses and wafted on.

I felt like this was a complete waste of money for me.
Hugely disappointing.

Try Jessie Chapman's Radiance Yoga, much better and worth the money.

A little too strenuous for the beginner and too easy for the advanced. This DVD gives a wonderful intermediate workout. It's light and quick (relatively) and good stress relief at the end of a busy day. This is NOT a slow & relaxing dvd - but it helps ME work out the kinks I have built up.