Customer Reviews

The Pleasure of Strength

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

 

 

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer. I wonder if this reviewer even tried to DO the video or just watched it. In my experience with the various types of studio yogas as well as video yogas, Ana Forrest's teaching techniques are really masterful and helpful. Though sun salutations are included in this video, they are not the whole of the program. This video also differs from others which include sun salutations in that the length of time you have to practice a pose is slightly longer..thus developing strength. I have no idea how you could find the title misleading. This type of class makes you stronger over all, as well as with ab work. Also, Forrest Yoga has a lot of focus on ab strength. Ive done hot yoga and hatha and kundalini and various forms of yoga but the Forrest style is probably my favorite. The other reviewer should spend more time practicing and less time criticizing.

There are a LOT of benefits to this style, it allows you to hold a pose longer and actually develop strength and flexibility deep into the body as opposed to just speeding through a pose.

This video is great for a beginner because Ana discusses various ways to adapt poses to your needs but remains challenging for more advanced students. I personally HIGHLY recommend this video for any serious yoga practitioner, athlete or anyone serious about trying to get a deep workout that connects them in a meaningful way to their bodies.

Lastly, Ana Forrest herself has a shockingly nimble and graceful body, though she herself admits to having had to work very very hard for it. Obviously her intense practice has taught her a lot and she is great at passing it on. Frankly, as a woman a few decades her junior, I would love to age to have her body! I'm 30 and she has a body as good as mine (and I have a good body) and she's twice as flexible and strong (and I'm pretty flexible and strong)! An athlete of that caliber always has a lot of useful advice that they can pass on. Don't pass it up!

I did the full Pleasure of Strength "workout" last night. Wow! I discovered places inside me that I would never have suspected were there -- or maybe I should say my breath did.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the focus is on "core strength." You really work your abs and back muscles.

More importantly, Ana's instruction facilitates self-discovery. It gives new, embodied meaning to the words "strength" and "stretching." If you do the work, you'll know what I mean. If you don't, as it appears one reviewer didn't, you won't, especially if you pay attention to externals, such as the "look" (the eighties????) rather than the "feel."

I should point out that I am recovering from cancer (prostate) and I consider this part of my healing process. I work at my own pace, do the poses that I am capable of, and listen to my body in the process.

I also practice Russian martial art (Systema). Like Forrest Yoga, Systema focuses on breathing and slow movements for instructional purposes. The physical conditioning can be very demanding. You are taught "not to feel sorry for yourself" so that you can discover what you are truly capable of in your development as a human being. I showed a performance of Ana's to the group I train with and they were awed -- and these are people not easily impressed.

Ana Forrest is a phenomenal teacher.

I really love Ana & this restorative, challenging dvd. It has an incredible core section that may be the toughest ab work available. I've done P90X, Cathe, Ana Caban & nothing feels like this dvd. If you are serious about yoga, this is a wonderful dvd to own.

There are a lot of things that I like about this one-hour workout. For example, she takes you through a great shoulder flexibility routine and also does a lot of rapid sun salutations that are great for core strength and really work the arms with a lot of plank/chatarongas. However, it starts out strangely and doesn't set the tone by simply breathing or doing a simple meditation. Also, there is no music which is a little weird. I also found myself wishing I could hold some of the poses, like down-dog, for an extended period. I felt that a focus on flexibility was really lacking in this program. All in all, I think it's a great program for developing core strength, and you can really work up a sweat, but I would definitely want to complement it with a program that focuses on holding poses for increased flexibility.

Ana has an absolutely beautiful teaching style - she's thorough and gentle, and yet she draws deeply into your inner strength and spirit. Her instruction is flawless.
Yes, this practice is harder than most, and you will feel it in your core...that's the whole point.
I would highly recommend this dvd to intermediate and advanced yogis.

I bought this DVD because - judging from the title - I thought this was something similar (in concept) to "yogasculpt" by K. Voight. When I actually watched it then I was rather disappointed, because - apart from the totally dated look (it looks as if it was done in the eighties) - the focus here is on sun salutations and standing poses, so it's more like "yoga for stamina/endurance". There is an abs sculpting part, but it's so long, I wonder how anyone who doesn't already *have* rock-hard abs is supposed to do this.

-details of the practice:
warm-up (~8 min.)
abs work (~10 min.)
bridge pose (~2 min.)
stretching & beathing (~4 min.)
sun salutations (~14 min.)
standing poses (~13 min.)
seated twist, reclined cobbler's pose & shavasana (~10 min.)
-> total of ~61 min.

-concerning the presentation:
As mentioned above, the whole thing looked pretty eighties-like (at least for my taste): Ana is doing the asanas in a studio on a carpet with middle-/south-american motives, there are some artifical pillars, and these and the walls are lit by colored spotlights...
The instruction is voiceover without music, no other options here.

-about the extras:
The 30min. short version is cut together from the main practice and felt somewhat disjointed. The partner yoga looked very much like "just for show" (unless you can do things like performing bow pose on your partner's stomach while he is in full wheel...).

-conclusion:
Maybe this DVD is something for admirers of A.Forrest, or people who want to do lots of sun salutations, but I probably won't be keeping it.

I found this dvd to be lousy. First of all, Ana Forrest has a hard, unloving energy. She demonstrates a few postures and that's it. Nothing extraordinary, no great new ideas. There is a special features section where she is doing yoga/gymnastic tricks with her husband and I felt like I shouldn't have been there watching. Don't waste your money on this dvd! I enjoyed the following much more: Power Yoga with Bryan Kest, Ashtanga Yoga with Nicki Doane, and Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga series.