Product Details

• Actors: Eoin Finn, Insiya Rasiwala-Finn, Tracey Delfs, Shannon Bahrke, Allison Forsyth
• Directors: Eoin Finn, Bjorn Enga
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Blissology
• DVD Release Date: December 18, 2009
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002S5PSBG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,056 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Eoin Finn is back with his much-anticipated December 2009 yoga release. Shot against the majestic mountains of Whistler and the stunning beaches of Vancouver, BC, the location of the 2010 Winter Olympics, this yoga DVD stars world-class athletes and lululemon elite ambassadors. For beginning to advanced yogis, the multiple workouts help to unlock your full mind-body potential while increasing strength, endurance, and serenity. With over four hours of flow style yoga designed by one of Canada's most beloved yoga instructors, Eoin Finn. These workouts both address the needs of athletes while enhancing inner peace and calm. The routines range in various lengths and intensity levels. Hip-opening, core-strengthening, shoulder-opening, twisting, backbends (front-body stretches); breathing and centering practices. Some routines are physically challenging while some are about chilling out and restoring balance. Since all people by nature are equal but all hips are not created equal, the DVD offers variations for both the super-stiff and the super-bendy using Eoin s All Levels, All Good approach. The instruction is clear, precise and pays particular attention to alignment. You will move seamlessly from pose to pose in a fluid practice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful New Yoga DVD, December 28, 2009

By 

Lucie "Lucie" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pursuit of Happy Hips with Eoin Finn (DVD)

What a lovely DVD!

Eoin Finn's newest DVD is in many ways his best yet.

As promised, there are four routines, ranging in length from 80 minutes to just over 40, of various degrees of difficulty.

Even though there is some overlap, I definitely didn't feel like I was doing parts of the same routine. Each practice had something absolutely to offer in terms of sequences and poses.

World Champion's Hips (80 minutes) and Hot Chocolate (about 60 minutes) are probably my favorite (and probably more challenging than others) - they include nicely paced sun salutes and two rounds of sun salutes with extra push-ups - but only two rounds, some very nice variations of standing poses combined with shoulder and chest openers, hip opening poses, back bends (front body openers) as Eoin calls them (bow, wheel, again, with interesting variations). Hot Chocolate includes crow and some interesting squat work, WC's Hips includes some wonderful splits variations. Lovely core work is included in these segments as well.

Downhill and Easy Street are more relaxed practices, they include some sun salutations and some standing poses, lovely hip openers, Easy Street has a nice seated meditation.

All practices include wonderful hip opening work - from every angle - hip flexors, glute muscles and underlying smaller muscle groups, hamstrings, quads, etc. Each practice also offers fantastic shoulder and chest openers.

The pace of the practice is very very pleasant - there is no rush to get in and out of the pose, there is a lot of emphasis on alignment, and gradually getting into a pose deeper. There is also a lot less vinyasa than in previous DVD - i.e. once you get into seated poses you stay seated.

Eoin's narration is absolutely wonderful, playful, light and humorous (that's what we love his DVDs for) yet he provides some extremely valuable guidelines how to get into each pose correctly so it feels right, etc.

Eoin also offers some really nice insights, without being preachy or dogmatic in the slightest, he shares a lot of yogic wisdom.

The cast is great - you can tell some members are Winter sports Olympians - they use ski poles to assist with balancing poses ;)

The music is pleasant, mostly instrumental.

The background is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars happy!, February 25, 2010

By 

C. Polencheck "clarebear" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pursuit of Happy Hips with Eoin Finn (DVD)

I've been working my way through the 4 routines and over 4 hours of yoga that are presented on this DVD. This yoga is, as Eoin might say, pure honey! The hips are a huge joint, the connector between the upper and lower body. Eoin stresses the importance of bringing good energy to the hips-- "When we unlock the hips, stress disappears, our movements become more efficient, and our outlook on life becomes positive." I like positive! This DVD definitely focuses on the hips by offering various front and back hip opening postures like stretching lunges, pigeon and cow/face variations, as well as strengthening for the hips in strong warriors, lunges, and balancing sequences.

The first routine I did was 79 minutes long, titled "World Championships Hips." This was the "big kahuna," offering hip work and opening, core strength sequences, and a well balanced practice of forward and back bending, and twists. The whole shebang!

A few days later I tried the 51 minute mellow flow, "Easy Street." This routine employed classical sun salutations which I LOVED, as well as a lovely mermaid stretch posture that I tucked into my "favorites" queue for the time being.

The following week I took it "All Downhill" with the 43 minute routine. This was well balanced with just enough challenge to refresh me, but leave me feeling pretty Zen. Hip openers here included standing pigeon and half-frog pigeon.

Finally, I finished my disc with the 57 minute "Hot Chocolate" flow. This was challenging! Chest openers were welcome in the first part of the class. The core strengthening sequence in plank and forearm plank was demanding, but rewarded with some amazing stretching. The relaxation was nice and long, well earned.

The music was great throughout, as were the narration voices. Sometimes it was Eoin, sometimes a woman (who I'm guessing might be Insiya Rasiwala-Finn). The cueing was phenomenal. I found that I could completely listen to the cues and do the practice without watching the video at all. The poses were broken down with great detail, without being obnoxious. Trikonasana, for example, was set up in stages to truly feel the alignment. The hip openers, particularly pigeons, were directed with great care. Each pose came with an explanation- why do it, where to feel it, what to activate. I find this approach extremely important for both beginner and experienced practitioners. I did find myself over thinking some of the postures as I was led into them more slowly than I typically move, and for me...thinking can be dangerous. So finding a balance here was a personal point.

Another feature I enjoyed was the relevant quotes, quips, stories, and yoga-ish thoughts that were presented between cues. The whole package of the music, voice, and words made me feel like life was really "all good" as I breathed into each flow.

One aspect I did find myself wanting on was more warm-up, maybe starting a little gentler with some breath work, joint moving, and spine warming. This is just a personal preference I suppose, and I could certainly do my own warm-ups when I do the sessions again. The "Easy Street" flow offered a longer sun salutation warm-up, but the other routines jumped right into the fitness, with only one or two sun salutations. I did appreciate the upper body strength offerings of the double chaturanga though.

Even though I could have listened to the exceptional guiding without watching the video, I couldn't help but look in awe (envy??) at the beautiful settings that the disc showed, (sunsets, mountains, urban and deserted beaches, fields of flowers) and the great supporting cast that demonstrated various options of the poses. Although I did find myself wondering...where are all Eoin's guy friends? As far as the technical stuff of DVD-ing goes, the production is top notch.

The DVD extras include a great section on knee safety and alignment, which is key when practicing hip opening poses in yoga. Another extra features the connection between yoga and sports, with interviews from yogis, sports extremists, and in-betweeners, along with an "athlete's meditation." The website also offers downloadable routines and PDF files of the routines.

Hips are happy, body is happy, mind is free. Shanti Shanti Shanti!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Yoga Practice with Emphasis on the Hips, January 21, 2010

By 

robb0117 "robb0117" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pursuit of Happy Hips with Eoin Finn (DVD)

I have both Power Yoga for Happiness and Power Yoga for Happiness 2: The Surf Edition and a fan of Eoin Finn's power yoga style. "The Pursuit of Happy Hips" is his latest DVD and does not disappoint. It is very similar in style and asanas found on the Power Yoga for Happiness titles, however, there is definitely an emphasis on your hips. There are 4 separate Yoga routines on this single DVD. A 50 minute relaxed class focusing on stretching and meditative movement. A ~50 minute physical class that is similar to the "Strength" and "Hip" class on Power Yoga for Happiness, a shorter version of the physical class (~40 minutes), and a hardcore 80 minute routine. Though none of the asanas are particularly acrobatic(standing pigeon to crow pose with single leg extension is as acrobatic as it gets), the routine is intense, challenging and always interesting. I have been practicing regularly for about 7 years and was amazed at the amount my hips were worked. The class is made up of Canadian Olympians and it feels the flow is geared towards athletes and skiers, but it still feels very much like a yoga class. Though I feel that PYFH1 is Eoin's best, his verbal cues are a bit quirky. In PYFH2 his quirkiness is definitely toned down, but I don't like the work out as much because the lack of backbends. I feel "The Pursuit of Happy Hips" is a perfect balance of the 2; a well balanced work out and positive verbal cues. Nice work.