Customer Reviews

Rodney Yee/Mariel Hemingway: 15-Minute Results Yoga

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

They could have done so much more with four 15 minute speed yoga sessions. I have several other Gaiam and Rodney Lee videos and love them all. But on this one the audio is not narrated over - instead Rodney wears a headset and the few cues he provides are mumbled. His banter with Marian with loud and clear and will become annoying your second or third time through. And when I say few cues, I mean it, they move through several poses at a time without providing any verbal prompt - you're in downward dog thinking things are fine and then glance up at the tv to see them in staff pose! This is important - it is hard to really keep good form if you have to keep peering at the tv. There are supposed to be four different sessions focusing on different areas - but three of the sessions are nearly identical, they use all the same basic four or five poses. The only one with even a little variety is the abs. And there are some strange very un-traditional activities - lots of arm swinging and jumping up and down! Anyway, I was excited about getting shots of yoga - but am disappointed in the lack of variety, poor audio instruction and very basic poses lacking advancement. Try Rodney's "am yoga for your week" instead - five 20 minute routines, good audio and better variety/more advancement.

I have been doing Rodney Yee's yoga DVDs for years now and he is one of my favourite instructors. I also really enjoy the shorter practices as I seem to always be able to fit 15-25 minutes into my day. So I was initially quite excited about Gaiam's new DVD, but this is not your usual Rodney Yee practice. YOGA 15-MINUTE RESULTS is chatty, informal, and has a very different style than his previous workouts. I am still kind of on the fence with how I feel about this. On one hand it was nice to see Mr. Lee relaxed, laughing and joking with Mariel but on the other hand some serious, legible voice instruction would have been good too.

This DVD contains 4-15 minute workouts including;
Upper Body Toning
Lower Body Sculpting
Abdominal Strengthening
Total Body Conditioning

Filmed indoors with quiet background music there is no voice over instead Rodney wears a headset and just kind-of chats out the instruction between quips with Mariel. All the sessions are very similar even though they are meant to target four different areas, and the poses, although basic and repetitive move rather quickly from one to the next. There is also some weird jumping and arm swinging included in two sections and a significant amount of ab work throughout. A short relaxation has been included at the end of each workout.

I couldn't recommend this to beginners because of the lack of instruction. I also think that Rodney's chatty banter with Mariel although entertaining the first time will get annoying after listening to it a couple more times. Alternatively I would recommend buying AM YOGA FOR YOUR WEEK (contains 5-20 min workouts) or POWER YOGA STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY (contains 2-25 min workouts) instead. These have a variety of poses, easy to follow instruction, beautiful outdoor scenery and great music.

My first yoga class was over 6 years ago, and I could not imagine trying to follow this dvd before spending a good amount of time with a live yoga instructor. That said, I really enjoyed doing the four different 15 minute sessions at home, one concentrating on the upper body, one on the lower body, one on abs, and one total body. I always like to see how instructors transition from one pose to the other -- strangely, they don't say my favorite mantra, "Oy!" while going from up dog to down dog. Hemingway and Yee have a conversational style when leading these sessions which makes for a nice change from the usual class. And they even sweat! So, if you are an experienced yoga practitioner and would like a bit of a change, I would borrow this from the library. I have a Sara Ivanhoe DVD that I think is the bomb -- great for beginners and the practiced yogini alike, and have used a am/pm yoga DVD that I thought was great and be a better starter yoga DVD. Hemingway's books have also been great reading and I highly recommend them.

I really appreciated this different type of yoga instruction. It was almost like Rodney was just hanging out with you, doing some yoga and the main and only topic of discussion was yoga.

For some the banter between Rod and Mariel might get annoying, but not for me. It's like that dog that barks at me every morning on my run. Or that strange canyon I pass by on my run that sounds like a tornado. Or that man I pass by on my run 3 or 4 times out of the week who never says hi and refuses to acknowledge my presence. These things could be annoying but I just consider them a part of the living world. It just is.

The chit chat between the two instructors on this DVD just seems real to me. And in turn they make my time with them seem real. And after Savasana, I feel just as refreshed as with any real yoga class or any other DVD.

The only reason I give this DVD 4 stars (instead of 5) was because the DVD only comes with the 4 workouts. There are no extra goodies in the DVD, and for me that was a little disappointing.

I really love this yoga video. I had taken it out of the library before I bought it and so I had used it several times already. It is the perfect video for short yoga practices - and you can do several of the sessions if you want a longer practice. The teachers work very well together. Everything is demonstrated so that you know exactly what to do.

The 15-minute ab session alone is worth the money of this DVD. I am always looking for non-sun salutation completely on the floor routines and this one foots the bill. It's great for those lite days where you need some stretching and strengthing your abs, hips, and lower back. Wonderful!

The other 3 sessions are very similar to each other, traditional sun salutations focusing on either upper body, lower body, and total body. I love the swingin/rocking sessions which will help you wake up your qi (aka chi). These are the energy systems within your body and will really help bring you into balance, love it!

Rodney includes a short savasana after each 15-min session. Only a minute or two long, but quite effective.

I do agree with the other reviewers that you should have some knowledge of yoga already since there is no instruction on form.

Please read my other recommendation on yoga, meditation, and tai chi on Amazon.
Namaste'

I have searched for a yoga video that makes me want to come back every morning and work out, and I have finally found the one. There are four 15 minute sessions on this video. I love how I can choose to do either 15 minutes or up to an hour. I really enjoy the relaxed nature of Rodney Yee and Mariel Hemingway. They manage to give the instructions while making light conversation, which makes me feel like I am in a class. I am a yoga beginner and have been faithfully using this video for 5 weeks now on a daily basis. I find the video challenging, but not too difficult. I can say that after just 5 weeks, I feel stronger and more toned. I highly recommend this video to anyone looking for an enjoyable, yet challenging workout.

I've practiced yoga for 13 years, and with a toddler at home I decided to try the 15-minute practice - I have always liked Rodney Yee's videos.

I started off with the "Total Body" workout, and wound up pulling the muscles of my left shoulder/neck less than 10 minutes in, during the spinal rolls. Five days later still hurts. I should have known with all my yoga experience that spinal rolls so early in a practice is a really bad idea.

"15 minutes results" might sound like a miracle because it is. If you choose to buy this video, please note that you should do at least 10 minutes (5 - 8 sun salutations and some gentle stretching) of warming up beforehand.

I started practicing yoga about a year and a half ago, but only have time for a long practice (1 to 1-1/2 hours) workout on Saturdays. I love to fit these 15-20 minute practices in after a run on other mornings. It's enough to keep up with flexibility and stretch out well after a run. The instructors are easy to follow and offer alternate moves if you are not experienced at yoga.

Rodney Yee is delightful in this series of workouts. I wish I could say the same for Muriel Hemningway whose presence seems rather bizarre and awkward but in general this dvd has helped me lose 15 pounds! I do it between 3-4 times a week and it is a lifesaver. It kickstarts your day in just the right way.