Customer Reviews

Sacred Yoga Practice with Rainbeau Mars - Vinyasa Flow: Pure Power

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've done Brian Kest's yoga tapes for a few years now, and was looking for something different. Rainbeau was reccommended by someone, and while I thought her teaching was good, and the scenery and music were great, I was really disappointed in the simplicity and duration of the routine. None of the challenging poses Rainbeau is seen doing are taught, nor are the easier poses leading up to them. It's really just a basic sun salutation with a few other things. It wasn't nearly as challenging as Kest. While I liked her personality better, it looks like I'll have to stick with him for a challenge and/or an hour-long session.

Pure Power is a 30-minute challenging yoga routine that is designed to build strength. It is definitely not for beginners, as it includes some fairly strenuous moves which require quite a bit of pre-existing strength, especially in the arms: as an intermediate exerciser who has been practicing yoga for several years, I found that I needed to take several breaks throughout the practice.

Rainbeau Mars leads the practice in her usual calmly flowing manner. The first half of the routine consists of approximately five total sun salutations. Although Rainbeau moves slowly through each series, she inserts poses which will definitely challenge your stamina, including side plank, crescent lunges, awkward chair, and 3-legged down-dog. She also includes some tough movements lying on your stomach such as yogic push-ups (lowering to chaturanga and then lifting back up), 1-legged chaturanga, and cobra variations. From standing, Rainbeau comes to a reclined position (there are no seated postures in this practice) for bridge, lying twist, and relaxation.

In this video, Rainbeau is less chatty and more focused on the poses than in some of her other videos, but as always, she is gently encouraging and provides very good mirrored cuing. This is an excellent program for anyone looking to expand their yoga practice, from more experienced beginners who want to slowly build strength to more advanced yogis who wish to continue to increase their stamina and endurance. Finally, the 1/2 hour time frame is likely to be particularly beneficial for those who have limited time but who still want a serious yoga practice.

About myself:
I train in Power Vinyasa Yoga since about six Years. I practice every day.
I'm also a Power Yoga Teacher at a local Hotel Spa Fitness Club.
I personally prefer complete and challanging Workouts that still contribute to all aspects of Yoga.
Beeing german my english spelling is pretty bad. Excuse me for that.
About the product:
It's a good short programm. You can't train one hour every day, and short programms like this are perfekt for the days in between. The programm is physically challanging with some pretty unique variations to create upper Body Strength. An experienced Yogi can make it even more challanging by making some little variations like going from Chaturanga ( Low Plank Position) straight up to Upward Dog instad of lying down and than rising to Cobra as Rainbow does.
Rainbow Mars is a very nice encouraging Yoga Teacher. And to comment on some Reviews calling her to "New Age": She is a Yoga teacher, so she should talk a little colorfull ;-). This is Yoga Friends! You shouldn't be distracted by sentences like : "Melt down to the earth" or "offer your heart to the sky". These are actually Pictures that are helpfull for your practice if you try to be open minded with it. And even if it might be a little to much somtimes, who cares?
I highly recommend this programm!
Namasté.

Pure Power is a 30-minute challenging yoga routine that is designed to build strength. It is definitely not for beginners, as it includes some fairly strenuous moves which require quite a bit of pre-existing strength, especially in the arms: as an intermediate exerciser who has been practicing yoga for several years, I found that I needed to take several breaks throughout the practice.

Rainbeau Mars leads the practice in her usual calmly flowing manner. The first half of the routine consists of approximately five total sun salutations. Although Rainbeau moves slowly through each series, she inserts poses which will definitely challenge your stamina, including side plank, crescent lunges, awkward chair, and 3-legged down-dog. She also includes some tough movements lying on your stomach such as yogic push-ups (lowering to chaturanga and then lifting back up), 1-legged chaturanga, and cobra variations. From standing, Rainbeau comes to a reclined position (there are no seated postures in this practice) for bridge, lying twist, and relaxation.

In this video, Rainbeau is less chatty and more focused on the poses than in some of her other videos, but as always, she is gently encouraging and provides very good mirrored cuing. This is an excellent program for anyone looking to expand their yoga practice, from more experienced beginners who want to slowly build strength to more advanced yogis who wish to continue to increase their stamina and endurance. Finally, the 1/2 hour time frame is likely to be particularly beneficial for those who have limited time but who still want a serious yoga practice.

I use both the Pure Power and Pure Sweat workouts from Rainbeau Mars when I have limited time, but still want to feel like I have built strength. She is soothing (perhaps a bit too "new age" at times) and the scenery and music are quite relaxing. I typically do a few sun salutations on my own before beginning this workout to add some time and heat to it. As mentioned by another reviewer, there are definitely strenuous poses in this practice, particularly for the upper body and core. I also typically add a hip stretch towards the end, which is unfortunately missing, and sometimes a shoulder stand and fish pose sequence.

Overall, a good DVD when you don't have an hour to spend on a more complete practice. Augmenting it with a few poses on your own makes it a great workout.

Namaste.

Since they already wrote all the great & different poses she uses which is different then some yoga dvds, I can add only that it also has the option of 5.1 surround sound so you can hear the Hawaiian ocean waves behind her.
The poses really work on building muscle strength, she really works the upper body with going up/down in chaturanga & her chair pose is 100x deeper, lower & harder to do then any other yoga dvd I've done.
Her personality is great, she's matter of fact with gentle optimism. Some lines are "stay conscious of the back, so you're not overreaching, the lower back houses the kidneys, maintain a fullness in your back to optimize good health & alignment," "You must sink to rise up," "extend strongly though the feet, the inner thighs will follow," "with strength in your arms, lower yourself to the floor," "remember to balance your effort w/surrender" "if you need to modify, it's perfectly ok, you will still build strength," "even the most beautiful lotus grows in dirtiest of ponds."
She is great with cues to remind you to keep going such as what organs each pose helps, not to get discouraged, analogies to really picture what you are trying to accomplish, etc. & to move through it. She's not fake happy, she tells you she understands it's tough, but it's worth it for your health to challenge yourself & do your best.
No,this isn't an advanced yoga workout, this is high beginner/low intermediate workout.

You can see her passion & ability to do yoga in clips on you tube.

This video is very challenging. That is the way i like it. Granted i have only been practicing yoga for about 5 weeks, but this is a very challenging workout that aims on upper body strength. The video is short, but very effective. This is not for early beginners. This is a little more advanced or when you want a good challenge. This workout was starting to make me sweat and that isn't an easy job. For beginners, try sara ivanhoe, susan deason or Rainbeaus own vinyasa for beginners is a great relaxing, but challanging routine.

Just too simple for my taste. Too short and not really flowing nor challenging for intermediate level. More of a beginners short practice, no problem with this except it is not advertised this way, specially with the cover, which has NOTHING to do with the actual practice.

Buy it and you will not regret it. If you are advance level, it will be a nice medium level workout. Newbies will get a tough workout. It is nice intermediate workout and you work up a little sweat, if you listen and follow the cues. Perfect time frame.

The production value is great (lovely beach background) and rainbeau is wonderful to look at,(especially if you are a middle aged man)..The tape is very short and Rainbeau speaks alot about spirituality,finding yourself,and all that new age stuff ,but there were parts of this tape where i was in PAIN,begging for the postures to end,and I mean that in a GOOD way..so I would recommend it as a good way to get a quick practice in.