17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice routine with a standing posture and twist focus, December 13, 2004
This review is from: Sara Ivanhoe's 20 Min Yoga Makeover - Power Beauty Sweat (DVD)
In Power Beauty Sweat, instructor Sara Ivanhoe does not rely on a traditional series of sun salutations to build heat in the body; rather, she adds movement to standing postures to intensify. She begins in a seated position with a simple side stretch and twist, then moves to kneeling for a kneeling side stretch (gate pose) and side plank. From here, the practice evolves to standing postures, including fan pose, a standing twist, and chair--each pose is repeated with movement and then a twist to both sides. Balance work comes in the form of eagle pose, and then there is a series consisting of dog pose, lunge, runner's stretch, and cow (or bull) performed to both sides. Dolphin pose further strengthens the arm muscles, and finally, there is a lying hamstring stretch. As with all the practices in this series, Ivanhoe ends with a mudra--or yogic hand gesture--using a detoxification mudra here.
Despite the title, I felt only minimal sweat as a result of this practice; it definitely did not build as much heat as a power yoga routine. However, the large number of included twists felt wonderful for my spine, and the excellent hip openers felt great as well. Instructor Sara Ivanhoe's personality in this practice is similar to her prior Crunch and Dummies videos: she is very down-to-earth, although some may find her language a bit patronizing at times. Overall, this is a nice, short yoga routine for focusing on standing postures and streching the spine and hips.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Feels great but not as intense as the title, June 7, 2005
This review is from: Sara Ivanhoe's 20 Min Yoga Makeover - Power Beauty Sweat (DVD)
I would recommend this for the days that you want to do 'something' but aren't up for anything too vigorous.
For me, the intermediate self-taught yoga practitioner, it wasn't as challenging as I had expected. I only broke a very slight sweat, however, I have to admit that after the workout I really did feel GREAT for the rest of the day.
If you're looking for more vigorous yoga I recommend Sarah Ivanhoe's Crunch Fat Blasting Yoga workout.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quick but powerful, October 6, 2006
This review is from: Sara Ivanhoe's 20 Min Yoga Makeover - Power Beauty Sweat (DVD)
I chose this separate DVD because of price, the instructor and the 20 minute factor. I have been doing Yoga on and off for the last couple of years but have recently been doing it twice a week. I liked this DVD because the moves were not the typical sun salutations taking up the beginning and the positions were challenging. As an intermediate on the lower end of the spectrum the 20 minutes worked. I did not sweat but I felt it in my legs the next day. The short session can almost guarantee that I will do this frequently by itself or along with a 30 minute cardio. I will probably look for the set to see what the others are like.
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