Customer Reviews

Seven Challenges To Change Your Life: An Introduction to Crane Style Yoga

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

 

 

This is a nice combination of yoga, breathing, etc. The workout itself is short & great way to calm & relax without it being boring at all to either being your day if feeling sluggish, or as part of a warm up before working out, or at night to relax. This workout is not to make you sweat/burn calories, but to calm your jittery energy, to have better body awareness, deeper calmer breathing, better balance & easy toning.
The intros in between are a little long & there is overuse of editing to make it look cool, but her style is great. She performs on the beach which is a lovely backdrop. I was only hoping for more content.
Take off 1 star if you are looking for more then 21 min of workout content.

Intro - 7 min - long about the history, etc.
Abdominal breathing - 4 minutes - with calming arm movements.
Stretching & Strengthening - 10 min - with some basic yoga poses & movements with leg & back stretches & strengthening such as table pose.
Balancing - 3 min - standing on one leg is yoga style & crane martial arts style, this I loved a lot.
Focusing - 4 min - which is visualization & simple arm movements based on Qi Gong movements to increase your energy which I have done in the past that is very important to pull back your energy into your body for later use.

For new practitioners (and advanced as well), Crane Style Yoga is an alternative to the super athletic yoga offered in many gyms and yoga studios across the US these days.

It's not necessary to walk backwards down a wall in order to achieve a strong body and a quiet mind.

Crane Style Yoga works with abdominal breathing, strengthening, stretching, focus and balance, using techniques from yoga, Qi Gong and Kung Fu.

The introduction is a little long, but the practice itself is easy to follow, unintimidating and resulted in a renewed sense of vitality and well being.

Maureen Goss' easy to follow practice is the antidote to "no pain, no gain." And a welcome antidote it is!

I have been doing yoga intermittently for several years, and "Seven Challenges to Change Your Life: An Introduction to Crane Style Yoga " includes some nice variations to "traditional" yoga that you might not get with other courses without being too advanced. I would give it five stars just for the variations that I have not seen elsewhere
If you are new to yoga, it is probably a good idea to view a few different yoga videos in order to get a nice perspective of what's available. This would be a good choice to be one of three or so videos to start out with...get one a week for a month.
The yoga positions and exercises are easy for the beginner, but can also be somewhat challenging, as you can improve your breathing and balance as you continue to practice the exercises. I felt more "refreshed" than "relaxed", but that might have more to do with the order in which I did the "Challenges". The video includes a brief history of yoga, and the background music and the environmental sounds of the ocean are also nice.

I have practiced Maureen Goss' Crane Style Yoga every morning for the past 2 weeks and have to say that my work days are better spent as a result. The breathing, meditation and balance exercises have helped me feel better, improved my focus and give me a greater sense of being. Thank you Maureen for this great practice.

When a friend recommended this DVD to me I was somewhat skeptical of how effective a yoga session could be over the TV. Miss Gross is very well educated and versed in the Eastern Philosophies that are the basis for her Crane Style Yoga. She does an excellent job of guiding the viewer/student through the 7 Challenges.
In the few times I have watched/taken part in the video, I have noticed a difference. The exercises are demanding enough for this video to be a good workout, or just a relaxing yoga session. I look forward to the results of a couple of weeks of practice and would recommend this DVD for people interested in yoga at any level.

This is a great introduction to a gentle yoga style that is perfect for beginners and devotees, alike. The seven challenges are not just an arbitrary construct for the program, but rather a practice for life which is rooted in the Taoist tradition. In addition to the 7 well demonstrated challenges, Ms. Gross does a fine job of outining some important Asian traditions and concepts. Plus, the production values are top notch. All in all, an inspiring yoga DVD.

I really enjoyed this dvd. It was very informative and easy to follow. The backdrop that she used was beautiful and very calming. I would definitely reccomend this dvd to people of all skill levels.

This was definitely a wonderful video. Having suffered with a back injury for a good portion of the spring, I was out for most of the season for a sport I have done for the past 8 years, rowing. These exercises made it so I was able to come back and finish my final season successfully! Thank you so much! :)

I took a chance with this DVD and it has helped me to make a change in my life. I have been practicing every day for the past two weeks - I have noticed a very different feeling. My Goal-Daily practice for a year. Wish me luck!

I am so pleased to find a 20 minute solution (3 times a week) to the daily dilemna that everyone experiences-LIFE!!! Maureen is an angel on earth, we are lucky to have her share her love! This is a gift that will last forever! Still Center Production has done it again!!