Customer Reviews

Shiva Rea - Creative Core Abs

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I purchased this DVD (along with Shiva's latest Yoga Fluid Power) from another company. This DVD provides a very unique way to work your abdominals. It does not employ a lot of static crunches and situp type ab work that I am use to, instead you will utilize various body parts to work your abs. A lot of the work you will do is very much based on the rhythm of the music that is playing in the background. I would say that parts of workout are more like Shiva's trance dance type stuff, where there is room to find your own beat and style of performing a set of movements. If you are use to yoga that has you sit in a position and then move to another (e.g. Iyengar) or even if you more used to constant movement (e.g. Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga), you may still find this different. In my opinion, it is very fluid and more dance like than Shiva's very successful Yoga Shakti DVD. And depending upon what you want out of your yoga practice that could be either good or bad. I liked the DVD because it gave me a way of working my abs that I would have never tried on my own.

This DVD is so much fun. The first time I watched it I thought it was too easy.I could not believe you could work your abs without the infamous crunches. However, the next day I was sore (the good way). It is so different you feel like a little infant playing. I really recommend this one to complement your workout or for those days when you are short in time.

I like the idea of using your whole body to work your core abs. This is a intersting way to keep your whittle your middle...okay, not very yogic, but you get the picture. So far, I've only completed the segments 1 at a time which has been plenty for me.
I've found that whenever I describe Shiva Rea's DVD's the word thoughtful comes to mind and that's how I feel about this. Time, effort, and care has been infused in and throughout this DVD.

I just purchased this DVD from Amazon in March 07. Previous reviewers are right in that the scenery is beautiful as is the background music.

I am just beginning to learn Yoga and I felt that this video is for someone who has been practicing Yoga for sometime and knows all the names of the poses even with Shiva's "freestyle" form. It was freestyle in the sense that she didn't have a set amount of repetitions, but just kept moving until her well-toned body felt it was time to stop.

I do better with very basic instructions that assumes that I have no previous experience with Yoga and takes me from a zero knowledge base to feeling somewhat knowledgeable by the end of the video. This video didn't do that for me, but made me feel even more inadequate after viewing and trying to emulate the well-toned, ever fluid Shiva.

I suggest Leslie Sansone's work-out videos (Her pilates is great) for she takes you from knowing nothing to feeling somewhat competent when the video is over. Her step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and I felt that I got a good work-out the first time to the 100th time!

Creative Core Abs would be a challenging, but exhilarting work-out for the advance Yoga student or teacher. It is also refreshing seeing an older woman (Shiva has to be past 45) looking fit and buffed as any 20 year old!

Shiva comes through again with a fabulous video that works not only your core, but your mind and spirit! What is special about this video is that you can make it as challenging as you really want it to be. There are 3 sections to the workout and Shiva informs you that you can do 1 or do all 3. By the end of the video, I could feel my abs really working. A must for any yogi or yogini!

I too had a chuckle when I saw Shiva Rea called "The Madonna of Yoga." I can now say I am among those fortunate enough to have met this incredible lady and I know from first hand experience that she would never give herself such a self-lauding name, instead, she uses names such as "River Guide" and "The small teacher" (in comparison to the big teacher that is within most of us Yogis)to describe herself.

Ok, I have that off my chest, now I will say that this DVD is shorter than the rest of her creations but brings every ounce of inspiration and a new look at the practice of Yoga that her other DVD's have. Also, as another reviewer mentioned, this is great on those days when you have less time or your body needs a workout that is less intense. None of these sequences feel like you are doing "ab work", instead, it seems to me almost like dancing. Of course the music is also phenomenal, this gift of hers for choosing the perfect music for a sequence is no accident--this lady really lives for music! I also recognize some of these movements from the Bear Bryant football days in training camp, except that those guys actually had to hold a bucket full of water and rotate around in a circle with it!

I would caution those with knee issues--this DVD and her other newest DVD; Fluid Power both have some intense workouts for the knees so remember to listen to the great guru--your body and enjoy!

I'm a yoga and Pilates instructor, so this didn't pose an incredibly difficult challenge core-wise - BUT, it was a lot of fun!! I don't tend to want to do the same workouts that I do at work when I'm at home, plus I'm always looking for fun new ideas. This workout is effective but the main thing is, it's a blast. The best workout is the one you will actually DO, and this one fills the bill!

This is definitely a different approach to working out your core. Over time, yoga instructor Shiva Rea's media releases have become more and more fluid and freeform, and Creative Core Abs is no exception. The Main Menu of this DVD offers the following options: Introduction-Play Workout-Chapter Index-Shiva Rea Biography-Music Options-Also from Acacia.

The Amazon.com editorial review did a very good job of breaking down the three practices available on this DVD. The first, Water Core, is 10 minutes long. All of the sequences here are performed on the floor, mostly on the knees or on the back, for the effect of a sort of flowing warm-up. I found the music here very reminiscent of Ali McGraw's Yoga Mind & Body. The next segment, Spontaneous Core, is the shortest at 8 minutes; this time there's a live drummer. Shiva incorporates some of the movements from the Water Core, adds some crunch-like work, and then encourages you to put them all together in your own pattern. Shiva ends with some stretches, including cobra pose. The drummer continues into the final segment, Fire Core, a more lengthy practice (17 minutes). Here Shiva starts with kapalabhati breathing (she also calls this "Breath of Fire," but my understanding is that kapalabhati and breath of fire are two distinct types of yogic breathing). This segment is definitely the most intense, as it incorporates quite a bit of plank work, including what Shiva calls an "advanced agni kriya," or a sort of rapid plank with hopping each knee in and out; elbow plank appears as well. This segment is the only one which includes some standing work, as Shiva performs squats, a fun take on Warrior 2 (adding a bow and arrow arm movement), and wide-legged standing forward bend.

As mentioned above, this is definitely an innovative approach to core work. However, I found the actual effect on my core to be somewhat hit or miss: sometimes I felt that I was strongly targeting my core, but at other times, it was so difficult to follow what Shiva was doing that I didn't feel I was getting much of a workout at all. While some will surely find Shiva's unique approach refreshing, many are likely to find it just plain weird. Although I do like Shiva, I find myself closer to the latter camp. I don't mind non-traditional approaches to core work, but overall, this DVD was just not a good fit for me.

This was like watching someone do a belly dance on her back, but there is no instruction! Maybe I'm supposed to use the visuals as inspiration to writhe around on my own, since this DVD advices you to create your own 'dance'. I was disappointed, but maybe it works for others who like this free form style.

I ordered Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs DVD from the library interloan system and it came in today! Yay! So here is the review.

Takes place in White Sands National Monument with a drummer on a rock and cool music. There is also a 'just music' option that is nice for just moving to or doing one's own yoga moves.

There are three workouts that can be done on their own or all rolled together. Done together it's a real nice burn for the torso/core in 35 minutes.

In separate sections here are the parts -

Water Core (10 min) - the 'easy' part. A good warm-up but still an excellent core burn. Creative, fun.

Spontaneous Core (8 min) - very tiring - this is really the hardest part, as there is no rest once you get both your head and the hips/legs in the air. The free form part is cool if you like Shiva's style.

Fire Core (17 mins) - Shiva moves fast in this, as she does in this whole DVD. You pretty much have to accept that it's okay to not be able to follow along at first, and not having a ton of structure until you've seen this a few times. This particular section is harder than part one and easier than part two.

I was some reviews on Amazon on this DVD and a lot of people find the last part, the Fire Core, the hardest. The Fire Core has a lot of regular planks, followed by one-legged planks and then this section where you kind of "run in place" while doing planks. Hard to describe but pretty nifty: I felt strong doing that. There are also some flowy warrior poses where you 'draw an arrow on a bow' - also pretty neat - and then whip your arms around while holding warrior 2. Made me feel like Artemis. :)

There is no Savasana in this DVD. I thought that was a bit odd, but I guess this is to be a short, contained core workout and not strictly yoga? Besides a few planks and cobras there are few typical, recognizable poses.

This DVD is experienced beginner to intermediate and I DO NOT think any yoga novice should expect to be able to follow along very closely. Shiva moves quite fast and does not explain what she's doing as she goes.

This is not a boring ab routine. What's best, in my view, is the 'creative' part. There are no crunches, just some really interesting freeform-yet-intense pulsing moves.

Definitely gets your sheen going! I did feel a fire in my belly afterwards, chilling out on the couch with the TV. The inner heat lasted about 20 minutes.

Well recommended for a quick, slightly intense core experience that Shiva stamps with her typically enjoyable creative mark.