Customer Reviews

Shiva Rea: Creative Core & Lower Body

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

 

 

Meh. I did the workout this morning, starting with the bonus track from Fluid power, followed by the lower body flow and the abdominal section. The lower body flow had about four things that were new and new is good, but they weren't very exciting: leaning forward in yogic squat, drawing arms back behind you then forward, reaching in front of you. OK, that was new.

If you are new to Shiva Rea, I think you would be lost during the very brief "do your own flow" piece at the end of the lower body section. The warrior II to reverse warrior to side angle is really no different than the sequence in the long standing pose flow on Fluid Power. Just Shiva's outfit and the Kauaii backdrop are new.

The ab section, if you already have a strong core, is OK. I like the rocking bridge flow, but that, to me, is the best part of the whole DVD: 1-2 minutes. I could do the rocking bridge flow for probably 10 minutes before I even felt it. The abdominal section just ends as if they ran out of money, time or attention span and you are just dumped into Shavasana, which is only 2 minutes.

I own all of Shiva's CDs/"audiobooks", Creative Core Abs 1, Fluid Power, Yoga Shakti and Yoga Trance Dance. I feel that this production is nowhere near as well done as any of the other products of hers I own and use. I will be incorporating a couple of the abdominal moves into a much longer abdominal sequence I do on my own, but I have to say, I'm disappointed.

This workout is short (22 minutes without shavasana) but it really packs a punch in this short time , in "Creative Roots" she starts with yogic squat and wide angle stretch which she'll repeat throughout this 13 minute segment with different variations , there are also hero 2 poses and side angle poses with a lot of fluid transitions between them and because most of the time you are in those positions it is really challenging for the lower body, she even demonstrates a transition from side angle to an advanced one arm balancing pose , but you don't have to do it if you can't. She finishes with a quadriceps stretch in cat position (kneeling bow). The second segment "Creative Core" is 9 minutes and is a lot of fun , you'll start on your back doing fluid bridge pose then a single legged bridge with a fun rocking move ,you can see a clip of it on youtube. Then she move into half table pose and flow right into side plank and from there to forearm plank and then into a straight arm plank and she repeats those plank pushups a few times and does this whole series of planks on the other side. It ends with a short shavasana. The scenery is of course gorgeous as in all of her DVD's. There is also a bonus segment from Fluid Power "Foundation Vinyasa" that can be used as a great warm up. This is another great addition my Shiva Rea DVD collection can't wait for "Surf Yoga Soul" , her next DVD , to be out .

My first Shiva dvd was Yoga Shakti, her more purist yoga effort. It is one of my favorite yoga dvds of all time. It stands out as unique in the overcrowded vinyasa dvd market. It is also in my opinion the best produced, most beautiful yoga dvd ever. My next was Creative Core Abs which I did not fancy. I thought it was fresh and well produced, but it just wasnt my style. I hesistated with the Creative Core Lower and Upper Body dvds because I did not something similar to Creative Core Abs. I was prompted by the reviews to take a chance on them and I am so glad I got them. I did both the lower and upper body today and found them fascinating including the core sections. This is real yoga and yet it is truly creative. I see the influence of classical Indian dance in the way Shiva "flows" from pose to pose - especially in her arm / hand movements. The choreography of the vinyasa on the lower body video and the core section is truly beautiful without straying too far from classic yoga asana which I thought happned with Creative Core Abs. As a workout, Lower Body is enjoyable and manages to build quite a burn in the quads and hamstrings. My only minor quibble is that I wish the yogic squats section had been a bit longer. Thank you amazon reviewers, especially Yoni.

For the reviewer that didn't feel this in their core, I'd love to know what DVD they were following! If poses were done correctly, in proper alignment, this is a great core workout. No, you won't find "crunches" in this workout, but for people familiar with Shiva's style, crunches are way too boring.

And how about those glutes?! I was totally "feeling it" the next day! The repetition did not bother me, as I knew I was going into a Core/Lower Body workout, rather than a typical vinyasa. With that being said, even though this was not a vinyasa, she still brought her signature "flow" style to the workout. Poses were transitioned beautifully and with strength and grace.

As is typical of all of her DVD's the setting was stunning, and the quality was high. Well done Shiva! I can't wait for the "Upper Body" version to come out in 2009.

Oh - and so you're not surprised - it's a short DVD (around 20 minutes), but don't worry - you'll feel it. I find it nice when I don't have a ton of time, or a perfect primer to another yoga practice.

I use this together with the Upper Body + Core one. Honestly, if you have her Shakti DVD, you don't need another one. But since I love Shiva, so I decided to get it. Don't bother with the "Core Abs" one, as you can get the same exercises from these two. I'm not very experienced at yoga, so I can't do much in Shakti, this one provides a nice alternative to prevent from getting bored. Although, quite some poses in this one I can't do either... >_< but hopefully one day I will be able to...

I own all three of Shiva's core workouts and they pack quite the punch into just over 20 minutes! I usually combine her core dvd's with various other yoga dvd's or after I am done running. They aren't enough to do just by themselves, but I don't think they were meant to be. I usually combine this DVD with a Power Yoga (Power Yoga by Bryan Kest is my favorite) or with any other strong upper body set of yoga. As like all of her other DVD's, the background is simply breathtaking and gorgeous, it's enough to just watch that by itself! The music is always good. It does have a lot of the same moves as the other two core DVD's so if you're looking to save a little money, maybe just get the Creative Core DVD.

I like most of the Shiva Rea DVD's I've tried. This one is a bit different from the rest, but short and perfect for when you only have a few minutes to do yoga.

I enjoyed it. It wasn't too hard, but challenging enough that I'll have to do it for a while to get the hang of some of the movements. The garden where it's filmed and Shiva are both absolutely beautiful, and it's enjoyable just to watch.

I didn't like it as well as the first creative core, but still think it will be a valuable addition to my yoga DVD collection.

I am relatively new to the yoga world, and found this short workout a little challenging. My knees hurt after attempting this workout the first couple of times. It is okay, but I'm not 'in love' with the flow of the workout so far. I would enjoy some background music that is a little more upbeat...to keep me going and my energy up a bit during the poses.

I absolutlely love this DVD for days when I don't have a lot of time. I usually do the bonus footage first as a warm-up then do the remainder of the DVD which makes for a total time of approximately 34 minutes. Even though the practice is short, afterwards I feel centered, calm and strong. The lower body portion is a refreshing change from typically vinyasas that usually use chaturanga to up dog, to down dog as home base. Instead the yoga squat position is your home base as you flow between sides doing standing poses eventually creating your own flow based upon how you are feeling that day. I also like the abdominal section. very creative!

*** Edited to add: I have been using this DVD once or twice a month for some time now and this DVD practice continues to grow on me. As mentioned above, use the bonus footage as a warm-up before beginning the standing pose flow. The standing pose flow has some deep hip bending and stretching (side warrior, deep squats, long holding of poses). I wanted to address the issue of the core workout. I noticed that several people didn't care for the core work. I absolutely love the core work here. I enjoy starting with breathing bridge and one legged bridges because at that point in the practice after the standing poses my body is really craving some backbending. I also enjoy that it is very different core work from her other DVDs. You do some planks on hands and then move to your elbows and back to your hands a couple of times. You also do side plank.

My only complaint about the DVD is that I could use a couple more moments to slow down before going into savasana. I have to stop the DVD and do my own savasana. I can still feel my blood pumping strong in my veins if I follow the dvd into savasana. Also, the savasana is short and when over goes back to the dvd menu which has music. I just shut it down after core work and do my own savasana for as long as I like!

I didn't know what to expect from this DVD until I actually got out on the mat and began to follow the practice. It's a challenging practice

that will build your core - not by doing ab work but by flowing in a graceful practice.

Although Shiva guides you through the practice, she encourages you to

tap into your own flow and add your own movements to the program.

The time flew by and I can't wait to do it again.

This is a great workout for someone who only has a limited amount of time

but wants to move into the flow.

If you are a fan of Shiva Rea, you'll enjoy this work.

If you are not yet a fan of Shiva, this DVD compliments her Core Abs and Fluid Power.

I rated this DVD five stars. You may want to give it more.

Namaste and enjoy it!

PS. My goal is to join Shiva on a retreat in the near future. If you aren't on her list, sign up at [...] You'll get her monthly newsletter called Pulse.