Customer Reviews

Shiva Rea: Creative Core and Upper Body

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love the sequences in this DVD!

The first part includes the "Fire Sequence" along with the infamous 108 wide leg push ups. It sounds daunting but you can go at your own pace (I did 10 push ups per round to start instead of 12) and if you shoulders/wrists are too sore to do more push ups, you can hold plank pose, drop into chaturanga dandasana and hold that position, come into side plank, or just sit back in downward dog. I have enjoyed assimilating this sequence into my practice since I found myself doing alot of transitions between chaturanga to up-dog and back to down dog during my practices so much that my left shoulder began to make this clicking sound and I developed a knot in my left pectoral. The fire sequence really helped me retain my upper body strength while introducing new movements and a nice counter pose (Anahatanasana) to open up the shoulders and chest.

The second part ("Creative Core") made me realize just how weak my deep hip flexors are! Rea starts doing these supine wide leg circles she calls "mandala legs" and when I tried it the first time my legs didn't want to go any where and I just laid on my floor and laughed. But I've noticed a great improvement in my knee/hip range of motion after practicing the "Creative Core" section a few times.

I would recommend this DVD to anyone who has practiced yoga for a while and are looking for a quick routine to have fun with and become more familiar with areas of the body that may not get much use.

If you are new to yoga or if you have shoulder/wrist issues, this DVD is not for you. I can recommend that you find a qualified teacher in your area who instructs a yoga style that you are comfortable with. Rea provides little instruction with respect to proper alignment in each pose and the pace at which she goes through the sequence may seem rushed for those just learning yoga.

When I first saw the preview where she says there are going to be 108 pushups I thought she was crazy! but then I discovered it is broken up into 9 sets of 12 within the "Agni Namaskar" (fire salutation) the first 24 minute segment which is based on the traditional B salutation structure but with different variations of hero/crescent lunge and chair pose every round (with twists or with hands clasped behind the back) and different backbends (from cobra to bow) and of course 12 pushups instead of the usual one! that was quite challenging and I couldn't finish 12 pushups in the last 3 sets because my upper body was quivering and fatigued but after every push up set you do get some rest with a counter pose stretch. The music is also great on this DVD , there's no drums this time and I recognized 2 songs from "Yoga Trance Dance" .The second segment "Creative Core" (8 min) is different than the one on the lower body DVD , it is a nice mix of yogic ab exercises like bicycle with bent and straight legs (similar to the core abs segment on Yoga Shakti) and more creative and free form exercises similar to the original creative core abs DVD. I definitely felt it my core and my upper body ,although it is not a complete upper body training , it is a fun yoga workout and another great addition to my Shiva Rea and Yoga collection.

Do not purchase this DVD if you are new to yoga. As a intermediate level yogi - this still kicks my butt. There is little instruction on how to move into each pose, as she assumes the audience is familiar enough with asanas to move with her verbal cues. That's not to say this isn't one of my favorite Shiva DVDs.

Hello arms! I could not do 12 reps for each segment, so I started with 6, and now I'm up to 10. I can feel myself get stronger literally every time I practice with this DVD.

The core section is simply amazing too. I have a pretty strong core and I was totally feeling it the next day after my first session. Her positions really work deep muscles that even my pilates DVDs don't touch.

So my recommendation - if you're comfortable with yoga and would like to build strength - this DVD is perfect. If you're a newbie - pass on this... for now. Come back to it later!

Although this DVD is focused on the upper-body strength it is still very well balanced incorporating forward bends, twists and backbends that increase in intensity as the practice continues. The practice starts with a short warm-up before beginning agni namaskar. Basically there are three main rounds.

ROUND 1: consists of three sets of up to 12 push-ups totalling up to 36. In between each set of 12 push-ups in round one you incorporate cobra pose, an option upward dog, downward facing dog, warrior one holding the legs still while raising the arms overhead on the in-breath and lowering the arms with the out-breath.

ROUND 2: consists again of three sets of up to 12 push-ups totalling up to 36. In between each set of 12 push-ups in round one the intensity of the backbend is increased from round 1, substituting salabasana for cobra. You practice the backbend three times between each set of push-ups. Again in round 1 you have the optional upward dog, and then move to downward dog. This round you move to warrior one and clasp the hands behind your back. Lift your chest on the inhale, keeping warrior 1 legs bending the crown of the head to the inside of the front foot on the exhale. You move with the breath 2 or three times. This is done between each set of push-ups.

ROUND 3: consists again of three sets of up to 12 push-ups totalling up to 36. The intensity is increased this time. Before moving into the push-ups you take twisted chair pose to each side. In between each set of push-ups you move into warrior 1, then high lunge with twist. The backbend intensity is again increased as you now are doing bow pose (danurasana) instead of salabasana. The first time you do bow pose you focus on tilting back and lifting the chest, second time tilting forward lifting the legs. The third time you lift everything.

After the three rounds are completed you move into the core section. This core section is short but I definitely feel like I have ignited a fire in my belly. Shiva consistently reminds you to engage uddiyana bandha lying on your back. I have to take some breaks throughout as I cannot hold it as long as Shiva does. I love this core practice as you are encouraged to bring some creative flow to the practice towards the end. She also gives options such as bending the knees or not holding shoulders off the ground the entire time, or supporting the head with one hand while the other arm reaches out.

Even though this is a short practice, I really feel like it is a complete practice. Even though you do some push-ups, it feels like a yoga practice and not a "work out" per se. Every time I complete this workout I feel strong all day and tell myself that I need to do it more often. Shiva also includes this 'agni namaskar' sequence on her surf sould DVD and her new daily energy DVD, however this DVD has the longest most complete version of it. I highly recommend this DVD.

...but I did! I had to drop to my knees from set 3, but I made it all the way through. So I hope the dread of pushups wont keep anyone from buying this workout. A lot of yoga instructors have made vinyasa dvds that entail extended surya namaskars (sun salutations) with other yoga asanas intertwined between the traditional flow, but this one stands out. Here, in every surya namaskar sequence you do 12 pushups. The surya namaskars end with interesting variations of prone backbends and standing poses that give your upper body time to recover before the next set. I thought this was very cleverly organized. The music is excellent, the production is wonderful as can be expected from Shiva.

I have about 30 exercise DVDs, but this one is one of my favorites. Push-ups are one of the best exercises you can do, and breaking the sets up the way that's done in the DVD, makes it much easier. I was wearing a tank top a few months back and everyone commented on how great my arms looked. Do a lot of different exercises, but I attributed the bulk of my success to this DVD.

The core segment is pretty good too. My abs hurt after the first couple of times doing it. It's hard to find a good ab workout.

I only have one complaint. The breathing. I can't believe no one else has said anything about it. I don't know how anyone can breathe that slowly. I don't have any problems with any of my other yoga DVDs. I breathe almost twice as fast as her cue's I'd say. I just ignore her and go at my own pace, but it's kinda distracting.

Shiva Rea's Creative Core And Upper Body features the Agni Namaskar including the 108 prostration push ups.

Until this DVD, the only way to experience this Namaskar was to train with Shiva live.

Now, everyone can experience the power of Agni in their own lives.

The DVD is beautifully filmed.

The instructions (and modifications) are clear.

I was not able to complete the Namaskar without modifications the first time I tried.

But now, it rocks.

This is a great DVD and belongs in your yoga collection.

Now, I have to buy another copy to travel with.

Get this.

Namaste.

I purchased this in November 2009, but just now (August 2010) got around to using it. I was so intrigued by the idea of doing 108 toe pushups when I first spotted this DVD, but I decided to start with the agni namaskar on her Surf Yoga Soul DVD first because the workout on that DVD was shorter and I wanted to really focus on the pushups. I worked my way up from 3 sets of 8 toe pushups (stopping the DVD when I couldn't do any more as I had decided I didn't want to do modified knee pushups) to the full 9 sets of 12 full toe pushups over several weeks and decided it was time to try this DVD.

The agni namaskar on this DVD is about 7-8 minutes longer than the one on Surf Yoga Soul and has a little more variety for backbends and some of the standing poses. It also moves at a little slower pace. I liked the variety and since I've continued to do Shiva's pushups once a week having this as another option will be good. The scenery was very nice. I also liked the inclusion of her Core work as a nice add on.

Pushups have been one of the most rewarding exercises I've ever done as far as upper body, core, lower back strength. I have carpel tunnel but the pushups have never bothered it. I do stretch my wrists after. I have hip dysplasia as well and the pushups have really helped it as well.

I don't think that you need a lot of yoga specific experience to do this DVD (pushups are not exclusive to yoga), but don't think it would make a good choice for a beginner to exercise. It is much more appropriate at an intermediate level.

I love this DVD!! It's short, but it gets the job done!!

As others have mentioned, this DVD features "Agni Namaskar", which is Fire Salutation. You will move through a sun salutation- like sequence with 108 prostration push-ups. There are 9 sets of 12 push-ups, which makes it very doable. You can either do them traditional style, or with bent knees. Building your strength and endurance each time you do this practice.
I do this Agni Namaskar about once a week, and I am so much stronger. I am also seeing more muscle definition in my arms. This increased strength and stamina is helping my yoga practice in more ways than I would have expected.
The core work is good too, but nothing too spectacular.
It's the Agni Namaskar that you want this DVD for!!! :)

I love this dvd, it kicks my butt! By the end I am completely sweaty and my arms feel like jell-o, I love it!