Customer Reviews

Tara Stiles - Yoga Anywhere: The New York Sessions

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Absolutely NOT for beginners! I was excited when my book and dvd arrived. Those feelings were dashed right away. Tara says this is good for beginners. The workouts in this dvd were so fast and advanced that it was actually unmotivating. Half the time her hair is hanging in her face to it's hard to see/hear exactly what's going on. She breezes through poses so quickly there's no way I could keep up. My boyfriend couldn't keep up either and he has far more yoga experience than I do. The pulsing color changes made us dizzy and gave me a headache. This dvd is back in its case and at the bottom of the stack. Not sure I'll ever view it again.

I am a yoga teacher and I own many yoga dvds.Usually I can predict if it will be a winner.Well this time I was very wrong.I dont know why anyone gave it five stars. Firstly it is so distracing with the noise and the movement and most importantly are you supposed to follow along? There is no instruction at all! This is a dvd of Tara Stiles showing off her yoga poses! Very decieiving unless it should have been titled Tara Stiles doing her yoga for herself. Maybe she should watch shiva Rea or some of the other qualified teacher to see how you teach yoga on a dvd rather than just showing off the poses.
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Heres the basic info "Yoga Anywhere The New York Sessions features a flawlessly carved out 60 minutes of intense calorie burning yoga, with Tara showing you the basics, then guiding you through more advanced moves with her precise form and expert instruction. Plus 4 bonus routines that can only be described as yoga art. Hip, stylized scenes set to rock music, with Tara performing the most inventive poses, in the most unexpected places. From the tunnels in Central Park to the famous FlatIron Building on Fifth Ave., the intent is to inspire the practice of yoga anywhere; you have to see to believe!"

I found this DVD to very advanced and I have been doing yoga Ashtanga and Kundalini Yoga for over 10 years. Being a NY native I really enjoyed seeing all the landmarks. Very entertaining. Different from the usual forest or ocean backdrop you get in most dvds.

I read about Tara Stiles and her new yoga video in Women's Health Magazine and after seeing all these five and four star reviews I thought I'd give it a try. Stiles starts the video by saying something along the lines of #this is good if you are a beginner..." Believe me when I say that is not true! She is so fast and she is mumbling. I couldn't follow one move and I barley heard what she was saying when I was doing my downward dog. Also, the background music is stressing and annoying.

I am sure this is really good if you have been practicing for quite some time. If you haven't - stay away!

Overall, LOVE, LOVE this dvd -- great addition to my yoga practice. I thought it might be easier to lay out positives & negatives below.

Positives:
*I think the dvd gets incrementally better each time I do it. The first time I did it, I was on the fence about it...the second time, liked it better...now after the 6th time, I can't wait to get back to it. There's something very addicting about it.
*Stretching section is one of the better ones I've done (as an owner of ~20 different yoga dvds) -- hamstrings feel amazing afterwards.
*Love all the different splits intertwined -- you feel so long & stretched afterwards.
*Music is fun (in my opinion) - not super chanty/"om"-like
*Challenging, but not overly...blends strength-building with stretching enough so you're getting a workout, but you're still breathing deeply & feeling relaxed.
*Tara has a GREAT energy about her; she makes yoga very accessible to people like me who aren't pros.

Negatives:
*the "1-hour" session is really ~50 minutes...not to be a nudge...but if you're neurotic like me and like doing "a full hour" workout, you'll notice.
*I prefer more emphasis on the breath-linking as I work through movements; sometimes I'm running through different poses and not sure if I'm supposed to be breathing in or breathing out. Probably more my issue, as I've only been doing yoga for <5 years.
*the "1-hour" session doesn't feature anything crazy different from poses you've seen before, but with that said, the sequence she runs through is phenomenal.

Overall, positives DEFINITELY outweigh the negatives!

After following Tara on Facebook on Youtube I was excited for this DVD. I am high beginner to intermediate and this is too confusing and difficult to follow along with. The setting is distracting, you can't understand her, there's really no instruction. Did I miss something?! I'm sure she is a great yoga instructor (she has a huge following!) but this DVD was perhaps a concept that needs more work. I will still try out her Jane Fonda Yoga Video and hope that's better suited for me! But my honest recommendation is: If you are a beginner to intermediate student wanting a CD that you can really learn from you should pass on this DVD. If you are a Tara Fan it could be a nice addition to your collection but I don't see it getting much use.

I love yoga, and have been practicing it regularly well for over 2 years. I feel super comfortable with the poses and enjoy classes with a variety of teachers. So when I got this DVD, I thought only great things would come of it. Unfortunately not. While Tara is awesome and truly knows her yoga, the DVD is far from an instructional tool. It can serve great as yoga entertainment, as yoga art indeed, but not as a DVD to help you with your yoga practice or to even be able to easily follow along or would even want to.

it's a great workout, not a yoga practice. yes she looks great, yes she can deliver the moves and the poses, but in reality her practice is too americanized, not real yoga. this is exercise-yoga not true yoga. fast moves, fast talking just like her you tube videos- she's far from a yoga master or expert. those who call her that don't know anything about yoga. definitely not for beginers - good for those in the exercise scene or those yogis & yoginis that want to supplement their traditional yoga practices and use yoga as exercise. it is just what new-yorkers and big city dwellers like- fast pace, stressful workout to go with their lifestyles. however, that is truly what new-yorkers don't need. this is what sedentary and overweight people need. new-yorkers need real yoga, tai chi and qi gong. otherwise, they are shortening their lives. her book has a lot of good info. on yoga, but then again, there are many other great yoga books out there. nonetheless, if you want to exercise in yogic-style way, this is for you.

I don't understand the high reviews, which gave me high hopes for this dvd. I own over 50 yoga dvds and am always looking for something interesting to add to the rotation, but this was a disappointment.

Perhaps my first clue should have been when I opened the box and was greeted by Ms. Stile's come-hither look on the dvd's cover picture. And then, there was the quote chosen for the cover: "Tara's got to be the coolest yoga instructor ever," (Vanity Fair). Oh, dear. Seems rather un-yoga, to care about looking sexy and being "the coolest."

Still, I gave the "hour" practice a shot. Although there are some interesting balancing sequences, the poorly chosen music and/or sound mix prevents her voice from being clearly heard. Also of no help in that matter is the fact that she wears her long hair down for the entire practice, and it -- surprise! -- keeps getting in her face. Yo, yogini: use a hairband. Pony tail. Something. She makes many references to having to adjust her hair. I want an instructor who cares more about clearly communicating form and sequence than needing to flip back her flowing tresses. She also made more than one reference to yet another distraction: needing to adjust (ahem) her shorts, which are teeny, teeny, and did I mention teeny? Acceptable working attire for a roller derby queen or lap dancer but not practical for a serious yoga instructor, who's lifting her leg way up high and...oh, where are those little bits of spandex creeping? What's the sanskrit term: Wedgie-asana?

Save your $$. Namaste.

The hour long, in-studio session on this DVD is excellent -demanding but without crazy, circus-type stunts. It is comparable to the Sadie Nardini DVDs I've tried. The only drawback in my opinion is the monotone, sometimes mumbling instruction that at times gets drowned out by the music (perhaps recording the instruction separately would've helped). I found the additional sessions filmed throughout the city peculiar. They lack instruction and aren't filmed in a way that makes following along very easy. They are artfully edited and show off Tara's skill but these qualities are likely of secondary concern to most shopping for yoga DVDs. These are minor quibbles though and the hour long session alone makes this a worthy investment for anyone looking for a challenging yoga DVD that will leave you sweating.