Customer Reviews

The Total-Body Yoga Workout: Lower Body, Abs, and Upper Body Yoga for Beginners

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife and I bought this to round out our normal impact aerobic activities and found this workout to be effective and challenging. The problem with the workout was the movements went by to fast and it took a few weeks of "memorization" to be able to conduct the moves as they appeared on the television.

This workout is more then just stretching. As you are practicing yoga - you can feel your muscles work and you actually begin to sweat! I would recommend incorporating a yoga workout into a normal impact aerobic/Tae Bo workout.

Gone are the days when we think of yoga as only something so mystical. Yoga is a healthy alternative to relaxation exercises and to impact exercises.

As an intermediate student of yoga, I found the workouts on this DVD were extremely fast. A good workout for someone pressed for time. The lower body workout was mostly a standard yoga set that most beginning students learn, sun salutations etc. The other two sets had movements and positions that I've never seen before. I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner. The DVD only explains the basic positions with still pictures. The instructors don't really explain the poses well enough for a beginner. For an intermediate yoga student pressed for time, this makes an adequate DVD to have in your collection.

I've been doing yoga for a few months now and have really enjoyed it. This series did not seem like it was for beginners at all. It moved way too fast for me and did not give me enough time to fully stretch into the parts I needed work on the most! The abs section is ok (you feel the burn) but not long enough.. I say rent it from Blockbuster 1st and see if you like it! I've really enjoyed Crunch's yoga video and Kathy Smith too.. they're easy to follow and a great workout!

I've read the reviews for this DVD, and while it's true that some of the moves are difficult for beginners, I think it challenges begginning students of yoga with lots of interesting and quick moves. Quick moves is all Rodney Yee style, as evidence by some of this other DVD/videos. While it may take the beginner a while to be able to keep up and do ALL the workouts, it tends to have a lifespan that is longer than most very basic yoga workouts that get boring after two or three viewings.

I agree with the last few reviews. This DVD is quite difficult for a beginner who is: 1)UNfamiliar with the poses; 2)lacks upper/lower body strength; and, 3)has not worked out for an extended period of time. I bought this DVD as an extension to my at-home Pilates workout. While Pilates (the Performer/Reformer machine and tapes) starts you off slowly and works in more difficult positions as you get more into the workout, this *beginner* DVD took me AND my pulse by surprise! You'll surely be sweating up a storm, but the narrative instructions provided move too quickly...so that either you're trying to listen or constantly lifting your head to watch Yee demonstrate the moves. Of course, this defeats the whole purpose of "relaxing and centering yourself" because you become more concerned with catching glimpses of the moves. But--DO NOT be discouraged! If you do try out this DVD 5-6 times, consistently, you'll eventually get it. But, don't expect this DVD to smoothly transition you through the moves. My advice is this: check out the poses (stills) and practice them a few times on your own, so that when they're called out during the workout, you have a vague idea of what the moves look like. In addition, try to LISTEN to the instructions, instead of trying to watch them. The instructions alone are pretty specific and helpful, while trying to listen/watch can be confusing. IF this is your first-ever attempt at Yoga, and you insist on buying this DVD (like me), PLEASE start off with the ABS Yoga section of the DVD first. BE CAREFUL with moves that strain your back (if you have previous problems with this area). The ABS section moves slower, so you have the chance to feel what Yoga ought to do for you. ABS is challenging, but less confusing. NEXT, move to the Lower Body workout, and finally follow up with the Upper Body. My mistake was to begin with the Upper Body workout, and I started to panic about my abilties to continue with the workout altogether. Just barely made it! Also, if at all possible, take a couple of Yoga classes with a good instructor who'll give you hands-on help with the basic poses. It'll help you IMMENSELY with this DVD. FINAL Call: this is a very challenging and thorough (intermediate) workout, once you get the hang of the moves. Just be prepared for MAJOR muscle aches for a few days after your workout! Namaste.

The actual work outs were GREAT, however, I felt that some of the poses were very hard for someone like myself who is a total newcomer to yoga. I have had this DVD for about 3 weeks now and finally I am getting a good sense of the poses. Also, I found the workouts to be rather short. (20 minutes each for abs, upper, and lower)

Another great Rodney Yee workout. As with his other videos, it takes at least one workout to get familiar with the moves, but each is challenging enough to keep you coming back. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because Suzanne Deason's section is weak, because she rarely tells you when she changes positions, and you quickly find yourself lost. The added bonus on the DVD of a section devoted to proper positioning is essential! I recommend this to anyone seriously starting out in Yoga.

I purchased this Yoga program shortly after delivering my second child. I had no idea how difficult Yoga could be! But it is in no way TOO difficult for a beginner, as some here have suggested. I started with the abs workout, in an attempt to work my way back to my pre-pregnancy shape. It is true that the instructor moves through the poses a bit quickly, but I personally could not have held the positions for even a second longer in some cases. (Perhaps this only illustrates how out-of-shape I was to begin with?) It did take a few workouts for me to really catch on, but I found this no different than any other workout video/DVD I have ever purchased.

As you can probably tell by the subject, I loved the Rodney Yee parts of this DVD. My husband and I are brand new to yoga, but we were able to follow both of Rodney's sessions with ease. He explained things so well we didn't even need to look at the TV a lot of the time. Suzanne Deason however, was not so good. She did the move before she told you how, and her voice over tended to focus more on the breathing and feeling than how to get into the actual positions. I would recommend this DVD to a beginner. Rodney Yee was wonderful, and I got a good, challenging workout, without having to watch the disc 15 times before actually taking part. Don't let the short 20 minute sessions turn you off to this DVD, either. I was breathing hard 5 minutes into it, and was worn out after, but was not very sore. Overall, a great introduction to yoga. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was Suzanne Deason.

I am a fan of both Deason and Yee but would have to agree with the previous reviews that this is not a DVD for someone who is a beginner, especially for those who have not done any kind of resistance or physical training. Without the support of upper body, lower body and core strength, this DVD is not much instructional use for a beginner.

For beginners, Deason's Yoga for Weight Loss is much better (DVD format) -- especially for those who have never done an exercise program and have little core strength and are looking to improve strength, tone and stamina.