Customer Reviews

Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Grace, Power, Surf, and Sunset, Intermediate & Advanced, a ***Practice DVD***

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 6:41 Mins

This is a video clip from the actual DVD. The music is one of 4 choices (one is no music). The instructors voice is one of two choices. This is the detailed instructional choice.

In the interest of full disclosure, I've been practicing yoga very actively (almost every day) for the past 4 months, and in a hit-or-miss way for the past year. With that in mind, at best I can consider myself an advanced beginner. Everyting I am about to say is intended to be descriptive, not critical. I think this will be a great DVD to follow when I'm ready for it.

Which leads me to my first point... the cover doesn't lie - this is for intermediate and advanced practitioners, not beginners. Yes, I could follow along with almost all of it (even the headstand, although for some of the transitions I would have to be disassembled), but the overall issue really wasn't my flexibility. It was my endurance. Many of the poses are held for a long time with no break, and difficult poses (i.e., for beginners like me) flow into other difficult poses with no rest or vinyasa in between. By the time I was halfway through, I was exhausted, although not drenched in sweat like I am with most "power yoga" dvds.

Second point: I usually practice from power yoga dvds, most notably those of Rodney Yee. They're great. I also use David Swenson's "Short Forms" dvd a lot, and I can follow his longest workout without much issue. But, the key to those dvds is near-constant movement: pose for 5 seconds, vinyasa, pose for 5 seconds, vinyasa... Wash, rinse, repeat. Your heart really amps up, and after 45 minutes to an hour, you feel like you've been through SEAL training. (No offense to you SEALs out there - I'm just trying to illustrate a point) An hour after that, I get this weird glow that lasts almost the whole rest of the day. It rocks.

This DVD was different. Yes, I was totally wiped out, and yes my heart did get going; but like I said, it was more of an endurance challence... the metaphor I keep coming back to is, this workout is like a marathon, while Rodney and David's are long sprints. Even though those workouts last almost the same amount of time, this one left me more tired in a deeper way. And less sweaty.

There are definitely some advanced poses here, too; but you can work around that. My frustration was, once I got to a pose I couldn't do (or couldn't stay in for as long as needed), I had to advance the dvd to find the next pose that I could do, which inevitably cooled me down a bit. That's the big reason I don't recommend it for beginners. Again, though, that's not a criticism of the DVD, it's a recognition that I wasn't ready for a workout of this intensity. But I'll keep at it!

I can say I had no problem playing this DVD, and the yoga was top notch. The instructor is extremely good, the flow is of a moderate place, and it is a lengthy practice 95 minutes. However there is a 7 minute meditation session and 5 or so minute savasana. The poses are well sequenced and will work you out. This is a great DVD if you have the time, skill, and the endurance to get through it. If you need something a little shorter I would suggest Deb Dobbins video (39, 71, 70 minute sessions) or Christine Pedersen (76 minutes 1 session). Otherwise, you cannot go wrong with this one.

Alas, a DVD for a seasoned person who practices yoga, w/out cheesey music and settings!!!

I have practiced the art of yoga & meditation for several years all around the world. Gift this DVD for yourself, friends, and family who practice yoga because it offers a more in depth of the yoga world. Some benefits of the DVD include are:

~multifaceted view of the asanas/ yoga poses and modifications!

~various well-crafted music selections

~filmed in the one of the most beach settings- San Diego-(La Jolla), CA (yes, yes!!)

~clear and easy to understand instruction delivered with a soothing, complimentary voice.

~BETTER THAN ATTENDING most YOGA classes AND MORE COST & TIME EFFECTIVE!!!

**** Caution: You will be EXTREMELY PLEASED AND GRATEFUL for this DVD purchase!!****

=) Enjoy and namaste =)

I just finished doing this practice this morning and all I can say is that I am exhausted. As another reviewer said this dvd is a marathon not because of the number of poses but the long holds of the poses. It starts out with a 7 minute meditation. Next is sun salute 5x each a & b with variations on b using crow pose to jump into plank; hands clasped behind back to plank pose. Other poses are triangle, side angle to bird of paradise, head stand, gomasana arms, pyramid pose, revolved triangle, side stick variations, downward dog flip out to half or full upward bow, pigeon variations, half split, full split, locust, bow 2x, bridge, upward facing bow 3x, happy baby, hamstring stretch, side stretch, plow, shoulder stand, plow variation. I may have missed a pose here or there but that's what you get. The holds are looong.

Overall I loved this class. There are no abs and no seated poses. Another viewer said that the poses were too advanced. Not really, I modified when I needed to. Use blocks or straps, do modified sun salutes. The only time I skipped a pose was in headstand, (not my favorite as I have no desire to stand on my head). I can't do crow so I did crow prep instead. This dvd is definitely doable for all levels.

The Manufacturing problems for this DVD have been fixed. The format issues that caused problems with a few customers have been resolved. All DVD players that have been manufactured in the past 10 years should play this DVD now. All other DVDs from MyYogaVideo.com have had their issues resolved also (there were a few small sound volume issues where it was difficult to hear the instructor during short sections where the music got loud).

I used to take regular classes from Maral until the birth of my son. After choosing to be a stay at home mom, I have little time or money to practice at a studio. I am so thankful Maral has released this! I can get up early, pop it in the DVD player, and have my own practice. I feel great and more relaxed for my day.

This video is THE video if you want to learn and understand more about Yoga. Maral gives beautifully detailed instructions, that make it easy to follow and understand the alignment. Her voice is very soothing and the setting has a very calming effect. The extraordinary ingredient in this DVD is that Maral has deep knowledge about the connection between body and soul, meaning the connection between physical and emotional health. She supports you in discovering for yourself what that is, how to access it and to grow it through yoga.
This is not only a practice DVD, it is so much more: Maral's DVD is tool to find back to yourself through the storms of daily life by developing physical and emotional fitness.

Length:: 0:59 Mins

This practice was very nice , slow and calming . It's 90 minutes but the physical practice is only 70 min. since there is a 7 minute standing meditation and ujjayi at the beginning and a 13 minute shavasana! Everything is chaptered well so you can skip the standing meditation for example and shorten the practice. It wasn't so advanced as I thought , the only more advanced poses were bird of paradise which I can't do , headstand and crow that she inserted in 2 rounds of sun sal. B . The rest of the flow was pretty "regular" with side plank , triangle , side angle , pigeon etc. It ended with backbends and inversions. It's a very complete practice however I liked Christina Pedersen's Yoga On The Beach more since it was shorter and had a better flow IMHO , including a more challenging standing balance poses sequence and some fluidity that reminded me of Shiva Rea that was missing here for me. You also have 8 audio options - 4 music options (including no music) with full instruction and the same 4 with cuing only. Overall a nice relaxing and complete practice.