Customer Reviews

Yoga Can Balance Your Life

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I took yoga for several years but due to a hectic schedule am unable to attend anymore. This video is very like the live classes I was used to. The pace is serene. You can really work on your flexibility with this DVD. She adds some unusual poses not seen in your average mass market yoga tapes---camel, neck stretches, lots of balance poses. The production quality is exceptional and the music pleasing and unobtrusive. Ms. Rubio is an excellent instructor. Can't wait for more of her DVDs.

I have been trying to get into yoga for years, but classes are so expensive, and I could never find a video or dvd that intrigued me.

That all changed when my girlfriend purchased "yoga can balance your life."
For the last week I have been waking up at 6:30am every morning( that says a lot for me.) to go through the hour stretch excercise and meditation process.

In addition to the beautiful Hawaiin setting, Julie does a complete yoga workout from begining chants to final relaxation. Julie's delievery is very personable and her pacing is slow, relaxing ,and easy to follow. The yoga poses are challenging enough for a good workout without being too strenuous.

I really feel like a new man before I head into work each day.

This morning, for the first time, I did a home yoga practice with this DVD. I followed it all the way through for the entire hour and it was excellent! There are so many things I liked about it. 1-The pace was just right. I didn't feel rushed, and I could even add a few of my own alterations where I wanted. 2-The color scheme: I found out, that for a practice session via a TV screen, the color choices were brilliant! Because the instructor wears bright red, my eye easily found her on the screen. The blue mat helped with this also, it made a bulls-eye like image directing me to the right view. In short, the colors made it easy to keep concentrating on the more important activities of staying focused with my breathing, and body alignment. All I had to do was glance up occasionally to get visual information, and it was so easy to see what the instructor was doing. 3-The narrative was perfect. The instructor gives just enough audio information to follow easily, but not so much that it distracts from that internal focus we strive for. 4-The staging, oh my gosh....it could not have been better! You will marvel at the Hawaiian location. The scenes were just lovely. I just really loved this one. What a fantastic job! Namaste.

But could have been better. I haven't done this for ages, which is a sign that something isn't that much to my taste. I found the order of the asanas a little strange, and remember thinking that she went into camel a little too soon for my liking. It's a very pretty dvd, with a lovely setting, but the cueing was slightly off, something that irritates me greatly, especially when one knows that editing is easy!

I, as a 33 year old male, have not been treating my body correctly for the past ten years. I've been using Julie's dvd for a week straight and can already feel a difference. It's easier to wake up in the morning. I feel more motivated to do the things I need to do. I would highly recommend this for anyone even considering it.

I have a mixed review for this DVD. There are plenty of pros. The scenery and film quality are beautiful. The practice is about an hour long and moves at a deliberate pace, giving you time to get in to and enjoy the poses. I especially like this for the standing poses which are often dashed through during a power yoga practice. Also, there are four balancing poses: half moon, dancer, eagle and tree. The DVD is well chaptered so specific pose sequences can easily be added on to another practice. I really enjoyed the standing and balancing pose sequences.

There are also several cons. The practice begins with a seated pose sequence which I didn't like and will probably skip in the future. (Rainbeau Mars' "Pure Tranquility" is a much better seated practice.) And as mentioned by another reviewer, the instructor gets you into the pose but doesn't tell you when to come out. So you'll be hanging out in triangle and suddenly hear that she's starting warrior 2. I also found it interesting that, like SophiaV, my back was killing me the night after I did this practice. Something to think about.

Beginners beware: This is definitely not a beginner workout as it lacks detailed explanations of the poses. However, this might be a plus for those with yoga experience who don't like a lot of chatter from the instructor.

Something else that warrants a mention: The sun salutations are very slow. I've never done them this slow before and she holds plank for what feels like forever. I found that doing the full round of three was demanding almost to the point of grueling. (She does mention that you can skip over rounds two and three.) By the third round I was definitely ready for them to be over.

Julie Rubio has a lovely, fresh presence. Her voice reminds me a bit of Rainbeau Mars sans the verbal imagery.

I like the postures on this DVD and she holds them for a long time. But it's not for the Power Yoga lover. It is a gentle practice, but with some of my favorite postures including a balancing section. DVD menu interface is complete. But, it was a bit irritating because she tells you how to go into the postures, but never verbalizes coming out of the postures. The setting is beautiful, but the music put me to sleep ;o) I have this DVD in my collection and will use it occasionally, but not one of my favorites. Your best is Yoga for Urban Living or see my other reviews on yoga DVDs.

I use to do this practice 2-3 times a month when it was on [...].The video was removed recently and now I am thinking of buying. I do like her voice, very soothing, but there are times (as others have mentioned) that she does not verbalize a move. I did notice that the more I did the practice the better I was at it. There have been times that I have fallen asleep during final relaxation and woken up by her saying, "Wake Up." This is good since I usually do my practice before going to work. I really hope that Julie has more DVDs in the making.

I really appreciate the accessible instruction and pace of Julie's DVD "Yoga Can Balance Your Life", as well as the beautiful place in which it was filmed. The length of the workout is good, and the level of difficulty challenging, but almost not noticeable because of the soothing tempo, tone of instruction and lush scenery. I would recommend this DVD to both those individuals just learning yoga, and those with some familiarity with the discipline. A very nice piece.

I have been searching for a Yoga video that not only had a good workout and a variety of techniques but was pleasant and relaxing to watch.

Most of the time I either see a beautifully shot video with terrible Yoga instructions, or wonderful yoga but poor video quality. I spend half the time rewinding the tape to hear what was said or what the position is.

This DVD has been wonderful for me. The image and sound are crisp and clean and I never have to repeat things just to see the next move. And the positions in the video are perfect for my workout and stretching.

Job well done. Thank you.