Customer Reviews

Yoga - Core Cross Train

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

 

 

The Good: Very different feel to the practice of yoga, moderately slow with hip openers sprinkled in. Separate strength and restorative sections, along with a pleasant interview with Rodney Yee.

The Bad: Pacing of strength section is odd. Mediocre core workout/ very easy yoga practice with a select few common poses.

The Verdict: If you like power yoga, this DVD probably isn't going to hold enough challenge. If you're new to yoga, prefer something easier, or are perhaps rehabbing from an injury - this might be worth a look.


Full Review: My preference is "power yoga". If you've used Yee's other offerings (Yoga-full body, yoga-strength, intermediate yoga) or have taken a yoga class - you've probably experienced "power yoga".

"Yoga - Core Cross Train" is a very different take on Yoga from Gaiam/ Yee, which I was open to after using (and liking) "Yoga Burn" for a time. However, whereas "Yoga Burn" was a slow, intense workout (the slower the practice-the more intense it became), "Core Cross Train" failed to deliver. It's a very easy yoga practice, but one that you probably wouldn't recognize. The "strength" practice begins by targeting your core... while lying on your back or seated on your behind. At times Yee races through seated poses like: cobblers, staff, seated wide-angle, boat - a convention that becomes rather annoying. After twelve minutes, you finally get into a few downward facing/3-legged dog poses, and some chest openers. Right about the time your heartbeat accelerates above resting, you move back into more sedate positions. When the practice had completed, I was certain that I had mistakenly selected the "restorative" section.

I hadn't.

The box claims that with this release you can "Chisel, Tone, and Stretch", though I can't see how you'll realistically meet those first two goals with this practice. It's far too easy for intermediates, neither challenging in strength - nor targeting the core deeply enough. I was hoping to receive a stimulating intermediate yoga practice, but this was a disappointing purchase to be sure.

One hidden gem in this DVD is the interview with Rodney Yee. He has some very interesting observations about what Yoga is, how to view meditation, why breathing is important, and so forth. His comments, refreshing and open, always seem to help me better experience yoga. While his words couldn't necessarily salvage my experience with this particular title, they were enlightening.

I did rate "Core Cross Train" two stars because Yee is a great instructor, and I feel that some may find positive benefit from this practice - if not quite as large of an audience as Gaiam had hoped for.

I found this yoga video extremely helpful for anyone getting back into yoga or beginning. The benefits are cumulative over time. The 30 minute core session is a great intro for those who have always wanted to practice yoga but found most beginning tapes too advanced, even the most basic. I have gained the strength, mind and spirit to understand the deep essence related to yoga so that I can easily continue on the path of yoga and all that it offers. Yes the tape is very basic but it is deep and full and core, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. It provides that opportunity. So if your not just interested in physical power yoga, and you want to experience the depth of what yoga offers, please start here and use this tape for several months. You won't be disappointed.

YOGA CORE CROSS TRAIN includes 2 workouts; CORE STRENGTH and CORE RELAXATION, each being 30 minutes long. I've found this is an ideal length for me to find the time and motivation to do regularly. There's also a 12 minute motivational interview with Mr Yee included. Filmed in Glen Canyon Arizona, the back drop scenery is gorgeous and as usual Rodney Yee's voice instruction is flawless. You can't beat the price of this DVD either.

CORE STRENGTH is a fantastic workout that has become a regular part of my exercise routine. Without being too intense or painful, you will definitely feel this in your core and abs the next day. I would also be able to recommend this to beginners as the poses are basic enough and move relatively slowly from one to the next with excellent cuing as usual. Core Strength works the entire body and I feel stretched and taller when done.

I didn't enjoy the RESTORATIVE workout quite as much. It's v-e-r-y slow and done from either a seated position or lying down. You will however stretch out your waist and lower back and definitely release tension. A blanket or bolster is used continually throughout this practice and I did get kind of annoyed with the constant folding and messing around with said blanket. However if done in combination with the Strength practice this is a complete one hour workout.

Some of the poses used; child's pose, staff, cobblers, wide angle, boat, 1 leg seated foreword bends, lightning, sphinx, locust, cobra, down dog, rolling plough, bridge and a standing arm swing with a twist which was different and felt really good. There's a brief relaxation at the end of each. Namaste.

I would rate the Strength portion of this 5*'s and the Restorative 3*'s

I kindly disagree with most of the other reviewewrs. This is an AWESOME Yoga DVD. The two workouts emphasize flexibility in the spine, particularly the upper back and chest, by bending in the opposite direction from backbends. These workouts are an excellent compliment to A.M. Yoga for Your Week.

These are two short workouts (around 30min each) suitable for advanced beginner or intermediate level. The main emphasis is flexibility, with a secondary emphasis on strength through isometric exercise. Each workout includes some fast paced warmup moves at the beginning to remind your body about how far it stretched yesterday, then an emphasis on moves that are held long enough for the muscles to relax and stretch further. This is all typical Yoga (aka Hatha Yoga). As the names imply, one workout emphasizes stomach strength and the other emphasizes flexibility. The strength workout fills the gap between a beginner workout and an intermediate workout that assumes you can do a shoulderstand or the plow.

I'm not sure why, but many other reviewers seem to want aerobic exercise. They would probably be happier with a step aerobics or kickboxing workout.

I appreciate the concise nature of this dvd, divided into 2 half hour segments: strength building and restorative. The first segment is a seated flow that focuses on building core strength. It is a stand-alone segment that leaves you feeling relaxed. The pacing is quick enough that you stay engaged

I typically practice a standing flow but enjoyed the change in staying grounded. The second segment is good for days when you are looking to unwind but don't have much energy to spare. I enjoy Rodney Yee's style of teaching, flowing through postures, his even voice and the scenery--orange striped rocks of Arizona. I think this dvd is good for all levels but targets intermediate practitioners.

Rodney Yee's "Yoga: Core Cross-Train" DVD is an excellent yoga DVD for a beginner like me. I've only been trying yoga for a couple of months, and this DVD has a lot to offer - good, achievable positions, a healthy emphasis on stretching over strength, and a complete absence of any overly-spiritual jargon or heavy-handed soundtracks that plague other yoga DVDs.

That being said, this DVD is not going to help you much if you've been into yoga for any serious length of time. Ultimately, the workouts seem rather basic - which means that a beginner like me can finish a 30-minute workout and feel darn good, but I suspect a serious yoga practitioner needs to find something more advanced.

The "strength" session opens with some sitting positions, and the only quibble I have from an uninformed beginner's perspective is that Yee switches from cobbler's pose to other leg-and-back stretches very quickly - we're talking a couple of seconds each. While this section is helpful for getting loosened up a bit, it does nothing for "strength." I also am changing poses so quickly that I can't concentrate on breathing. The middle section, featuring downward-facing dog and a couple of other poses, gets the perspiration going a bit, but before you know it you're cooling down. Quite frankly, I expected the "strength" workout to kick my butt . . . but it doesn't. Yoga shouldn't be marine-corps drill training, but I suspect it should be a bit harder than this.

The "restorative" session is more accurately-named - it feels terrific!

Rodney Yee is an excellent instructor and the DVD does not wear out your patience after repeated viewings. He keeps the spiritualism - which can make so many yoga DVDs so cheesy - to a minimum, and he often reminds the viewer to breathe.

I'm looking forward to other DVDs from his series.

Tune in to your body and breathe deep to restore and tone your organs. The side stretches are excellent! He has three or four different side stretch exercises that really tone the side body. This is a slower paced routine if you are used to power yoga, but you are still digging deep and working hard and can definately feel opened and released afterward. I found it very calming to do after a long day and appreciated the 30 minute routines. Most of Rodney's routines are 60 min so it's nice to have the option for one of these two 30 min classes.

I love this DVD! I've been using it once a week over a year. My job requires me to sit at the desk all day long. My back is very tight by end of the day. This DVD is great for loosening up the tight back and the chest. I feel so much better after 30 minutes of strength building. The flexibility is back. When I skip a week, it's so noticable I keep coming back to it. I don't get bored with it because he doesn't repeat the same asana over and over like some other DVDs do. I've been practicing yoga for 10 years and this one is definitely on my top 3 list!

This is a good supplement to an ab routine--maybe to use the day after an intense Pilates workout. I only did the strength routine, which I didn't find to be especially strengthening (and I'm only in average shape--not a fitness freak), but like Yee says in the Intro, the workout is more focused on creating a "supple" midsection. Plus, since stress can contribute to belly fat, the stress-relieving element of the workout may be beneficial.

I just really trust and admire Rodney Yee. He seems to embody the yoga spirit. This DVD is no disappointment. There are poses, exercises here I have seen nowhere else. Core strengthening is so important, and this is a great DVD that uses yoga technique to that end.