Customer Reviews

Yogilates - Intermediate Workout

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yogilates is a blend of yoga and Pilates, and in Workout 2, instructor Jonathon Urla leads an intermediate-level class. The practice is broken into three sections, thus allowing you to customize your workout. The first 12-minute segment focuses mainly on stretches from a seated position to warm up the body. In the second segment, you'll start immediate with a shoulderstand/plow series and then move right into the Pilates rollover, which was a nice flow. You'll continue with additional Pilates-inspired abs work and then do some additional core work from an all-fours position; this entire segment lasted about 17 minutes. The third segment was the longest at 29 minutes. After some opening stretches, you'll move into a sun salutation series from yoga, gradually adding in additional poses such as lunges and the warrior series. The total time for the workout is 54 minutes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this hybrid practice, although I found it to be more yoga-focused than Pilates (I would have liked a bit more Pilates matwork). Jonathon Urla cues well and offers very good form pointers throughout the workout; he has a very encouraging, calming, and relaxing manner. This practice is probably most appropriate for those with some prior exposure to both yoga and Pilates who are interested in combining the two disciplines in an excellent, seamless flow.

I've done Jonathan Urla's Beginner (or Level One) Yogilates workout (see my review of it for more detail). Here he takes it up a notch, again seamlessly merging yoga and Pilates exercises into a graceful, flowing, and challenging workout. The calm voice and excellent instruction are back, as is the trippy and mystical music.

This workout does move a bit faster and is a bit more challenging than the beginner workout, though, so please try that one first if you have no experience with yoga or Pilates. Nonetheless, most of the exercises were pretty accessible to me, someone with some experience in yoga and minimal in Pilates. I'll need a few more times through to really start to feel comfortable with the workout, though, and some of the poses were a little beyond me.

But that is what practice is all about, is it not?

If you want a workout to challenge your core muscles as well as your mind and soul -- if you want a workout that leaves you feeling energized and centered and bendy and strong -- check out this DVD! (But check out the beginners' DVD first if you are one...)

Namaste.

I was both a little skeptical and intrigued about yogilates when I first heard about it. I'm advanced in pilates and intermediate in yoga so I thought a combined workout might be interesting. I did the whole workout (54 min, 3 separate sections) and time just flew. It was both challenging and easy to follow. I agree with one of the reviews that this DVD is more focused on yoga than pilates, but I still enjoyed it. Jonathan Urla carefully explains all the poses and reminds you about the correct alignment. I really liked the small screen that showed the pose from the side as well. I'm going to try level 3 next. The instructor is excellent and I'm thinking about attending his class in NY.

I have always had an interest in but found exercise hard to stick with due to time constraints, etc. so I would go from running everyday to not running for months, etc. After the birth of my first child, I was looking for a convenient form of exercise that I could do at home and that would help me to tone my stomach muscles. I practiced with Louise Solomon's Yogalates for awhile; she does a great job of introducing proper form for yoga positions, but after a year or so of continuous practice, I was very bored with her tapes....then I found this one. At first, I found it a little confusing, but within a couple tries, I was able to do the whole tape, and it was fun, relaxing, and just challenging enough. I loved this DVD. I CERTAINLY got my money's worth, since I probably used it close to 200 times.....and I was very sad when I felt like I was no longer getting enough exercise from this tape, since it is a smooth and relaxing workout. I agree with a previous reviewer who said that if you stick with this DVD, you will probably find it motivating enough to continue to Level 3.....And though the 3rd one is significantly more challenging but also a great buy, it is exciting to be able to think of yourself as an "advanced practitioner." If you have some familiarity with yoga and are looking for something a little more "workout-like" I don't think you'll regret purchasing this. I still plan to use this one if I am unable to do the 3rd one due to an injury, etc. It really is a fun DVD!!!!

Ok, I can add it's set in a studio with 3 women & 2 men all in great shape. Great lighting, good sound, good music, not too fast, not too boring. Jonathan leads speaking/teaching in real time. He will perform all the exercises himself & then help others as they stay in it. He cues YOUR left & right, not his/students. He gives great instruction, has a soothing voice, but not to soothing. This almost felt to me like a rigorous stretching workout rather then anything else. The warm up was the entire first section & at first I thought it would be too easy. After the warm up & stretching, there is modified & full pilates, stretching of the legs, butterfly stretch, torso stretching, bridge bridge w/1 leg up, etc. Last he gets more advanced with modified & full side plank, standing He saves the sun salutations, warrior poses, triangle, side angle, chair, camel, standing wide legged fwd bends, for almost last. Though many of the postures were modified, some were not. With all the stretching, time went quickly & I didn't realize I was sweating, heart racing & out of breath until it was almost over.

There's a video preview if you search google's videos on a Japanese site with Japanese voice over.

Being an avid pilates and yoga indiviual I was very excited to try a fusion of them both. The dvd is well done, and the excersises are very clear. My only complaint is that the workout was not very challenging for me, I was hoping it would be a little more vigorous. It was suuficiant to warm me up and stretch me out, but not at the level I usually work at. I will definately try the advanced version, and hope for more.

After 3 months of practice Yogilates level 1 I moved to level 2, you can't start level 2 if you didn't practice before Yoga. I start losing pounds, my body is shaping and the best thing take back the control of myself

Johnathan Urla makes THE BEST workout DVDs out there. I have 4 of his different pilates and yogilates series. I would buy anything that he put out on the market, and wish that he had his own show. A great buy for someone who wants to condense both workouts into one!

This is a great video, but it IS advanced. I used to use the beginner level video and that one is awesome too. Something about Jonathan Urla, he is so motivating, he just makes you want to keep going! Good workout, reasonable price.

I like this workout very much, very relaxing. It tends to lean on the yoga side with a sprinkling of Pilates. I do enjoy doing this workout between "Reach" workouts which is more intense.