Customer Reviews

Yogilates Intermediate Workout: Level Two

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

 

 

I've been doing Yoga daily for 9 years and have added Pilates into my daily practice for the last several months now. With over 95 Yoga programs (and a growing number of Pilates programs) I have a good feel for what is available in terms of this genre of media.

I just did this program this morning and it is a definite keeper!

Though it's the intermediate Yogilates program I found it to be very doable, just challenging enough without being a struggle. I felt great afterwards, very open but not at all depleted, in fact I felt quite energized!

Like Yogilates 1 there are three sections to it which breaks the workup into logical sections. This makes it very managible and gives you an opportunity to pause the program if you need a little extra time between sections.

This program is unique in it's sequence compared to most other Yoga based programs, especially with the Sun Salutes coming in the third section. You are gently yet thoroughly warmed up by the previous sections so it makes the Sun Salutes (which are usually treated as warm up) a very different experience. After the Sun Salutes you continue with a more intense Yoga section of Standing poses and the like which eventually winds down and ends in Savasana (relaxation pose)

I also (as mentioned by another reviewer) like the extra view that is shown for the poses throughout the program. It definitely makes it much easier to be sure you are doing things correctly.

For someone looking for a nice and flowing integration of Pilates and Yoga I would highly recommend this program!

Namaste

I ordered this DVD direct from Jonathan Urla's website in December 2005 as part of a 3 DVD box set which covers levels 1, 2 and 3.

My level 2 DVD did not work properly - voice and picture didn't match and I began to hear a doubling on the sound track as if the player were reading from two different voice recordings at the same time. Then the picture started jumping and skipping until I found myself at the end of the program in no time at all. Needless to say the DVD was useless to me.

I contacted the company and was told there was a problem with the master copy and that I would be sent a new copy when they were remastered.

I waited and waited for that new copy and finally contacted the company again after about 3 months had passed. It seems they had the remastered copies but forgot about their promise to send me a clean copy.

Well, the 'clean copy' finally arrived in March but it too had problems with the sound track and I found it impossible to follow the program due to the sound issues. So I contacted the company again.

I was asked to send back the bad copies they had sent me (they didn't offer to pay for postage) and told that they would try again. But once again the same problem.

I was told this time that they would view the copy they sent me before sending it out and they asked again that I return the bad copy. I returned the bad copy several weeks ago and still haven't received a replacement.

Now I've tried to contact the company by email and phone and suddenly nobody returns my calls or emails.

I don't know what is going on but I feel abandoned. I've not been offered any money for the postage on returning the bad copy, no refund has been issued and I still don't have a working copy of the level 2 DVD.

They program may be a good one but the DVD has a big flaw and the company just doesn't care enough to take care of their customers once they got the money.

I feel mistreated and I will not be doing business with them again.

I bought this dvd wanting a change from the regular yoga routines. I really like how Jonathan presents this 3 part routine. I just wish it was a little longer, to make it a 60 minute workout. My dvd, too, has a few seconds of voice distortion, like echoing; but it's not so bad that I can't work through it. When my lower back is hurting, this is the dvd I use to ease the pain/stiffness and it works. I feel good and energized after wards, but left wanting just a little more.

Yogilates is a combination of Hatha Yoga and Pilates. Jonathan Urla created this workout for intermediate students. Five minutes into the exercises and you can feel your core working. The picture-in-picture feature is helpful so you can see the view from the front and side simultaneously. The Pilates exercises strengthen and tone the entire body while the Yoga postures also clear the mind.

The exercises are divided into three sections. In the first segment you start in a seated position and then go right into spinal twists and a moving Boat pose. Roll Ups and Leg Circles are followed by Half Lotus posture.

The second segment begins with a fairly difficult Straddle Stretch and Shoulder Stand. This is followed by Bridge (with leg extensions), Cobbler's Pose and Cat/Cow.

By the time you get to the third section you may feel invigorated and up for more challenges. Torso Swings get the body moving faster and this wakes the body up for the sun salutations (Plank, Cobra, Downward Facing Dog). This is followed by Chair (with a twist), Warrior 1 and 2, Camel, Pigeon and Fish. The exercises end with a Final Relaxation Pose.

Overall I felt like I had a good full-body workout with enough challenges to keep me focuses and alert. I can recommend this to anyone who feels they are at the intermediate level, although two of the exercises in the second segment seemed more advanced.

~The Rebecca Review

I have a few yoga tapes that I alternate using and I love them but I always feel like I need more of an Ab workout. This tape combines the best of both! I really like how there is another view shown during some of the positions so you have a better idea if you are doing it correctly.

As an intermediate vinyasa yoga student with nearly 3 years of a primarily a home practice, but missing the accessible energy and core strengthening of a pilates practice, I appreciate Jonathan Urla's easygoing spirituality (including a break from the Sanskrit lingo). I had to crank on my heater to do it--I learned heated pilates when I did take wonderful Winsor style mat classes from a seasoned lady who has now gone Hollywood herself. That said, the workout has recently proven a little mild for me; I really look forward to doing his Level 3: Vinyasa Core, which I just purchased from Amazon.com. The only characteristic of this DVD (which I actually own) which disappoints, is the poor sound quality in the final third of the DVD.

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 (ie, advanced beginners or lowr intermediates) and who are interested in combining the two disciplines in a seamless flow.