Customer Reviews

ZenMama with Rainbeau Mars: Prenatal Yoga Workout

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I really like this DVD. For once, it's a prenatal yoga workout that doesn't seem like I'm watching that old Sit To Be Fit TV workout with the old woman in the plain leotard and monotone studio droning out the exercises.

It's more like being in a yoga studio. Rainbeau Mars is instructive without being overbearing, soothing and spiritual without being hokey. It's like she's a friend in the room with you, not too formal.

There is also a menu selection so you can do the workout with music and no talking once you get the routine down, or if you want to modify the routine.

The problem with the DVD is that sometimes Rainbeau Mars is a bit confusing or doesn't describe things as best as I think she could. If you don't normally do yoga, it might be difficult to understand some of the form, although, you could still find value in it and figure it out by watching the DVD a time or two before participating. I actually had a breakthrough in improving my form from something she said.

I also wish that she had an additional workout, maybe a second stretching workout or additional poses you could opt into with the menu before starting the workout.

The progressions are simple, but if you have been practicing yoga for a long time, you will still find that you can make them challenging. She also leads you through Kegel exercises better than any other DVD I've seen. She does the Kegels just long enough to understand why they are in the context of the DVD without overkill(afterall, how much of a DVD do you need devoted to something you can do anywhere).

Of the prenatal yoga DVDs available, I think this is the best option, and a pretty good one at that.

ZenMama is a terrific prenatal yoga workout. I originally bought Yoga Mama by Crunch because of its rave reviews and also the recommendation from Fit Pregnancy magazine. I was highly disappointed due to the feeling of being rushed through the workout, not getting an adequate stretch. I felt unsatisfied after every workout and decided to purchase ZenMama.

I consider myself at an intermediate level of yoga. My personal preference of yoga video before pregnancy was Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga, level II. I say this only because everyone has a varied preference in style.

ZenMama provides great stretching, has helped me with digestion, and also keeps you in tune with your baby throughout pregnancy. It's gentle and easy to follow for beginners (with a couple of exceptions in her wording), but definately a thorough workout for all levels. Rainbow Mars has a bubbly personality that is refreshing. Those who are annoyed by it can choose to play only music throughout the workout. I've been enjoying the video 4-5 days a week for 4 months now and haven't gotten tired of it. That combined with a mile walk every day (which is really not that much) has kept my weight gain steady and minimal. I highly recommend this video to anyone who is pregnant- it will truly help you through your 9 months.

*I delivered 5 months ago, had a very easy labor, and weigh less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I owe a lot to this yoga video. The breathing really helped me through labor, the kegel excersizes really helped me recover quickly down there, and because it helped me keep in shape throughout my pregnancy, I had no problem shedding the extra pounds after giving birth. In fact, I kind of miss doing the video!

Really wonderful program by the ever powerful Natual Journeys! I was so very pleased with this yoga series. Great and challenging poses with modifications offered. I felt energized and refreshed. I also felt like all the right muscles were streched and worked. What a difference from any other prenatal DVD I have done. Love this session/workout. Realistic, challenging and really enjoyable. I wish I found it earlier in my pregnancy and vow to use it through the rest.

If you haven't done yoga before, this might be a tough workout - it's not too strenuous, but her instruction can be confusing (eg. "Move your shoulders up... down towards your back") and she doesn't explain the poses in-depth. Still, it's not watered-down and has more "true" yoga poses, unlike some of the other options.
I do this video as part of my fitness routine, but each time I cringe at some of the more annoying chatter - problems with grammar like "the femur bones is the bone," or telling us that chest stretches along with a good oil are great for preventing stretch marks (to which my dr. said she sounds like an enthusiastic, first-time mom.) The good news, if you have the DVD, is that if you're distracted by her instruction but want the thorough workout, you can select the video with music only.

As an experienced yoga student, I have been desperately seeking a prenatal yoga routine that will be challenging but safe. This is not the one. It is really very basic and provided very little strength work or endurance training. It also seemed somewhat choppy. I would do it if I had time to kill for relaxation, but not to exercise. Any experienced yoginis out there should definitely try Dr. Christine Anderson's Dynamic Prenatal Yoga rather than this DVD.

This video far surpasses others I have tried (crunch and rocki's prenatal video). The instructor is wonderful - it felt like I was in a real class. The moves are not watered down or too easy, yet they are doable. I felt fantastic after doing this. She also does a great foot massage (as you stretch) and her relaxation at the end is superior to most yoga videos. I would highly recommend this to anyone, though it may be better for those who have done some yoga before. I will be buying every dvd of hers that I can get my hands on - once I deliver my baby.

I'm not a hardcore yogi by any means, although I have dabbled here and there. When I bought the DVD, I was just looking for anything to help me stay limber and relaxed. But I didn't use the DVD until I started experiencing back pain and some insomnia. I used the DVD (before bed) and wow! I was so relaxed and happy and I could've either stayed up or gone to bed, it didn't matter. My back pain was gone and I knew how to breathe through it and pose through it when it came along again.

Thought Rainbeau doesn't always say the right thing (she'll tell you to take your left leg when she means your right), if you watch the DVD through once before using it, you'll know where you're supposed to be. It's certainly not hard to get used to, and the modifications are quite helpful. As another review on here said, Rainbeau isn't cheesy or as hippie as one may assume she'll be. I really enjoyed her style and presence while doing my workout. Her voice is also soothing, which is a great help.

All in all, I am going to send this DVD to several people I know who are currently pregnant. I have to, having the results I've had!

It's about time a yogi commited to providing prental yoga that's hip to what's taught at the higher end prenatal classes in 2003! If you can't afford prenatal yoga at a yoga studio either because of cost or time or need to complement the classes you take with at-home yoga, this is it. The instructor, Rainbeau Mars, offers an inviting and hip style sorely lacking in the competition. The movements she flows through provide the much needed yoga benefits offered in a great prenatal yoga studio--strengthening asanas, relief of physical and emotional tension and stress, and a feeling of inner oneness. The workout is so effective at offering a yoga workout that a vibrant pregnancy needs. Possibly the next great prenatal yogi will fill the need for a release of at least 2-3 workouts in a series so if one can't complement the home yoga workout with studio classes, the series could provide coverage of all of the prenatal asanas!

I'm a regular exerciser who wasn't looking forward to slowing down when I got pregnant, but figured I'd buy a yoga DVD and do my best. At first it was interesting but a little slow. Then I started having premature contractions and got put on modified bedrest. My doctor said I couldn't exercise at all but after a week of that my muscles (and my brain) got very twitchy and restless. Now I've started to do this yoga DVD again and it's gentle enough to ease my restlessness and doesn't cause any contractions. I think it's saving my sanity and keeping my baby healthy to boot!

I also thought this was a great yoga video, very much like a class. The background music is soft and does not distract from the yoga practices. The only reason I did not give it a 5 was because of an audio technical difficulty. Rainbeau appears to have been dubbed or rather, her lips do not match the words you hear, even though she speaks English and the words are in English. It is weird. This might not bother some people, but it bothered me when I initially watched it. It seemed to me like a timing thing. Once you are doing the routine comfortably and look at the screen less, it might not be a problem. Seems like it would be easy to fix, I'm emailing the company to see what the deal is. Amazon was great about giving me a new DVD, but it did the same thing.