Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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252 of 261 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Destined To Become A Favorite!, December 6, 2002
To give you an idea of where this reviewer is coming from, I'm a guy in my 50's who loves to exercise. I enjoy resistance training, vigorous aerobics (especially rebounding), and most of all, yoga, which I've been practicing for many years. My favorite styles of yoga are Bikram's and "power yoga." I have dozens of yoga videos, and am very glad that the MTV Yoga DVD is now part of my collection. This is an excellent workout! I would rate it "Intermediate," although modifications are shown throughout, so I don't think it would be beyond the reach of a beginner in search of an energetic workout.
If you enjoy power yoga style routines, and you're looking for something fresh that doesn't feel and look like just another Baron or Bryan video (as good as they are!), I think you'll be very pleased with this one.
The instructor is Kristin McGee, and she is excellent! She's very "normal," down to earth, and has no annoying traits or habits, like some teachers do. There's not a trace of woo-woo on this video! Her instructions are precise and very helpful. I only caught one mistake - she does a variation for one of the poses on one side, and neglects to do it for the other side (in the pigeon pose with the bent right leg forward, after extending upper body over the leg, you sit upright, still in pigeon pose, reach back with the left arm, grasp the left ankle and bring it towards you to stretch the left quadriceps. She doesn't do that for the right quad). That surprised me, since she pays so much attention to details. Now when doing the workout, I just come out of the forward bend pigeon on the right side a few seconds before they do, and stretch the quad.
The workout is 45 minutes long. It's nonstop flowing, but never grueling. I really appreciated and was impressed by her breath cueing. She tells you when to breathe in/breathe out throughout the entire workout, but does it so quietly and with such rhythmical regularity, that it's kind've hypnotic and almost becomes subliminal. Hers is the best and most consistent "breath coaching" I've seen in any video.
There is one sequence I especially like for its dance-like feel: at one point you go into Warrior 1 and hold for several breaths, then into Warrior 2 for several breaths, move through Plank, Updog, Downdog, then repeat for the other side. Kristin then repeats this sequence 3 times, matching 1 breath to each movement, so it flows quickly and smoothly. Nice!
This is a total body workout, with a good selection of Warriors 1 & 2, Extended Side Angle, Triangle, Wide Leg Forward Bend, etc. There are balancing poses, starting with Tree pose. From Tree pose, you bring the bent knee to the front and bend forward at the waist while straightening the bent leg out behind you, going into Warrior 3 (Standing T Pose). After coming back up to Standing, you bring the right foot up, grasping the big toe with the first two fingers of the right hand, and extend the leg out straight (Lori does an easier modification). Then you take the extended leg out to the side, looking over the opposite shoulder, return the leg to the front, release the big toe and hold the leg in the air ("Imagine a helium balloon tied to your foot, lifting the leg as high as it will go"). Repeat on the other side. There's a bit of back work (baby Cobra, easy Locust and Bow) and seated forward bends. There's a seated spinal twist and the Boat pose. There is no Plow, no Shoulder Stand, no Bridge or Wheel.
The music has a good beat, but I never found it intrusive; was mostly just aware of a beat in the background. The DVD lets you choose between the workout with music, or with no music at all!
The set is pleasant. There are 3 students in the class; a young man showing the more advanced version of the poses, a young woman showing intermediate modifications, and Lori Trespicio (from MTV's The Real World) is the "beginner." They work in "mirror image" which I always appreciate!
After the workout, several of the poses are broken down in a Q & A format. Lori, who "hosts" the video, tells Kristin that she has some questions about several of the poses, and Kristin walks her through those particular poses, giving helpful pointers. Lori asks questions that anyone fairly new to yoga might ask, so I thought that was a great way to do it. Even experienced practitioners might find some helpful advice in Kristin's pointers.
Hope this review was helpful - I've tried to include the kinds of things I like to hear in video reviews. And I hope I've shown that this is definitely a legitimate yoga workout, led by a very competent and likable instructor!
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43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good for beginners and intermediates, December 6, 2002
By A Customer
i have been doing yoga for a few years, and i consider myself an intermediate level. after moving from nyc to the midwest to finish my master's degree, i have become an avid collector of yoga tapes and dvd's, since the town i live in now is lacking in live yoga classes that fit my hectic schedule. this one is really one of the best i've seen for a nice, short, balanced, fun yoga workout. there are a few series of sun salutations, then warrior poses, some standing poses, then a short series of balancing poses followed by a final relaxation.the one thing that really bothered me about the DVD was the DJ-style music. But, it can be turned off, so you're working out only to the instructor's voice. I like this feature, b/c it's a lot like a real yoga class, which often don't use music. Finally, I think this DVD is great for beginners especially, because the instructor is great with explaining the poses, which many tapes and DVDs are greatly lacking. And, it works for intermediates also, because the instructor is very clear about how to make the pose work best for your skill level. In the end, it's not the most challenging yoga workout ever, but it'll make a nice addition to your collection if you want a nice 45-minute yoga workout that leaves you feeling stretched and energized.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only workout I've ever been able to stick to!, February 10, 2003
By A Customer
I absolutely love this video. I am relatively new to yoga and bought this DVD when I had advanced beyond the Yoga Zone beginning-level videos. (I wouldn't recommend this for a first-timer who doesn't already know the postures...) I've been doing MTV Yoga 4-5 times per week for the last 6 weeks and already I am seeing incredible results. I have dropped two pants sizes, my posture is better than it's ever been in my life, and my chronic back pain has gone away completely. Most importantly, I enjoy this workout and therefore I do it as often as I can. Overall I think the instructor is great, and I like having three levels of each posture to follow so there is always room for advancement. My only annoyance with the instructor is that she's inconsistent with the timing of her breathing. She tends to talk for a long time (describing the postures and various modifications) and then always jumps to "Inhale, Exhale" whenever she happens to be done talking... whereas if you are carefully regulating your breaths, you will be exhaling when she wants you to inhale or be mid-breath when you are supposed to start a breath. I tend to get distracted by this and have to interrupt my breath pattern to get back in sync with her instruction. Still, I think this is a great workout and it's nice to finally have a yoga option that avoids the new-age cheesiness of most yoga videos.
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