One of Rodney Yee's Best!August 28, 2005 TerryMia(O'Fallon, MO) 184 out of 185 found this review helpful
I did this one this morning, and I love it! It's an hour and really is quite a bit different from Rodney's usual stuff...it's not that the poses are held any longer than usual, but they're executed really slowly (though not TOO slowly, at least for me, lol) and repeated 2-3x.
It's hard to describe, but it almost feels like a dance, the way he puts it all together...he's soooo graceful anyway, and this really showcases that fact. I was able to get into wide-legged forward bend much deeper than I usually am able, and I think it's the way he sequences this pose with others...i.e., he twists (slowly, of course) to the right, holds the pose, drops down to the left with right arm extended overhead, turns into left one-legged forward bend, then comes through into wide-legged forward bend (hope I explained this well enough! lol). It's all done so gracefully it makes me want to be just as graceful.
Some of it felt pretty challenging...he does a very slow 10-count-up, 10-count-down cobra pose 3x that I really felt. He also does "baby cobra" pushing into downward dog (again, very slowly) with knees bent, gradually extending the knees into full downward dog. This one really felt good to me.
Also, there's an audio option to turn off all talking except for his announcing each pose as he goes into it...I didn't use it, but it's there for anyone who'd be interested in such a thing.
I usually do from 30 minutes to an hour of some kind of yoga a day, usually following my cardio or weights, or whatever I'm doing that day, and I found this to be at a moderate level for me. I really love the way it's all put together and the way it flows at a nice slow pace, yet still feels challenging enough in all the right places...can you tell I really like this one?
burning awarenessAugust 21, 2006 sobepeace 120 out of 120 found this review helpful
This is a beautiful, mindful, and potentially powerful yoga practice. It is true that there are no big surprise poses in this sequence--all are well-known, fairly basic level poses. The main audio option contains some instruction, but mostly about moving into and out of the poses; there is not much about alignment within the pose. Complete beginners may need more instruction and modifications than available here. The other audio option omits instruction at all, containing only prompts for moving from one pose to another. The basic poses, simple instruction, and deemphasis on speed makes this dvd a good place for advanced beginners who have some knowledge of the poses to deepen their understanding of them, and for anyone, irrespective of level, to work on the mindful awareness aspect of their yoga practice.
The intensity in this dvd comes, not from speed or difficulty of poses, but from deep, slow, conscious repetition of fundamental asanas, with the time to build awareness of movement into, within, and out of them. Yoga is not meant to be a purely physical activity. The awareness aspect of yoga is rightfully considered advanced practice, and the familiar poses presented here allow the mind to take precedence. The point is not merely physical endurance (though, if done right, this sequence will also challenge the body in that way). The purpose is at least twofold: physically, to develop long and lean muscle through slow repetition of simple postures, and mentally, to use the simplicity of the poses as a platform for developing presence and awareness with each pose. Yoga is, after all, about the mind-body connection, and this practice aims at allowing the time and space for working on this crucial element. For those ready to move their yoga practice beyond the physical dimension while still developing the body, this is a lovely practice dvd.
The asanas are presented in small cycles of three poses or so with about three repetitions each, so it is hard to present an exact sequence, but here is a list of poses, roughly as they appear in the practice: Staff, Flying Crossed Legged Pose, Cobbler, Half Boat, Boat, Simple Crossed Leg Twist, Cat, Down Dog, Plank, Cobra, Single-legged Down Dog, Triangle, Warrior 2, Standing Forward Bend, Chair, Standing Side Stretch, Warrior 1 and 2, Low Lunge with backbend, Low lunge with hands in reverse prayer, Bow, Cobbler with forward bend, Head to Knee forward bend, Wide Angle forward bend series, Seated Forward Bend, Back Stretch, Reclined Bent Knee Twist, Bridge, Reclined Leg Stretch, Reclined Crossed Leg to Chest, Corpse.
GreatMarch 28, 2006 Dolph72(New Jersey) 38 out of 38 found this review helpful
I'm fairly new to yoga and was intrigued at doing a "slow flow" workout. At worst I thought I would have a relaxing practice that I could alternate with a more vigorous workout. Yoga Burn surprised me! I'm finding that the more I get into the slow pace, work on mindfulness and detail the more I feel the "burn". I feel it in my abs and afterwards my upper arms feel like they have been really worked out. My chest also feels more open and free than it has in years. The key as Rodney says is keep it slow and keep your mind with it. Rodney ends the practice by saying "Thank You" "Namaste", I find myself saying "No, thank you! Rodney" for a great DVD!
Burning yoga positions that help tone and shape!January 15, 2006 Amy Wallace(San Rafael, CA United States) 22 out of 22 found this review helpful
I've been practicing yoga on my own (no classes) for a little over a year. I decided to invest in a few yoga videos to keep me moving at a good pace and really improve my body's tone and muscle shape.
Rodney Yee is a master yogi. Through this DVD, watch Rodney move slowly from position to position creating a fat-burning series of yoga moves. His body is perfectly sculpted and toned, and watching him, I was able to make my body mimic his.
At first, the moves were not that difficult, and they did not "burn" but as the workout continued, my body began to really feel the positions and open up. At some point, I even began yelling back at Rodney, "I've got it this time!" I felt so proud that I was able to easily follow along through most of it, and when I couldn't get it right the first repition, the move was repeated for both sides 3 times until I had it down!
This is great for intermediate yogis, even beginners who have a knowledge of the positions! I would reccomend this and other Rodney Yee DVDs to anyone practicing yoga who wants a little bit more intense workout.
teaches mindfulnessMay 4, 2006 Southern California 18 out of 18 found this review helpful
This video has taken my moment-by-moment awareness of my body to a new level. I've been using Mr. Yee's Power Yoga videos for a couple of months now, and I am usually aware only of the parts of my body that hurt during each pose, or I'm mentally with my kids, or at work, or on household issues, etc.
My first few tries with this video seemed long and boring, until today. Because of the slow pace of the work-out, I started to notice the sensations throughout all of my body, not just the parts that ached. My mind emptied of anything else, and patiently started to experience the sensation of being fully inside my own skin. This was a new experience. I was very surprised when the tape was over-- the time flew by.
This tape does not substitute for the more active Power Yoga workouts, but it teaches an essential mindfulness without which I realize that I will not have full control over my weight. I tend to eat more in response to my emotions than in response to my body. The awareness of the body emphasized in this tape, is essential to changing that habit.
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