Search - Power Yoga for Every Body (With Over 20 Workouts for All Levels of Students) on DVD

Good change of pace from Ashtanga series

James E. White | Oak Park, IL | 08/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I read a few reviews of this DVD concerning ashtanga teachers requesting their students to try this DVD as a change of pace to practicing the Primary and/or Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga. I can definitely understand why. I tried a few of the work outs on the DVD. The Sun Salutation, the Standing and Balance Series. The work has a similar intensity to Sun Salutation A & B and the Standing Postures. The biggest difference is there are certain poses you feel as if you are doing forever. For instance Chateranga (a.k.a "Yogic Pushup") is performed so many times and so slowly, a person can't help, but get stronger. This is a part that's kind of breezed through (at least I do) when doing the sun salutations when I warm up for the Primary Series. This DVD forced me to pay attention to detailed aspects of the practice like this one.



Ashtangis will definitely recognize most of the poses performed on this DVD (e.g. hand to big toe, hand to foot, triangle, revolved triangle, side angle, revolved side angle, etc.) There are a few poses that are performed a little differently. For instance the standing hand to big toe pose is performed with the arm extended out instead of having the hand on the hip, the intense side stretch is performed with the hands on the floor instead of behind the back in prayer position.



The pace is indeed slow, but ujjayi (victorous) breath is maintained throughout. I think this is the type of workout that will make a person who is used to practicing Ashtanga or any other type of fast flow yoga to slow down and focus on holding poses. There are several levels of the workouts that a person can try (beginner, intermediate, challenge). I tried the challenge and perhaps that is why some of the poses were held the way they were. Despite the slow pace, I was certainly able to work up a sweat performing the workout.



I would suggest this DVD for anyone who wants to try flowing type yoga, or a person who is used to faster flowing styles to try and slow down a little. My only problem with this DVD was there would be certain points where the dvd would just stop. I'm guessing this is a technical problem, which probably doesn't have much to do with the content of the tape itself. Otherwise, this was a good solid way to do an ashtanga-type workout, without as many of the really difficult poses included and at a much slower pace."