Aerobic Yoga? As a beginner to yoga, I was very surprised to see the fast pace of this workout. You barely get into position before Rodney jumps (literally) to a different one. He does not explain or talk you through most of this workout. It is very repetitious with lots and lots of upward and downward dogs and forward bends. I was disappointed with this video, as compared to Yoga for Athletes which sounds very, very daunting but has three levels of demonstration and Rodney slowly moves through the sessions and explains everything thoroughly. If this Power Yoga were the first one I had done, I would not have bought another.
Nicely flowing practice provides vigorous stretching First of all, like all of the videos in the Living Arts "for Beginners" series, this tape assumes some prior familiarity with basic yoga poses, so "Yoga Practice for Beginners" is recommended as a first step. Secondly, because this is a "power" yoga workout, it moves along at a fairly quick pace, so some baseline staminia and strength is also a necessary prerequisite to this practice.
That being said, Rodney Yee has done a nice job of putting together a flowing, energizing 25-minute workout on this video. I particularly like how he gradually increases the difficulty level over the course of the practice. For example, when you first begin the sun salutations, you will step back to a lunge and put your knees on the floor before coming into cobra; on subsequent repetitions, you jump back instead and then move into a low push-up position before doing a full upward dog. Yee gradually adds on to the sun salutations with powerful pose, warrior poses, triangle, three-legged dog, and one of my favorite poses, pigeon--this is an especially nice hip opener. Following the standing poses, Yee comes to a seated position for simple seated forward bends: head to knee, wide-legged forward bend, and cobbler. Finally, Yee moves to reclined poses and offers a nice guided meditation in relaxation pose which is less rushed than in his other videos.
This is my favorite video in Yee's Power Yoga series. The practice flows at a nice, steady pace without feeling rushed, and the poses included provide excellent stretches, particularly for the hip area. This is a good video for anyone who wants a shorter yoga practice which is invigorating without being exhausting.
Great workout! One word of caution...beginner. It really is best if you get the series (strength or stamina) and become really good at one of those first. This one is a little challenging if you are not in good shape already or if you unfamiliar with yoga poses. Otherwise, the tape is a solid workout and not too long. Before this workout I had a relatively weak upper body, but this has made me much stronger. I can now do several pushups, impossible five weeks ago. I have done tapes by three different people and I find Rodney Yee the best at explaining. It's true that he goes pretty quickly. MAny people who do yoga want a slow pace and more meditation. If that's you then this tape is not for you. But is you want to get stronger, more flexible and work up a ligh sweat, then this is the perfect tape.
Lower back pain relief I am tall and I live in Japan, which is designed for small people. Lower back aches and pains are constant for me. I have several of Rodney Yee's Power Yoga videos, but this is the best one to help ease the lower back. If bending forward causes pain or discomfort (other than the stretch of muscles I wouldn't recommend this tape as it will probably only give you more pain! However, if you have a job with a lot of sitting or standing involved and you need a good stretch to relieve the tension - this is the tape! I agree with the comments that this is not a tape for beginners - but then most of the "beginner" series aren't really for beginners anyway. I had never done yoga before using Rodney Yee's "beginner" tapes. If you have good body awareness and start slowly you should be able to get the hang of the tape after 3-5 times.
Waste of money Ill sum this up quick. This video was horrible. I like alot of Yees stuff, but this was a bad attempt to keep up with yoga trends. Pace was way too fast and the postures were hardly explained. Save the 9 bucks and put it twords Baptistes or Kests videos.
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