Sara Ivanhoe
In 20 Minute Yoga Makeover: Weight Loss, instructor Sara Ivanhoe connects various series of poses--or vinyasas--in a flowing manner. Although she repeatedly states that the addition of movement in the poses (namely moving the arms while inhaling and exhaling) will keep your heart rate up and contribute to weight loss, the practice isn't nearly aerobic enough for this purpose. However, the practice is suited to those who prefer movement rather than static poses.
Sara begins with a chair pose vinyasa, adding arm movement and a forward bend and linking the series with breath; this is followed by a standing backbend combined with forward bend series. Next comes a vinyasa that is repeated throughout the workout: you move from plank to cobra to down dog, again combining the series with breath. From a 3-legged down dog position, Sara leads you into several series of standing poses: she begins with triangle/revolved triangle, moves on to warrior/side angle pose/revolved side angle in the next series, and finishes with crescent lunge/revolved crescent lunge. She completes the plank-cobra-down dog vinyasa between each series, eventually substituting upward dog for cobra. Finally, the practice ends in a seated position with head-to-knee pose and a brief hand mudra. Overall, this is a nicely flowing 20-minute practice with a standing pose focus.
Instructor comments:
Sara Ivanhoe comes across as similar to in her Crunch videos--if you liked her down-to-earth style (although sometimes she is seen as a bit patronizing), you will probably like her here as well.
Beth C (aka toaster)
December 5, 2004
Beth did a great job of explaining poses and the basics of the dvd, so I will give my personal opinions.
The 20 min time on this is great for the dread factor. I had no dread factor coming in and it was over before I knew it!
I really enjoyed this workout. It flowed enough to keep me interested and feeling like I was working out, but not so much that I was very tired. I am just coming off a break after surgery and this was a great jump back into it. I feel stretched as well as lightly worked out. Perfect workout for me today!
I love the scenery, the music and Sara. I really enjoyed the mudra at the ending, it made me feel sort of in touch with myself and really did make me feel like I was "sealing in" the work I'd done.
Instructor comments:
Very down-to-earth, likeable. Not over the top with flowery language (I don't mind that, but I know some do), great with explaining poses. She is one of my favorite instructors!
Krista (benemma)
20 Mar 05
This short, invigorating workout is a perfect
practice for a busy schedule. It’s a true 20
minutes, as a matter of fact if you start the
clock when the routine begins (and not at the
introduction) then it’s really closer to 19
minutes.
The routine consists of vinyasas with added
arm movements to, supposedly, increase the
calorie burn. Initially, these are fairly typical
sequences: mountain to chair to forward
bend to mountain, or chaturanga to up dog
to down dog to chaturanga. But what makes
this routine special is that, once things get
rolling, Ivanhoe adds in extended leg down
dogs and standing twists such as revolved
crescent lunge and revolved triangle. I love
standing poses and these additions allow me
to push my edge in a short amount of time.
A real treat!
She ends the practice, rather abruptly, with
just one quick seated stretch (single-legged
forward bend) and a mudra. The mudra
doesn’t quite “seal in the practice” for me, so
I usually add a brief final relaxation.
Instructor comments:
Ivanhoe has a warm, unaffected charm and
doing her workouts is like practicing with a
friend. Some on VF have complained that her
gently measured speech and use of
colloquialisms appear condescending, but I
just don’t see it. It’s funny how one person’s
patronizing is another’s unpretentious.
Gina (aka gxm17)
July 15, 2005
