I just finished this workout and noticed there wasn't a review on VF. So I thought I'd be the first! This is a nice advanced yoga workout lead by a beautiful red haired sweet natured instructor. She has 2 exercisers in the background and one of them shows modifications on the more advanced yoga positions like on the head stands. The set is CIA and the music is very soothing and relaxing. The workout is 60 minutes and Donna does sun salutations to get warm then you move into a nice yoga workout that includes standing, seated,prone and supine postures. And Donna does 1/2 or full sun salutations in between. She holds the postures for 5 breaths so you really can stretch into the move. I really enjoyed working out with Donna's Yoga workout and felt so relaxed and rejuvenated when I finished. Thanks Donna!
Instructor comments:
Excellent form and instruction. Donna is more serious in her yoga workout so don't expect the smiling girl next door from her fun step workouts. She is so flexible and encourages you to go at your own level.
Mandy Lee
5/26/04
If I had known how good this 60-minute yoga workout is, I wouldn’t have waited so long to try it. It is an Ashtanga-style workout, but highly modified – in a good way. Donna takes great liberties with the structure and sequencing of Ashtanga, putting her own spin on it, and it works well. It is not as challenging as “real” Ashtanga, but plenty challenging for most of us mortals. This is an intermediate/advanced workout, and you will need to be familiar with the postures. Donna does not instruct; she simply cues the postures and gives occasional form reminders. The “quietness” of the workout caught my attention. The music is soothing and Donna doesn’t talk at all except for the cueing. I really never noticed before how much chatter there is in other yoga workouts, and while it doesn’t bother me, I found the quietness of this one to be very, very nice. Grade A+.
Annie S.
8-22-2004
I noticed that two people had positive reviews of this workout, but I wasn't happy with this video.
There is very little cuing. It's very much like taking a class with someone who's new to teaching. You know she's trying, but there's no effective instruction. I've done yoga for 15 years and I couldn't really follow her because she didn't consistently cue the postures.
A good example of the missing cues is during the first sun salutations which move very fast. Suddenly she's in down dog and there's no verbal instruction to get you there. If she held those postures for a full breath she must have been hyperventilating. It moved that fast. After the sunsals, she makes the unfortunate choice to have you do the first part of each series facing away from the TV. Since she doesn't cue, you need to crane your head around to see what she's doing. Either cue well or let me see the TV.
There are three women and occasionally one will do modifications. There are no other modification instructions given. You should know yoga before you attempt this video. If you're looking for someone to remind you about your form, then this isn't a good choice. Basics such as foot position are never covered.
On the bright side, it's a decent workout if you memorize it. She's not irritating. The workout is nice and quiet. Her form is generally very good.
honey
January 2007
