Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

When I first heard about this workout, I was intrigued. It sounded like a neat premise, even though I didn't totally understand what "it" was. Then, I saw the clip and was further interested. When Collage offered me the opportunity to try it, I grabbed it.

I really like this workout; although I hesitate to put that term on it - "workout" - because it's more moving for the fun of it. In her introduction, Petra says that she dosn't want you to work out, but rather celebrate movement. That's a pretty good summary of the vibe of this DVD. I ended up feeling rejuvenated and rested.

It is a blend of tai chi, yoga and dance in a combination of moves that is simple, yet fun. It's not a walking workout, but it reminds me of that level of exertion. It's not an Ellen Barrett workout and is pure cardio rather than fusion of strength and cardio and yoga, but it reminds me of that feel of an alternative workout. It's also a barefoot workout like Ellen's workouts. It's a cardio workout, but it's not intense and blends in a few common cardio elements into a an unusual combination of moves.

Petra leads the workout with two back-up exercisers. The set is light and airy. The music was obviously designed for this workout and it adds a lot of motivation and movement to the workout for me. It's instrumental, but not your typical "just keep the beat" techno music. The menu gives you access to a warm up, two sequences, and a moving meditation. The warm up is pretty simple. The two sequences are 20-25 minutes apiece. The moving meditation is simple movements without any speaking at all (it's pretty neat to me). Petra cues well in describing what she wants you to do, but encourages you to do what feels good for your body. She does use what I think are tai chi terms (cloud hands?) and doesn't describe them, but they are simple moves that you can get by just watching what they do. There is a lot (hear me - A LOT)of TIFTing, Taking It From The Top. She does a move or two and then goes back to the beginning and repeats. Then, she keeps adding on more moves in that way. At the end, she repeats the entire routine several times.

If you don't have time for the entire worout, there seem to be two stand-alone workouts on it. You can do the Awakening sequence (warm up) through Sequence 1. Then, you can start with Sequence 2 through the moving meditation. I am guessing each of those is 25-30 minutes.

This is definitely a different type of workout, which is one of the reasons why it is hard to describe. I really enjoy it. Some people won't. I'm glad that Petra is willing to try different things in her workouts.

Instructor Comments:
She is encouraging and motivating in this workout.

Laura S.