Flexibility & Stress Release is a nice, full-hour yoga practice aimed at releasing tension from the muscles and fostering relaxation. It is lead by master Yoga Zone instructor Alan Finger. Alan is assisted by two female yoga instructors, one of whom is his wife, Greta, and the other of whom always displays modifications. Alan himself demonstrates only some of the poses, as most of the time, he focuses on talking and teaching.

The practice begins with breathing instruction in a seated position and moves on to hands and knees for a cat stretch series. There is a brief vinyasa (flowing poses with breath) which requires quite a bit of arm strength and is fairly challenging. You will also perform down dog and then move to standing. At this point, you will do a warrior series, moving through several poses on each side, and then Alan leads you through three slowly-flowing sun salutation series, the third of which includes extended lunges. You will then practice some balancing postures, including eagle and a challenging arm balance, raven (aka crane or crow).

Next, the workout continues on the floor with an extended stretch in child pose. You will also perform seated forward bends, simple back bends (locust and bow), reclined twists, and scale posture (aka boat pose). The practice ends with a really nice, lengthy (10+ minutes) relaxation pose; to deepen your relaxation in this posture, Alan leads a guided meditation focusing on color and energy centers in the body. At the end of the practice, I felt completely stretched and refreshed.

I enjoyed this routine and felt that it provided a nice combination of challenge and relaxation. I have been practicing yoga for several years and am at an intermediate level; I would not recommend this video for beginners, and it might not be enough of a challenge for more advanced yogis. Overall, a very solid yoga practice.

Instructor Comments:
People rave about Alan Finger, and while he was certainly competent, I didn't feel that I completely "clicked" with him. I would have preferred to have him perform the all of the poses along with the two women. Also, be prepared for the fact that he talks throughout the ENTIRE practice.

Beth C (aka toaster)