I have the four tapes in the Yoga Zone boxed set (Introduction to Yoga, Conditioning and Stress Release, Meditation, and Flexibility and Tone). Although I prefer the other three, this is a very good tape. The total length is about 55 minutes. The setting is a yoga studio. The music is strictly background, and is very relaxing. You will probably not notice it. As has been mentioned, this tape is designed to increase your overall flexibility and strength through yoga. Alan Finger starts out by instructing proper breathing technique. He explains that by using proper technique (i.e., nose breathing making a hollow sound on the exhale), you will create heat within the body, thereby warming the muscles so that you can increase your flexibility. You will then do a series of seated, standing, kneeling, and restorative poses. Some of the poses included are: potted palm series, seated side bends, sun salutations, cat/cow pose, downward dog, warrior, triangle, standing forward bend, wide-legged standing forward bend, high and low lunges, seated forward bend, and corpse (relaxation) pose. The final relaxation is done a little differently than on the other Yoga Zone tapes (and differently than on most other yoga tapes as well). You do a final relaxation, but instead of just consciously relaxing your muscles you tense the muscle first. I like this method; I think it increases the awareness of the muscle being relaxed. I imagine that if this tape were done twice or three times per week it would certainly increase one's flexibility. Some of the poses do take a bit of muscular control to execute, but I would not call this power yoga. I think it would be a good place to start if one was interested in eventually trying power yoga but had never done yoga before. If you own the other tapes in the series that are available separately (Intro to Yoga and Conditioning/ Stress Release), you might find this one a bit repetitive. If you're interested in purchasing all four tapes, you will still enjoy this one (however, you can purchase each of the tapes separately through Collage).

Instructor Comments:
Alan Finger is a very experienced yoga instructor who owns the Yoga Zone studios in New York. His voice (and accent!) is very soothing. His cueing is excellent and very precise. I find myself being able to follow his instruction without even watching the TV! He does not actually demonstrate the poses himself. He is sitting in lotus position in a studio and two of his instructors, Michelle and Lisa, demonstrate the poses. One demonstrates the beginner modifications, and the other demonstrates the advanced beginner/intermediate variations.

Kristin Aziz