Core Power is just short of 25 minutes and focuses on poses requiring abdominal strength, sandwiching them between a brief sun salutation/back bend sequence and a forward bend/relaxation finish. Boat pose is the centerpiece of the abdominal work and, although the sequence is brief, I found it challenging. It’s a nice step up in level-of-effort from Rodney Yee’s very fine Abs Yoga. I know I’m disagreeing with a previous (and very proficient) reviewer in saying this but find it amusing that such divergent opinions can be inspired by the very same tapes.

This is a well-designed program and, although I am not a Baptiste fan, I use it with some regularity. My problems with this tape are minor (except for my basic low tolerance for the Baron). Since the class is very large it looks a bit cluttered, although the variety of skill level shown is nicely encouraging. Perhaps the sense of clutter is a bit heightened by the sound track which is by Krishna Das. I like the chanting of Krishna Das very much, but here his music and Baron’s verbal instruction seem to run into each other. Perhaps the pitch and volume level of the voices are a bit too close.

Over-all this tape packs a lot in into 25 minutes – surprisingly vigorous and thorough. It makes a terrific add-on. I think Core Power is suitable for intermediate and advanced exercisers who have some basic experience with yoga.

I’m 57 and have been a home exerciser for 2 decades. I like to maintain my fitness level at advanced intermediate.

Instructor Comments:
Baptiste is a fine instructor I'm sure. His verbal style just rubs me the wrong way -- we are, I'm afraid -- always doomed to sensibility dissonance. I still do his tapes though and that says a lot.

Sharon Frost