This nice lower body practice does a good job of thoroughly stretching the legs and opening the hips. Instructor Sara Ivanhoe begins the practice in a standing position with several variations of chair pose; each variation is held for a few breaths. She then moves on to a triangle-warrior series for strengthening the leg muscles followed by a temple pose (a plie squat)-fan pose (wide-legged standing forward bend) combo which really stretches the legs, especially the hamstrings. The practice then moves on to the floor for camel pose, first performed with one hand only on each side then both hands. Finally, there is a lunge-lunge twist-pigeon-cobbler series that is perfect for opening the hips, and Sara finishes the practice with a simple seated yoga mudra (hand placement with breath).

I enjoyed this practice a lot, as I'm always looking to open up my legs and hips. This would be an excellent yoga practice for runners or other sports participants whose lower body has become tight. However, because Sara does not provide detailed instruction, I would not recommend this practice for those with no prior experience to yoga. Finally, I think this routine is too short to provide much "sculpting," but it is an excellent practice for stretching the lower body.

Instructor Comments:
Sara's personality is very similar to her Crunch and Dummies videos: she is very down-to-earth, although some might find her language to be somewhat patronizing.

Beth C (aka toaster)