Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up series is a collection of five videos that she put together herself, mostly for people who attend her classes/workshops. As such, these practices actually FEEL like a live class or workshop, which I loved, but they also lack fancy production values (ie, the set is very simple, just a mat in front of a curtain, and Jill's live voice instruction is a bit echo-y with some background noise).

Triangle Tune is designed to focus on the motions needed to perfect two poses, Triangle and Twisting Triangle; given this, it also serves as a mini hip-opening practice. Jill begins in a reclined position with the legs in the air. Taking a straddle position, she repeatedly opens and closes the legs, then moves the legs from side-to-side, retaining the straddle as long as possible. This is a lengthy segment, so you will be thoroughly warmed up AND even a bit fatigued by the time you are through! Moving to a standing position, Jill continues to warm up the hips/pelvic area by having you plant your feet and swing your hips from side to side; she emphasizes the rolling motion of the pelvis and encourages you to focus in on this area.

Now you are ready to move into the posture work. For this segment, you will need 1-3 yoga blocks, depending on your level of flexibility (you definitely need at least one block or a sturdy substitute). Jill works on only three postures: triangle, intense side stretch, and twisting triangle. For each, she first has you do the posture as you normally would, providing extremely detailed form pointers and having you resting your bottom hand on a block as necessary. Next, she has you repeat the posture with the forward foot on a flat block in order to attain a greater sense of opening, particularly in that hamstring. Finally, she has you repeat the posture one more time without the block, hopefully deepening the pose for this final effort. Throughout, Jill is constantly providing helpful alignment cues, making it feel as if she is right there in the room with you. She ends with a nice, 5-minute savasana to bring the total practice time in right at 43 minutes.

I really enjoyed this yoga practice, especially given that it's very different from the other videos I own. After completing the practice, I felt like I had just gotten out of a class where I had been given great refreshers on form; this is like a class I can return to over and over again, and I know that I will.

Instructor Comments:
I liked Jill; she was very down-to-earth and even a bit jokey. She mirror cues (even better, she actually TELLS you that she is mirror cueing at the start of the practice). For more information on her Yoga Tune Up DVD series, visit her web site at jillmilleryoga.com/products.html. [Note: On her web site, this DVD is listed as "Hips-Triangle Tune Up," but the DVD label (there is no DVD case) reads only "Triangle Tune Up." Also, the web site incorrectly lists this as being a 33 minute practice; it is definitely 43 mintues in length.]

Beth C (aka toaster)