Yoga Walk

Leslie Sansone
Year Released: 2003

Categories: Yoga


This tape is probably the worst of Leslie’s recent attempts to spice up her walking program with other exercise techniques. In Walk and Kick or Walk and Jog, both of which are sold in a package with Yogawalk at Collage, she uses the interval technique to blend in the new stuff. But in this tape, she simply tacks on the yoga as an extra section. This wouldn’t be so bad if the yoga were any good, but sadly---it is not.

The walk itself is adequate---a perfectly standard 20-minute Leslie walk which is pleasant enough, but not really distinguishable from any of her others. Following this, we go straight into the Yoga section.

Leslie is not a born yoga teacher. The ‘poses’ are little more than extremely basic post-workout stretches, and they don’t flow in any way. Leslie simply announces the pose, does it briefly, then moves on. There is no cueing. There is no instructing. And while none of the ‘poses’ are really complex enough to require them, both of her background exercisers nonetheless manage to show atrocious form.

I find stretching extremely challenging, and expected that for someone like me, Leslie’s simplified approach would work. But the stretches were so disjointed and choppy that they did not serve a relaxation function---and they were held too briefly, and with too careless form, to have any flexibility benefit. I appreciate Leslie’s attempt to differentiate otherwise identical tapes with new elements, but in this case, the ‘bonus’ yoga comes across as a bit gimmicky and poorly prepared for. If all you want is a 20-minute walk, the walk in this tape would be in no way different from any of Leslie’s others. And if you really do want Yoga work, this is certainly not the best place to find it.

I am a big Leslie fan and use her tapes often, but I have to give this one a failing grade.

Instructor Comments:

Joanna

11/12/2002