The scenery in this DVD is breathtakingly beautiful. Rodney is standing outdoors, on top of a cliff overlooking the most stunning backdrop of ocean and land. The clarity of the photography is superb. The music is the usual Gaiam yoga music, which I find to be pleasant and unobtrusive.

The entire power yoga practice clocks in at just over one hour. It begins with close to 40 minutes of standing movements. Rodney begins with a series of lunges and forward bends, upward and downward dog, plank and pushup poses, then a series of warrior 1 and 2 with triangle and side angle poses, followed by a more difficult series of warrior 1, 2 and 3 (which requires balancing on one foot). There are some additional poses, such as downward dog followed by lifting one leg straight up to the back, and another where you lift the bent leg up to the back. None of the poses are held for more than a few breaths. The standing section is quite long. I am used to doing Rodney's shorter Power Yoga DVDs, which clock in at only 20 minutes, so this longer version seemed quite long to me.

The next section of the practice is done on the floor, and consists of various seated and lying poses. There is a series of staff pose to cobbler, a series of poses done lying supine, most of which are for stretching the hamstrings and hips including single leg straight leg stretch (where one leg is up in the air and the other is straight along the floor), a series of poses such as bow into backbends, and finally there is a series of seated stretches, including single leg stretch, with one leg bent with the foot on the inner thigh, wide leg stretch (with legs in a straddle position), cobbler stretch (sitting with feet together, stretching head toward the feet), some seated twists in a half-lotus position, and also a stretch in half-lotus. At the end, there is a relaxation section, done first in lying cobbler's pose and then in relaxation pose.

Doing this workout will improve flexibility, strength and help improve breathing and releasing of body tension. It is not for a beginner, however. It is an intermediate power yoga practice. I recommend it highly and give it an A+.

Instructor Comments:
Rodney Yee is the quintessential yoga instructor. He seems to embody everything that I seek to derive from doing yoga practice. He is serene, graceful, calm and calming, fluid, flexible and fit. His voice is soothing. He motivates through his own sincere belief in yoga and by conveying his belief and the benefits he has found from yoga, through his words and his motions. He's the best yoga instructor on video and dvd.

Abbe