I don’t use this DVD as often as I do Bryan Kest’s and Eoin Finn’s power yoga videos, but every time I do Power Yoga Total Body, I feel absolutely great afterward. This is a very accessible power yoga practice, usable by all levels except absolute beginners. It really lives up to its name, providing a relaxing and exhilarating total-body workout. It is not as difficult as Kest’s Tone and Sweat or Finn’s Power Yoga for Happiness.

This program would not be good for absolute beginners because little basic instruction is provided. The poses used are quite basic, however, so if you have a basic foundation in yoga, you should be able to get value from this DVD.

Sequence: Sequencing is a great strength of Yee’s. The sequence of poses on this video works very well, but varies from the typical power yoga program – you won’t find a Surya Namaskar B in the whole 65 minutes. The warmup seems slow at first, but builds to a strenuous sequence of standing poses; then there is a sequence of backbends; then an extensive series of seated and supine stretches. Repetition of poses and sequences is used to build heat and work gradually into the poses. The poses themselves are mostly quite basic; the most difficult standing poses are Warrior 3 and Half-moon (Ardha Chandrasana); the backbend sequence culminates in Upward Bow (aka Wheel, urdhva dhanurasana). I got this DVD a couple of months after I started practicing yoga and was able to do most of it immediately (with water breaks!).

Savasana: Savasana consists of two minutes with Rodney talking you through guided relaxation; then he instructs you to come into seated meditation. If you choose not to sit up then, you can have five minutes of savasana, with music only for the last two minutes during the credits. After the credits, the DVD reverts to the main menu page, which has a thirty-second music loop.

How I feel afterward: I just feel great after doing this practice: stretched, very relaxed, and with my muscles worked to a pleasant degree.

Props and modifications: In the introduction, Rodney says that if you can’t do a pose, you should repeat the previous sequence. A couple of times during the sequence, he makes vague mention of using a strap to modify poses. No modifications are demonstrated.

What he talks about: There is no spiritual talk. Rodney talks about alignment and how the pose should feel. There is less talking of any kind in this DVD than in most yoga videos.

Music, setting, production: Rodney is alone, with instruction provided via voiceover. The setting is stunning: a grassy area at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The music is an instrumental composition, nonintrusive and unexceptional.

Chaptering: There is rudimentary chaptering: The practice is divided into four chapters, but only the introduction and first chapter are available from the menu.

Instructor Comments:
Rodney provides excellent cuing. His voice is soothing and he doesn’t talk too much. Rodney’s shorts are slightly longer in this than in the other videos I’ve seen, but are tight. (I don’t have a problem with that, but some people don’t like Rodney’s shorts.) He has an excellent physique and is easy on the eyes.

laurajhawk