Yoga Zone's Evening Stress Release consists of two short (<20 minutes) yoga practices, both of which are designed to reduce stress and tension through actively stretching your muscles. Both programs were filmed in Jamaica, the first in a more wooded setting and the second on a beach. Program one is led by Charles Matlin, and Program 2 is led by Beverly Murphy; Lisa Bennett assists both instructors by showing more advanced versions of the postures. Both programs are appropriate for beginners, but even more advanced yogis will appreciate the attention to breathing and will definitely not be bored.

The first program begins with seated stretches and a flowing breathing sequence. It then moves into more active standing poses, including lunges, warrior 1 and 2, downward facing dog, and wide-legged standing forward bend. The practice returns to the floor for a modified boat pose, and it finishes with some leg stretches and a short relaxation. Program 2 also starts from a seated position for simple stretches and twists and then moves to kneeling for a cat stretch. Again, there are a variety of standing poses very similar to the first practice. Additional seated postures include a version of cow pose and wide-legged forward bend, and again, there is a short relaxation to finish.

I find that while performing these practices raises my heart rate a bit, at the end, my body feels pleasantly stretched and thoroughly relaxed. These programs work well not only for evening relaxation, but also for waking the body in the morning and rejuvinating at any time of day. At only 18 and 19 minutes respectively, the time of each program flies by, and they are easy to fit into my schedule. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to reduce the amount of physical tension in their body in order to feel both more relaxed and less fatigued. I definitely enjoyed this video and know that I will get a lot of use from it.

Instructor Comments:
I thought both Charles and Beverly provided good instruction, particularly with respect to breathing. Lisa did a nice job of displaying more advanced versions of the postures, but she does not speak during either practice.

Beth C (aka toaster)