I’m reviewing this workout after doing it once.

General workout breakdown: See Beth’s great review.
This lesson definitely can count as your yoga practice for the day, although you could also use it as a departure point for a standing poses practice.

Level: I’d recommend this to experienced yoga practitioners, but you don’t have to be particularly advanced. Even though this is in some sense an instructional video, Jill assumes you are already familiar with the basics. She provides a few modifications, mainly for those with a little less flexibility. I’ve been practicing yoga for about 8 years now, and I find Jill’s practices challenging, particularly since I’m still working on strength and especially flexibility (although she’s the first to admit that her level of flexibility is definitely above average). Also, I always feel like I get a lot out of Jill’s videos, both physically and intellectually.

Class: Jill alone, instructing live.

Music: none.

Set: a bright, rather plain interior studio; Jill’s in front of a green curtain.

Production: decently clear picture and sound, fairly straightforward camera angles, although the zooming in and out isn’t as smooth as a professional production. Jill’s not wearing a microphone and just speaking loudly so the camera picks her up. You’ll hear some muted outside noise (it sounds like an airplane or two passes by at one point).

Equipment: You’ll need a yoga mat (preferably sticky so your block won’t slide) and at least one block. If you’re not particularly flexible, you’ll need three blocks – or perhaps two milk crates or chairs.

Space Requirements: enough room when you lie down to extend your legs all the way out to one side and then the other and enough room when you’re standing to have your legs wide.

DVD Notes: This is a DVD-R, which I have trouble playing on my increasingly picky regular DVD player (6+-year-old Toshiba); I had trouble with it in my usually not-so-picky former laptop, too, but I have better luck with my newer one as well as the PS2. Because of this, I don’t use this series as often as I’d like.
Each exercise is chaptered separately.

Comments: This particular video is no longer listed on Jill’s older site, jillmilleryoga.com, but you may still find copies floating around on the exchange. Many of the exercises appear scattered throughout Jill’s more recent productions, specifically Yoga Link (in particular Hip Helpers) and Post Athletic Stretch, but none of her current media exactly replicates this experience of working specifically up to a pinnacle pose or set of poses. I know Jill’s found her niche in therapeutic yoga – and I don’t want to see her give that up – but I’d love for one of her future DVDs to remake this and add a few other similar practices that break down and work through other common poses that deserve a closer look (although she does some similar work with cow’s face in Shoulder Shakti and Quickfix Rx, for example). This sort of thing is a great supplement to classes – or (almost) replacement if you don’t have the access to live classes you’d like.

I have no real hip issues or other joint issues; I use Jill’s hip segments from time to time to help work through some stiffness in my hips, and I always feel I should do her stuff more often to increase my rather limited range of motion there. As always if you do have issues or concerns it’s worth consulting with your regular medical provider and/or a qualified yoga teacher experienced in therapeutic work.

Instructor Comments:
Jill brings a real intelligence to her instruction; not only is it clear that she has spent a lot of time studying yoga, anatomy, etc., but she has a great awareness and intuitive sense of how the body moves. I love that she never talks down to you (e.g. she uses the full scientific names for muscles and other body parts rather than making up cutesy ones), yet she’s obviously not showing off or purposefully trying to go over your head. You can feel her excitement and enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge; she wants you to learn and benefit from the practice as she has. Also, Jill’s style of yoga is unlike the others I’ve experienced, yet she seems to have a deep appreciation for the traditions of yoga, so you never feel like she’s putting her own stamp on things just for the sake of doing something different.
I really like her on screen personality. Her sense of humor is a little quirky, but it’s not really out there, and it’s right up my alley. Her language is straightforward and plain, peppered with conversational and colloquial phrases rather than flowery or mystical sayings. Her “real world” visuals make a lot of sense; for example, she says one action resembles a wingnut. (In other words, I feel like I’m interacting with a real person who practices yoga, not someone assuming her role as “yoga teacher extraordinaire.”)
Jill’s instruction and cuing are excellent. She describes things well, giving you truly helpful tips and some quick demos of what not to do.

KathAL79