10 Minute Exercise Workout Video

Not that most people would have ever heard of it, but before Christmas I bought a cheap set of yoga props at Walmart, made by a company called Body Sculpture. The set included a closed cell foam mat (I haven't tried it yet, but it isn't really a sticky mat) with nylon carrying bag, two foam blocks (which I had been really looking for), a poly yoga strap, and an eye mask for relaxation. Also included was a "10 minute exercise workout video."

Since I'm chronically short on time these days, I tried doing poses along with it after a toning workout; I've been doing yoga for two years, and I know the basics. Good thing, too.

This tape was actually closer to 8 minutes including spoken intro. They began with about 3 minutes of sun salutations, which they called a "warmup." They gave movement by movement instructions, very quickly, as their hyper-flexible model moved deeply into the poses. There was no instruction telling people to keep their backs straight, or only go as far into the pose as felt good, and she demonstrated some more advanced moves such as jump back into Upward Facing Dog without comment.

They she moved into the "workout" part, which began by demonstrating the use of blocks for Side Angle Pose (again they didn't name the poses), showing increasingly difficult variations on the pose, most of which I'd never seen before on any Living Arts or Yoga Zone beginner videos. Only on the last version, where the free arm is looped around the back and the supporting arm is lifted in line with the body, did they mention this was an advanced version. Then the model moved into Triangle Pose, again showing several difficult variations. Then she moved into Forward Wide Angle Bend, (without doing the other leg for Side Angle Pose or Triangle pose!), first with blocks and then with the model's head on the floor.

Then she moved to Staff Pose, and showed several variations of forward bends with the strap, again no instructions about how to protect the back. Then she lay on her back on the floor and did Lying Leg Stretch, where she used the strap, sure, but she ended up with her stretching leg lying on the floor behind her (!!!) and no comment that this is not what a beginner could expect. Then there was a back twist, and again she didn't complete the other side. She finished with a seated relaxation with the eye mask, which lasted about 10 seconds before the tape quit.

This would be an incredibly dangerous video to give to a beginner, yet this is who the kit would be marketed to, since the props are cheap, and someone more experienced would probably be getting something better. I am an incredible pack rat and I hate to throw anything out, but I will not use this tape again, nor do I want anyone else to injure themselves, so it's probably going into the garbage, right after my baby finishes chewing on it instead of the workouts I value more.

I should note that I bought this set in Canada, so you might not see it in the US, but there are enough Canadians on VF that a heads up seemed in order.

Heather Fraser

Would like to have dvds of Nancy Pop WW workouts

Denise Larcher