20 Minute Yoga Makeover - Sculpted Buns and Thighs

This nice lower body practice does a good job of thoroughly stretching the legs and opening the hips. Instructor Sara Ivanhoe begins the practice in a standing position with several variations of chair pose; each variation is held for a few breaths. She then moves on to a triangle-warrior series for strengthening the leg muscles followed by a temple pose (a plie squat)-fan pose (wide-legged standing forward bend) combo which really stretches the legs, especially the hamstrings. The practice then moves on to the floor for camel pose, first performed with one hand only on each side then both hands. Finally, there is a lunge-lunge twist-pigeon-cobbler series that is perfect for opening the hips, and Sara finishes the practice with a simple seated yoga mudra (hand placement with breath).

I enjoyed this practice a lot, as I'm always looking to open up my legs and hips. This would be an excellent yoga practice for runners or other sports participants whose lower body has become tight. However, because Sara does not provide detailed instruction, I would not recommend this practice for those with no prior experience to yoga. Finally, I think this routine is too short to provide much "sculpting," but it is an excellent practice for stretching the lower body.

Instructor Comments:
Sara's personality is very similar to her Crunch and Dummies videos: she is very down-to-earth, although some might find her language to be somewhat patronizing.

Beth C (aka toaster)

This has been broken down by another reviewer so I'll just give some comments. I really enjoyed this workout. I generally do not do yoga workouts at home, but am an intermediate in weights and low intermediate in cardio. She starts out standing and does a number of moves on one side and then goes to the other -- and ends with pigeon stretches on the floor. The time went quickly - I liked that she would one side in full, so that I knew what to expect on the other. I didn't feel there was much "sculpting" as on the title of the workout, but she holds chair pose for a while, which will strengthen your quads. There were a few balance moves, which were challenging.
Sara is pleasant to work out with, and there is no dread factor -- also, since it is only 20 minutes! My hips and legs felt stretched out, and I totally enjoyed this dvd.

Instructor Comments:
Sara gives good pointers and has excellent form. She is soft spoken and nice to work out with.

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