Raquel Total Beauty and Fitness
Raquel WelchYear Released: 1991
Categories: Yoga
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This elegant and timeless 90 minute Hatha yoga video may be the crown jewel of my 20 year fitness video collection. Produced in 1984, it is everything this VF diehard still wants in a video: great production values, a fabulous set, a confident and competent instructor, and a challenging workout. Lead by the equally timeless Raquel Welch, its 45 minutes of tough standing poses followed by 45 minutes of difficult mat poses. There are 2 sets of each of the 26 poses, giving you lots of opportunity to "get it right" before moving on to the next position. Miss Welch verbally cues each posture in great detail ("weight on the right leg, left leg extended to the side, right arm under the left", etc.) as she and her team of background exercisers demonstrate each pose and hold them for long, slow counts; forcing one to concentrate, breathe hard, and get the most out of each move. During the holding portions, Miss Welch's distinctive voice is overdubed giving much meeded encouragement as well as gentle teasing and humorous comments about her own learning experiences with the postures. In between poses, or recovery phase, Miss Welch is relaxed and jovial with her students, even sharing in their groaning at the difficulty of certain moves and their effectiveness. Its a relaxed atmosphere among friends and you're part of the gang. All poses, by the way, are referred to by their common english names ("eagle", "dancer's pose", "rabbit", etc.) making them recognizable to regular Hatha yoga devotees.
And here's the best part: its all
fabulous to look at, too. Flimed
in a gleaming, marble-floored foyer
in a moorish-styled tropical beach
palace its the ultimate
"spa-getaway-in-a-box". The
background music is subtle
early-FIRM instrumental -- barely
detectable. Even better are the
natural sounds that were picked up
in this stereo recorded production:
tropical birds sing and fountain
waters cascade delicately in the
background. I found this very
refreshing and invigorating to
listen to -- such a nice change
from all the terrible canned music
in most workout videos.
Overall rating: "A". Don't let
the 1984 production date turn you
off. The only thing that looks
dated in this video may be the
short, green legwarmers and white
ankle length tights on two of the
background exercisers. But they're
barely on camera. If there was a
"wish list" for v
Instructor Comments:
Miss Welch is obviously a devoted
yoga pupil and a gifted instructor.
In her 40's when this was filmed,
she has amazing flexibility yet
humbly reminds us in voice-overs
that she wasn't always that way. I
found her easy to follow and
inspiring. Her voice is especially
soothing and