Yoga for the Warrior

I've been practicing yoga for almost 17 years and teaching for just over two. I teach mainly beginners, focusing on a gentle practice connecting body and mind (I'm also a psychologist). Although my own practice has developed over the years, I still tend to prefer slower, more thoughtful styles of yoga. Given this, a yoga routine labelled a "workout" is NOT usually my thing! Still, I was curious about instructor Bob Harper, as I had never tried any of his DVDs.

This DVD offers two routines: an almost hour-longer "Yoga Workout" and a 17-minute "Yoga Abs." In both, Harper is teaching live with three background exercisers, Leah and Kristen, who is more intermediate-to-advanced, and Robert, who modifies many of the poses. Most of the time, Harper is walking around the room while teaching, although he does pause to briefly join in at times. The music for both routines is loud and rock-like, but instrumental only. Both workouts have an on-screen timer as well as the names of all of the poses printed on-screen. I have listed the poses as they appear, adding parenthetical comments; I will also add my impressions at the end of each section.

YOGA WORKOUT (58m)
Forward Bend (held/hang)
Mountain Pose
Downward Dog
Shoulder Press (from dog pose)
Plank
Cobra (baby version)
Crescent Pose
Plank to Chaturanga (moving up/down several times)
Side Stretch (standing)
Upward Dog
Chair Pose
Warrior 1 - Warrior 2 (this transition is repeated MANY times)
Warrior 1 - Warrior 2 (2nd side)
Chair Pose - Twisting Chair Pose
Tree Pose
Push Ups (5 total)
Table Top - Awkward Airplane (1 arm/1 leg out to side)
Table Top - Awkward Airplane (2nd side)
Downward Dog
Extended Side Angle Pose (repeat Warrior 1 - Warrior 2 before)
Reverse Warrior
Triangle Pose
Side Plank (warrior 2 to plank transition; poses from Extended Side Angle repeated 2nd side)
Triangle Pose - Twisting Triangle
Triangle Pose - Twisting Triangle (2nd side)
Shoulder Press (from dog)
Hand to Big Toe Pose (standing)
Standing Splits - Half Moon Pose - Forward Fold - Mountain
Standing Splits - Half Moon Pose - Forward Fold - Mountain (2nd side)
Wrapped Extended Side Angle (arms bound) - Bird of Paradise (optional)
Wrapped Extended Side Angle (arms bound) - Bird of Paradise (2nd side)
Bridge Pose - Wheel Pose (optional)
Happy Baby
(abs series) Crunches - Scissors - Extended Leg Crunches
Rocking Back Stretch
Straddle Stretch (seated)
Twisting Glute Stretch (half-fish pose)
Seated Forward Fold
Reclined Twist
Fish Pose
Shivasana/Final Rest (aka Shavasana/Savasana; <2 minutes)
(finish seated)

Harper calls this practice "tough" and notes that he will be "coloring outside the lines." I actually found this to be a pretty standard vinyasa flow routine, similar to the all-levels flow classes that I sometimes attend. As with my in-person classes, I sometimes choose to skip the vinyasa transitions in this workout, and there were also a few things I couldn't do, like Bird of Paradise. For an experienced yogi, I think this might be a tiring but very doable practice.

YOGA ABS (17m)
Warm Up (reclined rocking, alternating knees in)
Crunches (add twisting version)
Center Crunches
Scissors
Extended Leg Crunches
Core Rotations (reclined)
(at 6m, come to seated for boat series)
Half Boat Twists
Half Boat Crunches (boat to half boat)
Half Boat Arm Pulses
Boat Extensions (legs in and out)
Crunches
Bicycle
Pulses
Leg Extension Crunches
Mountain Climbers (knee to elbow from plank)
Plank
Mountain Climbers (round 2)
Stretch and Cool Down (seated butterfly, seated single leg extension, seated double leg extension, neck stretches, breathe)

As with the full routine, I found the abs workout to be tough but doable, especially when I modified the moves that didn't work for me (e.g., mountain climbers). Some other reviewers have suggested that this section is NOT yoga, but these are typical moves that you WILL seen in a live vinyasa flow class, which can include anything from crunches to boat to plank work.

In general, I liked these routines for what they were, namely more "workout"-oriented yoga. I had more mixed feelings about Harper himself. He seemed somewhat belittling of Robert, constantly pushing him to go deeper rather than praising his ability to modify at his own level. Furthermore, his physical adjustments of the women seemed on the verge of being inappropriate--while I love getting physical assists in live classes, I would definitely NOT be happy if a male instructor (or female, for that matter) touched me in that way! Finally, Harper is constantly repeating himself, particularly the phrase "all I want you to do now is..."

In summary, if you prefer more of a workout during your yoga practice, this might be the right DVD for you.

Instructor Comments:
See comments above. Harper is nice to look at and has a pleasant voice, but some of his comments and behavior turned me off.

Beth C (aka toaster)