Yoga Journal - Yoga for Strength & Toning [repost]

Whether you re an athlete, a yoga practitioner, or anyone interested in a great workout, these challenging practices will provide you with visible results. The 60-minute Toning and Strengthening Sequence, along with the 30-minute Core Practice, will work your body in new and different ways and leave you feeling stronger, leaner, and more flexible. These dynamic sequences are designed to cleanse and support all of your body s systems, giving you a well-rounded and fun workout that will awaken your physical and mental strength. From Yoga Journal magazine, the most trusted name in Yoga today!

I have to admit straight from the top that when I saw the promo clip for this dvd at totalfitnessdvds, I was not impressed. Then after I got the dvd and previewed it, I was still not impressed. Then, this morning I did the entire dvd (I had a rare 90 minutes to myself)and I was quite supprised that I enjoyed it, worked hard and felt good afterwards. The best aspect of this class is the preciseness in the execution of the poses. Iyengar would be proud. On every single pose, the angles were perfect. You will not injure yourself. Here is what you get in the dvd:
Full vinyasa practice 60 minutes. This class starts seated and then goes into a down dog, up dog sequence. Next is sun salutation C followed by several standing poses such as: warrior 1, warrior 2, warrior 3, twisting lunge, triangle, extended side angle, half hanumanasana, crescent pose with shoulder stretch, pyramid, standing split, wide side angle, goddess pose (wide legs bent knees) with shoulder stretch, wide angle forward bend with hands clasped behind back, side plank, quad stretch in low lunge position, seated twist. She does the poses in a flow format with plank, pushup, up dog or cobra to down dog in between. There are lots of push ups and once the flow starts there are no breaks until you rest in pigeon. The back bending sequence is very simple but hard. You do bridge pose holding one leg in the air. I may have missed a pose or two but what you will get is a class mostly of basic standing poses that are designed to cook your legs. The poses are not overly creative ala Shiva Rea; but they are held long enough for you to feel your muscles work. If you are a beginner, this flow will challenge you to keep your form and keep up. It moves at a moderate pace with no breaks. Although Stephanie does encourage you to rest in child's pose whenever you need to. To my suprise, I rested quite a bit. If you are an intermediate yogi, you too will be challenged to keep your form while moving from pose to pose and doing all of the push ups. I appreciated that there was a student on the dvd that did modifications with a block and strap. There are no seated poses here other than seated twist.
Abs routine 30 minutes: This is the hardest abs routine I have ever seen on a yoga dvd. I struggled through this section. The hardest poses were dolphin side plank and dolphin twist hip lifts. (watch the clip at yoga journal to see what I mean) She also includes simple backbends,lunge and side gate stretch in this section. This section also includes thread the needle shoulder stretch and ends in wide legged child's pose.
I must mention that all the poses with their sanskrit and english names appear at the top left of the screen.
Pose guide 5 minutes: Stephanie goes over the proper form for chatarunga with do's and dont's.
About the teacher: Stephanie is in voice over and gives excellent precise, timely instruction. Her instruction is do detailed that you will not need to look at the screen, unless you want to check your form. She talks…a lot, giving form pointers. Which leads me to the question "Who is this dvd for?" It is for advanced beginners to intermediate students. Advanced students may be bored as there are no arm balances, no inversions, no intense seated stretching and no upward bow. It is also for those who don't like their yoga dancey a la Shiva Rea, or super fast. It for those who like a clean, straight forward, classic yoga class with excellent instruction. If that's you, then get this dvd. It is challenging enough so that you can grow into it. Unless you are in great shape you will sweat and feel proud of yourself that you got through it.

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Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part1.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part2.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part3.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part4.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part5.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part6.rar
Yoga_Journal_Yoga_for_Strength_and_Toning.part7.rar