Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Yoga DVD I Love


As I mentioned in my first post on this blog, I plan on doing lots of yoga dvd reviews. All the videos you'll see on here are ones that I've owned for years and really enjoy. I've tried lots of different videos - some are great, some are ok, and some weren't worth my money. You know what I'm talking about.

Shiva Rea is a well known name in the world of yoga. I find her presence soft, soothing, meditative, and yet strong. I notice myself really going inward even in her challenging series.

One of Shiva's dvds that I love is Yoga Shakti. There are lots of great things about it...


The unique "yoga matrix" allows a person to customize their own practice. This means you can pick and choose what segments you do and in what order you do them. You can make it super challenging if you're feeling particularly strong, or you can tone it down if you need a softer practice.

The dvd is suited to all levels, but I wouldn't recommend it to a complete beginner. I feel you need some basic yoga skills to feel really comfortable with this series because some of the flows are quite quick, and in general she doesn't take much time to go over alignments.

The setting is beautiful, and I'm big on visuals so yes this does matter to me. She's set on a beach in the Maldives and it feels soothing to me to see the water and the beach and sky along with her voice.

I generally like start with one of the breathing segments, followed by a few of the fast flows to get my body warm, and then I enjoy the shoulder opener segment or a few of the other stretching ones. I like a few arm balances in there too, and sometimes I choose the meditation. I always go for savasana at the end. This way I feel like I'm getting a balanced yoga practice.

This is the right dvd for you if you want to challenge yourself with her offered arm balances and things like shoulder stand and plow. When I first got the video years ago, I had to stop it several times while trying to learn the arm balances because it was a bit fast, and I got discouraged at first. So I recommend having the remote nearby, or maybe even go back to the arm balances after doing a regular practice. Then you're not interrupting your flow.

Now I can do arm balances easily! On that note, is anyone interested in learning how to do arm balances? It's something I really love to challenge myself with and would be fun to share one of these days if there's some interest. Maybe I could do some videos on it....





Anyway, I highly recommend this fabulous dvd if you're looking for variety, a workout, and a challenge.

18 comments:

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    1. Ive always thought that would be fun! And when will you be doing a pilates video missy?! ;)

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  2. I'd love to see a video on how to do the arm balances!

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  3. I'll definitely look into this! Lately, it's been yoga at home for me! :)

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    1. I think you'll enjoy it... Ive had to do yoga at home for years (except when I lived in the city) because there were no classes in my town - until I became the only yoga instructor here! lol

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  4. Thanks for sharing this video Heather! I've been wanting to broaden my home practice with more podcasts/videos but haven't done too much research for videos most worth my money. I've been really into arm balances lately... so please do share your own videos :)

    If you have any other video or podcast recommendations, I'd love to hear your opinion.

    xx

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    1. Thanks for your feedback... I'll def be sharing other videos I like. There aren't a lot of arm balances in Yoga Shakti but there are a handful of good ones, plus good one leg balances like half moon with top leg bend back and you go into a bit of a backbend. I like her variety.

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  5. I have that Shiva video, too :)

    Arm balances are one of my favorite areas of yoga practice! They always seem to remind me that I am stronger than I think I am. Thanks for sharing, Heathy :-)

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    1. That's so awesome that you have this video and love arm balances too Gena! It's totally true that our limitations are usually in our minds.

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  6. Yep, I'm still waiting for your DVD series! Because I already know that you're my favourite yoga teacher, you see. xo

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  7. Holy jeez girl look at you balance! You are so impressive!

    Thanks for this great review :) I am always looking for new yoga/workout dvds!

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  8. What would you recommend for a beginner - i.e. never attempted yoga before?!

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    1. Danielle, I recommend anything by Yoga Zone - they have things for beginner and I really like their style.... in fact i used to have a beginner one of theirs but i dont remember what it was called.

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  9. I would love for you to post some more about arm balances! I'm completely in love with your blogs and I find you so inspiring. Thank you!

    I'd also love to hear about your journey with yoga, I feel like I meet people who are either beginners or very advanced, but I'm somewhere in between. I'm not sure how to branch out and expand my practice, I'd love some advice or anecdotes about your own growth.

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    1. A lot of people have asked about arm balances so I'll get together a post one of these days - a video would be even better.
      Yoga has always come to me naturally. My Aunt is a Swami at an Ashram and I grew up going out there - being exposed to it. I started my own practice as a teenager so I've been at it a long time. I recommend finding some challenging yoga classes or videos and then practice, practice, practice :)

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