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Workout DVD Review: Shiva Rea’s Core Yoga

alllevelsyogiYesterday I got to share my Q&A with yoga guru and all-around awesome chick Shiva Rea. And today, as promised, I’m sharing my thoughts on her latest DVD Core Yoga! There are three things you must know about this DVD. One, it’s awesome. Two, it’s hippity-dippity. And three, it’s a compilation of her past yoga DVDs Creative CoreCreative Core + Upper Body and Creative Core + Lower Body

But while the segments are nothing new, if you don’t own any of these yoga DVDs yet, you get a whole new 90 minutes of awesome core-centric yet full-body routines ranging in length from 8 to 25 minutes. Heck, even if you do own all of those DVDs, it’s kind of cool to have them all in one place. Like Shiva’s other yoga DVDs, this one has the “Yoga Matrix,” a super-awesome programmable menu, so that you can create your ideal workout.

And with seven unique segments plus a two-minute Shavasana section to end any workout (that’s the awesome part where you just get to lie there and relax), there are a lot of options. From the Creative Core DVD that is filmed on sand dunes and even has this cool drummer dude there, you get a 10-minute Water Core segment, eight minutes of  Spontaneous Core and 17 minutes of Fire Core—all of which include moves that target the heck out of your abs but in a rhythmic and intuitive way (think bridges, breathing and lots of non-crunch core work on your back). From the Creative Core + Upper Body DVD you get two segments: the 13-minute Creative Roots and the nine-minute Creative Lower Body routine. Done in a tropical jungle next to a bubbling river, these are relaxing yet perfect for the intermediate yogi with lots of squats, lunges and flowing poses.

The final sections come from Creative Core + Lower Body and are perhaps that hardest of the bunch. Also filmed in what looks to be a rain forest, the eight-minute Creative Core Upper Body routine is doable and flowing, but the 25-minute Agni Namaskar is very challenging. Like, holy wow, challenging. In it you do a whopping nine cycles of 12 push-ups—plus other poses like lunges, chair and cobra. And just so we’re clear on this, nine times 12 equals 108. SO YOU’RE DOING 108 PUSH-UPS. By far the hardest upper-body yoga routine I’ve done. Also the most rewarding.

You can’t beat the scenery or the music on these either. They all flow perfectly and are simply beautiful. Shiva teaches in a voice-over format and gives great cues and modifications. Despite this DVD not really being “new,” I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about it!

FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★★
Music: ★★★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★1/2

Fit Bottomed Line: With a little bit of something for all levels of yogis, Shiva Rea: Core Yoga lets you customize your workout for your life and your time with a bunch of awesome (and beautiful!) full-body and core-centered segments!

Do you like taking a more intuitive approach to your core work? Love a DVD that you can customize? Are a Shiva Rea fan, too? Let us know! –Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!