UnderReview: Your Perfect Yoga DVD (& Giveaways!)
There are sooo many yoga DVDs on the market these days! Here are three recently released yoga titles. Whether you want a killer workout (ahem: Jillian), no hippity-dippity stuff or a relaxed time on the mat, we think that you’ll find something that you love below!
Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
When I first heard that Jillian Michaels was coming out with a yoga DVD I was a little confused. After all, isn’t yoga Bob’s thing? But all of her other workouts are so darn good that my curiosity was definitely was piqued. Plus, we got A LOT of Twitter requests to review it. So we did! And what did we think, you ask? We likey. We likey a lot.
This DVD has Level 1 and Level 2 workouts on it. The first one is about 34 minutes long, and the second one is just shy of 30 minutes. With no frills or sanskrit (perfect for ya’ll who get freaked by chanting or om-ing in yoga), Jillian delivers one heck of a tough workout. And while Level 2 is harder than Level 1 (they do crow pose, people!), Level 1 is no picnic (she warms you up with planks, if that’s any indication). And while you’re not holding poses for a long time, you are going through challenging sequences quickly with little time for rest.
And at the end of the day, that’s what I like about Jillian. She gets you in, she kicks your ass, and gets you on with your day. There is one strange part where Jillian keeps repeating “Who’s your daddy?” but no DVD is entirely perfect or free of awkward moments, I guess.
FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★
Music: ★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Best for: Advanced and intermediate FBGs looking to add some yoga or functional training moves to their day while also burning some cals! Also a good fit for those who think yoga is boring—or not a workout. (You shall be proven wrong!)
The No OM Zone
For some reason, when we got this DVD in the mail, I thought that it would be tough—a true competitor to Jillian in terms of toughness. Well, it’s not. But that’s not exactly a bad thing and after carefully looking at the DVD, I can’t really figure out why I got that impression anyway. The instructor Kim Fowler is a former triathlete so maybe her bad-assness just comes through.
Regardless, the DVD is a no-frills approach to yoga. It’s just Kim, a mat and you, and she leads you through three 15-minute workouts: one for the upper-body, one for the lower-body and one for the core. The workouts aren’t easy, but they aren’t overly challenging either, and they feature familiar poses like down dog, chatarunga, table top, dolphin and plank. Each session features a quick breathing warm-up and a cool down twist followed by corpse pose (my fave!). I was especially smitten with the core workout, which seemed to be more challenging than the others, but that may have more to do with my injury than anything else.
For those of you who aren’t fans of the instructor voiceover (ahem, Erin), this one does that feature. And while the music in the intro sounds like “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7—one of my FAVE songs—there is no music in the workouts themselves, except for when you cool down. Bummer!
FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★
Music: ★
Fun Factor: ★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
Best for: Beginner and intermediate exercisers who want a quick yoga workout that isn’t airy-fairy.
Gentle Vinyasa Flow
This DVD is all about moving, breathing and flowing. And unlike the last couple, it’s totally yoga-y and pretty hippity-dippity. I really, really enjoyed it, but I would consider it more Vinyasa yoga than a true workout.
This DVD has a very gentle and relaxing vibe with moves that increase flexibility and build functional strength through poses timed to breathing. The instructor, Zyrka (now that is the name of a yogi), leads you through six yoga sequences each with their own difficulty level and length: two 30-minute sequences, two 45-minute sequences and two hour-long sequences. There are a lot of options here, which is rare for a DVD, especially yoga where you normally get just a couple of short segments to combine for a longer workout.
And take note beginning yogis: The DVD also features a unique pose guide section that gives detailed instruction on 23 poses including positioning, common mistakes, pose benefits and contraindications. This allows you to learn the basics of each pose without having to listen to detailed instructions every single time you do the workout. Bonus!
FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★★
Music: ★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Best for: Beginning and intermediate yogis who want a relaxing, moving DVD with lots of workout options and a tranquil state of mind.
FIT BOTTOMED LINE: EACH DVD BRINGS SOMETHING SPECIAL TO THE TABLE. IF YOU’RE A NEWBIE WHO LIKES THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF YOGA, GET WITH THE VINYASA FLOW. IF YOU’RE A NEWBIE OR INTERMEDIATE EXERCISER WHO COULD DO WITHOUT THE HIP AND DIP, GO WITH ZONE. AND IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A CHALLENGE WITHOUT THE FLUFF, GO WITH “YOUR DADDY” JILLIAN MICHAELS.
Want to win any of the above titles? Heck yeah you do! Leave a comment below, and we’ll pick three lucky readers to win a DVD in a week! U.S. residents only, please. —Jenn