downward-facing whaaaat?

Remember when I bought this DVD during finals week last semester?  I wanted to wait until I'd done both workouts a bunch of times before reviewing it, so here we go!

Bottom line:  this is a fantastic DVD.  The first workout, 'The Joy of Yoga,' is a lovely advanced-beginner level session: refreshing and relaxing, with good explanations of what the poses should look and feel like without getting too dragged out time-wise.  The instructor, Sarah Ivanhoe, is friendly and encouraging without being too cheerleader-ish (which is actually why I chose this DVD, I'd tried her 'Candlelight Yoga' DVD on Netflix streaming and really liked it).  It does get a little repetitive, there is a lot of downward facing dog, but that's almost become a resting pose for me at this point, so it's a nice breather.  Of the two routines, this is the one that makes me feel like I'm working more on flexibility and lengthening muscles, but it's not so intense that it wipes me out completely, and at about 45 minutes long, it doesn't take up a major portion of my day.

Now for the other workout on this DVD, the 'Fat-Burning Yoga' section.  I am not a naturally sweaty person.  When I was in fife and drum, we did long, hot parades wearing polyester uniforms and wool hats, and I'd maybe be a little dewy at the end.  But by halfway through this workout I am actually dripping and sweating from places I didn't even know I had pores.

...Aaaaand now you know me a little better.  Ew.  Anyway.

It's a pretty intense yoga session, with a cardio bent to it, but it's rejuvenating, not exhausting.  This is actually the one I do when I'm in a lousy mood and need to do something physical to get rid of it.  It builds on the poses from the 'Joy of Yoga' section of the DVD, so I'm glad that I did that first, but after the initial demonstration, the pace is much faster and the vinyasas are more complicated.  I really, really like this one. The music is energetic yet soothing, which is lovely, and there's a brief but effective series of relaxation poses at the end.  It's true that the DVDs in the Crunch Fitness series don't have much focus on the mystical elements of yoga (for lack of a better term), but honestly, the fact that I'm exercising without muttering profanities the whole time is pretty mystical to me.

Does anyone else do yoga DVDs?  I'd love to know what ones you use and how you like them!

♥