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Whistle Stopper - Shiva Rea - Flow Yoga for Beginners
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $8.63
Your Save: $ 6.36 ( 42% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Acacia
Starring: Shiva Rea
Directed By: James Wvinner
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0054961808694
Format: Color
Label: Acacia
Manufacturer: Acacia
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Acacia
Release Date: 2008-04-15
Running Time: 70
Studio: Acacia
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good introduction, but you do need to be in shape first
Comment: You really need to be in decent condition and state of flexibility before diving into this. That said, excellent presentation and production values, and overall recommended. Well laid out, and a great introduction.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great! :)
Comment: Just received my order! :) This afternoon I had my 1st 70min workout with this DVD. I have to say that this is really great! I've done yoga on and off for about 1yr with YogaZone's DVD "Gentle Yoga" - it includes two basic, well explained workouts that really prepared me for Shiva Rea. Compared to "Gentle Yoga", this DVD's workouts actually increased my heart rate for quite a bit! Though I'm not very athletic, I know most of the poses already, so I was able to follow all her instructions. But I agree with some of the reviews here - there are poses that require a bit of familiarity and endurance, so they may be a bit too advanced for absolute beginners.
But then again... Shiva is a great instructor. Her voice is very calming yet lifting. The workouts are professionally filmed with beautiful sceneries, and the background drumming music is subtle yet energetic.
Though some reviewers commented rather negatively on some of Shiva's ambiguous instructions such as "temple of heart", "open heart", "root your feet" etc., I found them to be interesting and at times helpful. Those are abstract, conceptual ideas that are not meant to be scrutinized and taken literally. When the music starts, I get into the mindset and know what to do with my body, everything falls into the right places, and I'd be good to go.
The workouts could be a bit more varied though. In the third section Shiva introduces a routine that combines Chataronga, Cobra with Warrior Poses (etc...). I'm pretty sure that she means to go through it a couple of times so the routine becomes familiar and begins to flow. But still it's a tiny bit too much repetition for me.
However I did bought Yoga Shakti, Shiva's highest ranked DVD with 3.5 hrs of routines... So i've got nothing to complain :)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not So Much for the Unfit.
Comment: 'No yoga experience necessary' proclaims the box. 'Score!' I think. 'I know squat about yoga, so this should be perfect!'
What they don't mention is that this isn't necessarily for people not already rather fit. Each segment requires a certain level of endurance and strength that many rank beginners just don't have. She does make some modifications, but the moves remain difficult, sometimes prohibitively so. Also, despite the proclamation on the box, it seems as though some foreknowledge of yoga is in fact necessary. Some moves are cued by name rather than by description, which makes the first few viewings difficult to follow.
Overall, I can't really say that I recommend this to beginners in general. Fit beginners, maybe. Advanced beginners in yoga, sure. Not so much everyone else. I wish I could like this DVD, as the scenery is lovely and Ms. Rea obviously knows her stuff, but I just can't get far enough into it to make it worth my while.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Intro to Flow Yoga
Comment: I figured this would be a good DVD to start with before I immersed myself into Yoga Shakti. I'm glad I did! I think this is not only a nice introduction to Flow Yoga, but to the instructor herself. I had heard many great reviews about Shiva Rea so I couldn't wait to get my first DVD from her.
First of all, she does an excellent job in breaking down the various poses little by little so you are not overwhelmed. Also, I really appreciated the fact that she introduced gentle variations throughout so you could work up to the more complex poses. The voice over and cuing for the most part are very good and the scenery is gorgeous.
I'll agree with other reviewers in saying that the Savasana at the end is very brief, but other than that, this DVD is a great intro to her style and technique. For the anyone else who may consider purchasing this DVD, getting a book that references the English and Sanskrit names for the poses may be helpful as well.
I hope to buy more of her DVD's soon after I've done this routine for awhile.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comforting, with some room to grow
Comment: I am a yoga and Pilates instructor- I would say offhand that I am probably not the target audience for this release. However, I am always for new choreography and sequencing ideas, particularly for people who are new to yoga. I've heard much about Rea's comforting, "fluid" instruction, so I thought this would worthwhile for me to explore.
The practice is a little under 70 minutes- longer than most of the classes I teach, and longer than I typically spend on my own practice. The Warmup is about thirteen minutes long, which I feel is too long even in the context of an hour+ practice. There is a primer on Ujayyi Breathing, then linking that breath with arm movements. Then we move to Cat with knee pulls to begin mobilizing the spine, then explore Plank and its variations. Next are introductions to Half Chaturanga, Cobra, Single Leg Locust and Down Dog. Throughout, Rea provided soothing instruction and insights to help people new to yoga and/or working on strength and flexibility.
Next section, Backbends, began standing with diagonal arm sweeps, then a flow between a modified standing Camel and Mountain, then another flow between a Roll Down and Back Bend. Then we moved into a Forward Fold with Chest Opener. Next we moved to our knees, moving to a Knee Lunge then Hamstring Stretch/Half-Split, then Half Chaturanga, Cobra, Half Bow, and Cat with Knee Pulls. Once we've completed the work to both sides, we Roll Up to standing again and move into Side Bends, Back Bends, Chair and Chair with a Twist. After Forward Bend, we move back to Lunge, but this time add a Twist. We use Hamstring Stretch again as a Counter Pose, then move to Quarter Dog to open the upper body. After Half Chaturanga, we continue with Bow, briefly rest, then move to Camel, Hero and move to our backs to relax the back after the Back Bends.
The next segment is called Flexibility Flow, but it is focused completely on the lower body, primarily the hips. We do Knee Pulls, the Number Four Stretch, Hamstring Stretch and Wind Relieving. We next do a Supine Butterfly which turns into a Swaying Hip Opener, still on our backs. Next we sit up and move into an Undulating Butterfly before setting into the full posture. We close that section with Easy Pose.
The next section, Standing Poses, includes some of the poses from the other sections, particularly Lunges and Chaturangas. We perform a Vinyasa including Half Chaturanga, Cobra and Down Dog then move into a Lunge Sequence. A la many vinyasa practices, we repeat the cycle, adding in more challenging back bends (Bow, Locust, High Cobra) and more challenging standing movements (Half Warrior, Half Side Angle, Warrior 2. The entire practice concludes with Savasana.
My verdict: The warm up and the back bend sequence were of the most use to me in that they provided the most variety. However, it started going downhill for me with the Hip Openers and the Standing Sequence- I just felt that there was not enough variety, and I would think that most beginners would need variety even more than seasoned practitioners. However, Rea does create a peaceful, relaxing and encouraging atmosphere, so for that reason I'll bump my review up to three stars.
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Editorial Reviews:
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A superb introduction to one of the most beneficial and rewarding forms of yoga Flow yoga, also called vinyasa yoga, combines flowing movement with rhythmic breathing for a dynamic mind-body workout. Like a moving meditation, flow yoga unites mind, body, and breath. Your mind clears, your body calms, even as your pulse quickens. Renowned and innovative flow yoga teacher Shiva Rea leads this introductory practice, filmed amid breathtaking scenery on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. She begins with a seated mediation that teaches you how to link breath with movement. Three more segments introduce her flowing approach to classic poses. Transitions from pose to pose are graceful and easy. You may not have Shiva's flexibility (yet), but you can follow her lead in ways that work for you. Feel yourself becoming stronger and more supple. Sense your new energy and find the fluidity that has always been yours.
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