Customer Reviews

Beth Shaw's Yogafit

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Once again, Beth Shaw has me baffled. She has made a big show about how demystified and physical her brand of yoga is, but here she seems to keep all of the breathiness sometimes associated with "traditional" yoga instructors and is low on the physical instruction. I am a yoga instructor myself and I winced watching her and some of her models perform some of the postures. I know there are many out there who want to keep yoga as simple as possible, and I understand that. However, some things are worth mentioning, particularly if you're directing your product to someone who has never done yoga before. Her warriors killed me (her hip alignment was all wrong), and the modifications she showed for Triangle could really hurt the back (you want to make Triangle a side bend, not a forward bend). She and her models also locked their elbows quite a bit, and over time locking already hyperextended joints can lead to permanent damage. She also seemed to be somewhat careless in her Shoulderstand- it's worth mentioning that you want the weight of the posture on the shoulders, not the neck, but her models just went up there without a lot of instruction.

So why 3 stars? Because I actually do like the choreography- I'd just like to see it done with better form.

I bought this because I have taken some yoga classes at my YMCA that were taught by a YogaFit instructor and thought they were pretty good. I'd call myself an advanced beginner, have taken 2 yoga classes a week for about a year and practice at home with videos.

First, if you want a yoga-influenced cardio workout, or a power yoga workout, this is not for you. It's structured much more like a regular (non-power) yoga class.

But -- if you are a beginner, this is not for you. The main video does have some good suggestions for beginners, such as keeping your knees bent to protect your back, but there is not enough instruction. There is a section at the end that is supposed to teach the poses, but it's not thorough enough. Worse yet, the main video includes poses such as Wheel and Shoulderstand that should not be attempted by a beginner at home, and there is very little instruction for them. Beth Shaw does say that they should not be done by someone with physical problems, but not until the poses have already been demonstrated -- too late!

If you are experienced, this may not be for you either. For some reason, the video is filmed with arty red filters and strange camera angles that make it difficult to see what the poses look like -- especially during a transition to a new pose, exactly when you most want a good view. It's annoying, even if you're familiar with the poses.

It's not a bad sequence of poses, it covers all the major ones, but the technical quality is just not there. You could do much better with the Yoga Journal or Yoga Zone tapes.

Beth Shaw presents an excellent no-nonsense approach to yoga. She provides a well rounded group of poses that can be performed by beginners, but are also challenging for more advanced practitioners. Her instructions are clear, concise, and safe. She includes three complete class sequences each of which follows her brilliant three mountain format. 1 - warm-up for safety and peak performance, 2 - strength oriented work, and 3 - deep stretches at the end of class when the body is ready for them. She emphasises the mind/body connection throughout the book.

There are people who have put down Beth Shaw's book because it doesn't focus on the spiritual element of yoga. The book is written to appeal to those who want to try yoga, but have been reluctant or intimidated at the thought of going to a yoga studio for that very reason. She knows the benefits of a yoga practice and wants to share that with a greater audience. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, I call that Yoga at Work!

As someone who has been practicing yoga for years and teaching for almost two years, I can sympathize with a lot of the issues that Shaw surfaces in her book. In a nutshell, many people who are curious about yoga and want to take advantage of its physical benefits are either intimidated or turned off by what they perceive to be the rest of the "yoga lifestyle" and feel as if Yoga with a capital Y is an all-or-nothing proposition. To the extent that Shaw's book opens the door for those people, I applaud her. I also find her statement that she feels she has a mission to contribute to society by sharing yoga admirable.

However, I feel like she unnecessarily insults "traditional yoga" several times in the course of the book. For instance, she writes in her preface, "What separates YogaFit from other forms of yoga is that YogaFit speaks directly and without pretensiousness to everyone, but especially to the needs of amateur and professional athletes." And later in the same paragraph, "...YogaFit holds the answers to all of these [sports-training] problems without boring you to death." Reading these words, I can't help but get the impression that Shaw is convinced that she is the only one who can deliver the goods to athletes and fitness enthusiasts; Baron Baptiste will be interested to hear that.

One of the other notable aspects of the book is that Shaw can't seem to decide whether YogaFit is a form of yoga or something else altogether. She refers to it as an accessible, demystified form of yoga, then later has a full page chart contrasting the difference between YogaFit and yoga. Curious, since she went to great pains several years ago to have her training program recognized by Yoga Alliance, a registering body of yoga instructors and schools.

The most glaring inconsistency presented by the book is that while Shaw's focus is clearly on the postures, her instructions are lacking. While I don't think one needs to spend paragraphs describing how to enter and hold a pose, some things are worth mentioning, like hip placement in the warriors and not locking your elbows in postures such as Tabletop and Upward Dog. Finally, the instructions that she gives for some of the sequences are difficult to understand in some places, and she appears to work sides unevenly (for example, in the YogaFit Classic sequence, you're doing more Pyramids on one side than another).

Having said all of that, I do like the postures that she chose- most of them are basic and appropriate enough for both beginners and more advanced students.

Beth Shaw does not practice any of the principles of yoga, other than the poses. She is a horribile person who treats others rudely and steps on people to get where she is. I urge you not to buy this book...there are plenty of better ones. Don't give money to a monster!

This is a useful reference book. I refer to it often to get "fresh" poses and inspiration for my classes. Great photos and explanations of the poses. Good for finding poses, not heavy on the "yoga side" of yoga.

I really like this book. It is a great supplement to my yoga videos. I have found Yoga a great source for relaxation but also for sculpting. Beth Shaw's book really allows you to know which muscles you are stretching and/or strengthening with each pose. I guess the only draw back is that it is a bit short on poses. Only 50 which were mainly familiar to me from the videos I use. I hope she does another book with more advanced poses. THis is a great resourse!

A few years ago, I was at my local gym when I noticed a group of people practicing yoga on the aerobics floor. I wandered over and asked what they were doing, and Beth Shaw looked up at me and said, "I am teaching these people how to instruct Yogafit classes Do you want to join us?" I'm not a fitness proffessional, but It looked like fun. I filled an empty space in the class, and for the next two days I was emmersed in Yogafit. Initially, I worried about not being as "in shape" as everyone there, but Beth explained that everyone regardless of fitness level, or age could benifit from Yogafit. She was right. It was a great workout and for the first time in years, my back stopped hurting. I had been seeing a chiropractor for low back pain for years, but I didn't go back after my Yogafit weekend.

I didn't end up teaching Yoga, but I assist at a local martial arts academy and use many of the stretches and poses to warm up the class. Yogafit is wonderful for preparing your body for higher impact activities. When I saw Beth Shaw's book in the store, I bought it immediately even though I already have her training materials. The photos are great and she explains the poses really well. It is a great tool. Beth Shaw is the real deal and Yogofit is an awesome way to take care of yourself.

I found this book easy to follow, fun to read and inspirational as a new fitness yoga person. Beth Shaw makes yoga accessible to the reader- no religion, no sanscrit, no fluff - just the basics to get a good program going. If only more yoga books were so friendly and easy to follow. A great gift for the novice - no pretzel poses or weird moves . Yes YogaFit !

Beth Shaw's YOGAFIT is truly Yoga For The People. Easy to follow, easy to understand, Beth Shaw creates a user-friendly fitness yga appropriate for athletes, work out buffs and fitness enthusiasts who want to use this ancient practice for modern purpose. I found mysef stretching in ways I never thought possible. My shoulders feel open, my body activated yet relaxed, this is a great book for all.