Customer Reviews

Total Body Conditioning - Yoga

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hi everyone,

I have over 40 yoga tapes that I choose from as I practice Yoga on a daily basis (along with weekly classes with a wonderful teacher)and among those many tapes I really enjoy Yoga Zone's videos. They are generally really well done in every respect and very user friendly.

In fact the actual routines and instructors on this tape are really great (in spite of the mistakes that slightly mar this tape)which is why I gave it the three stars that I did.

However, there are two big mistakes that are inexcusable.

On the first 20 minute segment, there is a series of poses with triangle, warrior etc which ends with a prayer twist pose to the left side. Then they do the same sequence with the right leg, but then all of a sudden just as they are about to go into prayer twist on the other side there is an obvious edit where suddenly the other leg is forward again and they twist AGAIN to the left(if you watch this carefully it's amazing that they thought no one would notice this, it's almost comical) So you don't get any twist the right. This is a major mess up in any sort of routine where you want symmetry (which is in every yoga routine, or every physical fitness type routine where balance is a given).

Of course once you are aware of the mistake they made you can just compensate for this and do the second twist on the correct side so it's not a "fatal" flaw, and I'll still work with the tape.

On the second 20 minute segment there is a lunge left out when a sequence of poses is repeated from one side to the other, once again you can compensate for this by rewinding the tape and doing the sequence to the opposite side but it is unbelievably careless on the part of both the instructors and the producers.

When one is paying for a product like this these sort of things are just unacceptable and it's hard to imagine that anyone involved in the making of this tape could have missed these mistakes.

The biggest shame is that they are both really great routines.

Fortunately I bought this tape in the box of 5 tapes (Yoga Zone Basics) so I got a very good deal per tape, plus the other tapes are flawless as far as I can tell. Still, this tape is available as a single unit and shouldn't be full price when it's presentation is half baked.

You might want to check out a new 4 tape series by Rainbeau Mars called "Sacred Yoga" which is a vinyasa flow style that ranges from beginners to more advanced. This has been a really great find and I highly recommend them.

Namaste.

I agree with the other reviewers. There are some "fatal flaws" but I don't do this workout enough to feel like I will turn out "lopsided" with only doing one side on a couple moves. I am very new to Yoga and I am enjoying dabbling in a variety of workouts and enjoy this one so far. I can see where it might end up being nothing of a challenge but for right now, I am enjoying finding new flexibility and do relax with any form of Yoga.

This tape has two instructors, Lisa and Charlie, and each leads one of the two 20-minute workouts; both workouts place a strong emphasis on breathing. The music is soft and non-intruding in the background, and the outdoor scenery is attractive and soothing.

The first program consists of basic stretches and twists with a few standing poses thrown in. The second program consists of entirely floor poses with no standing poses. The second workout is a bit more challenging, as a few of the poses--table, plank, downward dog--are held for an extended period.

I am an intermediate yoga practitioner, and I found these workouts to be a bit too easy. However, these gentle yoga programs would be very appropriate for the purpose of relaxing and stretching, especially in the morning or before bed. The ease of the workouts would make this tape good for beginners, but because the poses aren't thoroughly explained, beginners should first become familiar with the basic yoga poses via a workout with a greater teaching focus.

...there IS that problem with the male instructor skipping (forgetting?) the left leg in a standing posture/sequence in the second 20 min sxn.

Otherwise, the video is a great body-loosener and leaves me feeling relaxed afterward. The scenery is lovely and the overall stretching done in the video works for me.

I definitely recommend this video instead of YZ's "intro to power yoga" if you are new to yoga.

"Total body conditioning" is very approachable to beginners and has a better intro series of postures than the other video, IMHO :)

Lots of the reviews here complain that this video is too easy and doesn't provide much of a work-out. I too felt the same way, but now that I'm nearly 3 months pregnant, I've changed my mind! For no reason whatsoever, I feel tired all the time and unable to do my usual power yoga workouts, so I started turning back to this tape a few weeks ago as a substitute. It's wonderful for opening you up (the words of the instructor) and it's very calming. The poses are relatively simple so you should be able to follow along well, even if you are a true beginner. For those of you looking for a gentle exercise routine, this one will certainly put you on the path to fitness.

i had never tried yoga before and this was a wonderful introduction. soothing and relaxing, while still providing a good workout. i have since moved past this video, but it is a wonderful start for yoga. the instructors gave excellent direction of postures and breathing. definitely recommend.

Good instruction. Beautiful setting. If you do yoga regularly, this is a great, gentle way to start a longer practice. If you're a total beginner, this is good for you. 2 short, sweet segments.

But, there's one big flaw -- in the second practice they completely skip a series of lunge poses for one side of the body. The right leg gets a bit of a workout; the left is completely forgotten. That's poor quality control in my book and I was very disappointed.

So, if you're looking for something very easy and don't mind stopping and rewinding the tape during the second segment - enjoy. Personally, the Karen Voight "Yoga Sculpt" tape has two more complete practices with superb cuing.

The instructors are very knowledgeable and explain the poses, which is very important. I think that rather than use this as my sole daily yoga practice, I will use it as a warm-up for other exercising. This video is ideally suited to brand-new yoga practioners, rather than those who have done yoga for a while. Nice setting.

I did this video for the first time yesterday. I feel that this video would be ideal for people who have NEVER done yoga before. I've only been doing it for about 3 months and it was still too gentle for me. On the bright side, I get up very early in the morning to do yoga most days, so it helped me ease into my morning. I agree with another viewer about it being a great stretch after a workout, but early in the morning works well too. There are other tapes that I will reach for before this one, but if I'm low on energy, this is the one I will reach for. On the plus side, I really liked the instructors. They were upbeat and a little comical. I liked that. If you have never done yoga and want to see what it's about, get this video. If you have been doing it for a while, I would recommed Yoga for Weight Loss over Total Body Conditioning.

I bought this expecting to actually DO something. It might be two workouts but I had to do both in one session to feel like I got something out of it, and I had never done yoga before, so rather than beginner's I do not know what it is. I can't believe it is considered a fitness workout.