Customer Reviews

Denise Austin: Power Yoga Plus (Full Screen)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Not a bad workout if you're looking for something to get your blood flowing a little or you're tired (definitely for a beginner). However, her annoying voice is enough to make you wish you could be temporarily deaf. She should probably get a script writer and/or a thesaurus. She says the word "wonderful" so many times that I actually cringe as I'm doing the workout. I could eventually see myself having nightmares about this woman, so I'm sticking this video in a drawer.

I have been doing yoga for years and got this dvd because I enjoyed some of Denise's other dvds.

The yoga workout is a good one, but I don't recommend it for beginners because I don't think she spends enough time explaining proper form. Some poses are quite complicated and can take months to learn to do properly - for example, downward-facing dog. You're not doing it correctly just because you can feel it in your hamstrings - it's actually a complex whole-body stretch which is wonderful, once you learn how to do it. Unfortunately, watching this dvd won't get you there.

However, if you're already familiar with yoga, you will enjoy the workout. The pilates workout is also good, but I tend to use her "Pilates for Every Body" dvd instead.

This tape represents one of the things I hate about popular fitness instructors, they try to jump on every bandwagon and capitalize. Obviously, Ms. Austin has a strong following and has even produced some great workout videos. What is also obvious is that she is not a trained yoga instructor nor is she a pilates instructor. Yes, her body is very flexible and well toned and she is able to pose and move with some accuracy. However, that is because she is a former cheerleader, aerobics instructor and a woman who keeps her body in shape. Sure, she has taken a few yoga and pilates classes. She may even work with a "consultant" to create her workouts, but this is not responsible instruction. I do own other Denise Austin videos that I like much better. But here she moves too fast, offers poor instructions and is not always accurate technically. Bottom line, unless you are more than a novice, buy a tape from someone with more yoga instruction experience.

I recently received this DVD as a gift and am really enjoying it. The poses are fairly basic, but can be made easier or more difficult by modifying. Denise is chatty, and other reviewers have complained about that, but I find that her constant reminders to stand up straight or hold in your abs makes me more aware of what I'm doing and improves my workout. I have a hip injury I've been working on, and the stretches and hip exercises in both programs have helped a lot. All in all, I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

I don't know what possessed me to get this DVD. I wished I'd read some of your reviews. I should've known better since I faintly remember Denise Austin's voice in some TV programs and found it grating at the time. The minute she started speaking in this video, those memories came flooding back :( Her yoga moves are quite basic. Pilates moves are OK, but to echo one reviewer, she doesn't transition very well between the poses. I bought this video 3 months ago and have used it only once. I guess I should use it at least a few more times to get my money's worth - but I wonder if I can keep it on mute and put my Enya CD in or something...

Received this as a gift so I tried it out. I have done lots of yoga, and this is most definitely NOT yoga! The traditional poses are modified in ways that oppose what yoga tries to achieve. More importantly, Austin does not explain how to get into the poses in any way that would be understandable to a beginner. She talks too much. Given the chatter and the lack of yoga flow, this doesn't feel like yoga at all. It may be appealing to some, but I give it only 1 star because of the poor instruction. I would suggest trying videos by yoga experts rather than by fitness "experts".

I used this workout when I was pregnant, right up to the end. Of course, I couldn't do all the poses toward the end. But, if you want a quick, thorough, whole-body stretch to keep you feeling limber this is a great video. I never got bored of it, and my cronic back issues pretty much disappeared the whole time I used it. The 20 minute sessions are great when you are tired from a long day at work or have a child competing for your time.

I've done some bad yoga videos but this has been the absolute worst so far. The instructors voice is really, really annoying and the flowing poses are done way too slow. They're supposed to generate power and stamina but the only thing they did for me was bore me to tears. I wouldn't even recommend this to a beginner.

I disagree with some of the negative reviews. I think the pilates portion of the video provides an effective 20 minute workout. I can squeeze in a mini-workout before the baby wakes up & I head to work. I had no pilates experience & felt comfortable doing the exercises after a couple of viewings. Her workout really helped to tone my core after having a baby. I like how the pilates portion combines weights as well. On days you need to stretch, the yoga part works great too. Try it from your library first if you don't know if this workout is for you.

I really like this DVD for when I'm limited on time. It's broken into two 20 minute segments. 20 minutes of Yoga and 20 minutes of Pilates. Routines are done quickly and not much repitition. I find that after the pilates segment I am sore the next day. Overall a great workout when you need something quick.