Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
Jillian Michaels, winning trainer on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” introduces a new yoga workout unlike any other. Combining hard-core yoga power poses with her dynamic training techniques, Jillian will get you real weight-loss results fast. YOGA MELTDOWN includes two complete 30-minute workouts that include a warm-up and cooldown. Begin with the Level 1 workout which focuses on quickly flowing yoga sequences to burn mega calories. Then progress to Level 2 which adds twists and balance poses for
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(out of 164 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.98
Price: $ 6.32
Review by Lisa M. Mims for Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
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I’m starting from the standpoint of years of yoga practice and having taught Pilates professionally for seven years: needless to say, the boot camp style of “Biggest Loser” isn’t exactly what I would go looking for in a yoga tape.
My initial Pilates-teacher bias notwithstanding, this is actually pretty interesting. It takes standard yoga poses and adds repetitions to the movement. What’s really smart about it is three things:
1.) The repetitions are movements that don’t put a lot of pressure on major joints–you’re not moving through the joints in such a way that there is a lot of force, so this isn’t likely to cause injury. Specifically, what you’re not doing, is rolling through shoulder joints repeatedly, with all your weight on your shoulders, as in most Ashtanga yoga–which does tend to cause injuries.
2.) It’s interval training. What that means is that your heart rate goes up and down a lot. Your body, in response, will default to a higher level of calorie burning and oxygen use, so this is a pretty good way to increase metabolism and what we think of as “lung capacity.”
3.) It’s difficult enough that you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time. Each workout is only 30 minutes, but it’s difficult enough that, if your goal that day is fitness, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
Some negatives: it’s filmed on a really bright gym set, which is a little difficult to watch; Jillian doesn’t actually do all the poses; sometimes it’s hard to see the beginner model when you need to.
Who this is for: experienced yoga folks who want a different kind of more athletic short practice; anyone wanting to add gym-based yoga to their workouts.
Who this is not for: if you have bad wrists, this might be undoable. Your knees also should be good enough to get up and down from the floor without difficulty.
However, this is a fairly safe, more difficult yoga dvd.
Yogi Eric Schiffman has been quoted as saying, “The point with yoga, is to do it a lot.” If having another instructor in your dvd rotation, one who isn’t airy-fairy, and overly emotional, for days when you just can’t go there, then this is worth adding to the mix.
Review by A. O’Connell for Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
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I’m a marathon runner, and I’m used to burning through calories quickly when I exercise, so I’ve always found yoga frustrating for its slow pace. When I finish a yoga exercise, I feel frustrated, like I should have spent those 30 or 60 minutes running. Most of the yoga classes and videos I’ve tried before felt more like stretching than working out, and I felt like I wasn’t being very efficient with my time.
I had a feeling Jillian’s video would be a good fit for me. It seemed more aeorbic than the yoga I’ve been exposed to before, which I liked. I was working hard enough and my heart was getting warm enough that, by the end, the time I spent doing the video didn’t seem wasteful or frustrating. I plan to incorporate this into my nightly routine to wind down, and hopefully start to increase my flexibility.
Review by Ann Huck for Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
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I love Yoga and although this DVD is not a traditional yoga workout I like how Jillian incorporates Yoga into her style of training. I also respect her for bringing in a yoga expert to consult on the DVD’s workouts with her. I think this will be good for beginners who are looking to get a taste of yoga and find out what it’s all about. And, for the more advanced athlete, if you are thinking this is going to be a zen workout think again. I was drenched in sweat after doing level 2. Highly recommend.
Review by Delphine D. Kirkland for Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
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This is definitely a high powered workout. I believe it will help you burn calories and increase muscle tone. But if you want to experience the full range of the benefits of yoga (along with the aforementioned), this is not a good pick and is absolutely not the best place to start.
I’ve been doing yoga for over 30 years and I’ve really come to appreciate the freshness brought to the practice by innovative teachers. I’m very open minded. But, I don’t think Jillian has the experience to be an effective yoga teacher— yet. I don’t think yoga has to involve eastern thought; that’s not what’s missing. What this lacks is the foundations of yoga; proper use of the breath and attention to the energy that we get from it. Sure, Jillian says to move with your breath and the models purse their lips as they exhale so you can see that an effort is being made to synchronize movement with breath. But the energetic flow is just not there, so the energy gain is not there; only a loss of energy. I don’t mean to seem vague and point to some imaginary, woozy thing. I’m talking about something thousands of people feel everyday at the end of their yoga practice that I think will be missed at the end of this one. Just imagine burning calories (using energy) yet gaining even more energy to use for the rest of your day. When you do a high energy yoga practice properly, you gain so much energy from the practice that in spite of burning mega calories and using body weight to build muscles you feel energized and balanced when you’re done. I didn’t feel that way at the end of this one. If you want a fast-paced, effective yoga practice with all of the benefits and very little hype I would recommend Shiva Rea. Shiva Rea: Daily Energy – Vinyasa Flow YogaYoga ShaktiThe newest DVD- Daily Energy- is great and the older Shakti Yoga is the best for both intensity and foundation. Bryan Kest Bryan Kest Power Yoga Complete Collectionand Rodney Yee Power Yoga – Total Body Workoutare excellent also You,ll sweat and feel your strength (muscles) grow while getting all of the benefits touted in the research on yoga. In all fairness, I’ve only worked with this DVD a few times. But I’ve worked with a few over the years and there should be something energizing in the practice even in the first few sessions when you’re learning the routines. I’ll try it a few weeks and then report back.
Review by R. Bombard for Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown
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I was skeptical about trying this dvd, mainly because i have tried yoga many times in the past and just could not get into it. I am a huge fan of Jillian’s other dvd’s and have lost 50lbs over the past year integrating jillian’s workouts into my regular exercise routine, for this reason i gave this dvd a chance and i am really glad i did. It gives a new spin on yoga using jillian’s signature style of circuits. There are 2 levels and like on all her other dvds 2 girls to follow weather you would like a easier or harder versions of the moves. I would highly recommend this dvd if you are a fan of her other dvds, but if you are looking for a serious yoga dvd look elsewhere.