Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
- Beginning poses and movements to build stamina
- Intermediate poses for strength end and alignment
- Overall centering practice for harmony
- Rodney Yee is a well respected teacher in the world of yoga
POWER YOGA: TOTAL BODY (YOGA JOURNAL)Power yoga “demands your attention,” says instructor Rodney Yee. He leads a challenging, constantly progressing series of poses, one flowing into the next, integrating breath, movement, tension, and relaxation. The poses include Sun Salutation, standing poses, forward bends, back bends, twists, and arm balances. The first poses are fairly easy, and with each repetition of the series, Yee adds on more difficult movements, extending the series without pausing.
Rating: 
(out of 277 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.98
Price: $ 7.30
Review by Scott Masterton for Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
Rating:
I have been practicing yoga regularly for about three years, and found this dvd to be a wonderful addition to my practice. Most of the poses are simple enough so that they can be attained by beginners, however, the length of the practice and the quantity of standing poses makes for a vigorous workout. This one is not for everyone however, I was a professional athlete and continue to stay in good shape, and I found myself (after the first couple of practices) to really feel the workout in my back. If you have not done a lot of yoga, you may want to start with a less strenuous tape, however if you like to feel a deep stretch and don’t mind a few sore muscles, this is the yoga tape for you.
Review by James E. White for Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
Rating:
I own three of Yee’s DVDs (Power Yoga the complete Workout, Yoga for Athletes, and this one), and Yee has not let me down yet. Each DVD is a little better than the last. This one may be his best yet. I think this DVD is a great intermediate level workout. The level of poses is not extremely complex, but he gives you a complete body workout in about 63 minutes. Those of you familiar with Yee’s “Power Yoga the complete workout” will note that this work out goes 60+ minutes straight, versus breaking up the workout into three types (stamina, strength, and flexibility). This workout will build endurance for sure. I like how this DVD is a little less rushed than the first Power Yoga DVD. The poses are held longer, and are slightly more difficult than the first DVD, but the pace is slower. In this DVD you may feel less rushed than you did in the previous Power Yoga DVD with moving from one pose to the next. If you are new to Yoga, this may be tough for you. Although these poses may or may not be difficult for everyone, the sequence and the amount of time you spend doing them may be. I would suggest this tape for anyone looking to establish an at home practice who has practiced for at least 6 months or better, and who wants to build endurance. As I stated before Rod Yee comes through yet again with another great yoga DVD.
Review by M. JEFFREY MCMAHON for Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
Rating:
My primary reasons for taking up yoga were to lose weight, reallign my back, increase flexibility, and achieve more relaxed breathing. Yee’s Total Body Workout, a little over an hour, achieves all my goals. First, let me say you need to have about six months of basic yoga in order to do these moves and you probably can’t be more than thirty pounds overweight; many of the moves require a body that is reasonably muscular. I’ve got six months of yoga and thirty years of bodybuilding (both a blessing and a curse) behind me so I can do 90% of the moves. Secondly, you should invest in a thick yoga mat; they go for about forty dollars and if you sweat a lot like I do, place a beach towel over the mat so you don’t slip. The only other piece of equipment you might need is a ten-dollar strap or just a belt for some of the lying leg stretches.
I like Yee’s screen persona. He is authentic, direct, and clear. He spares you New Age pretentiousness, self-aggrandizement, and any other affectations.
The workout is vigorous and fast-paced. For the first five minutes, a warm-up period, you think you’re going to get off with an easy workout but within twenty minutes you’re sopping with sweat. The first couple of times you might just have to figure out what Yee is doing. By the third workout, you should be able to follow along seamlessly. It’s worth the work. You’ll burn between 500-700 calories per workout; that’s over a pound of fat a week or fifty-two pounds a year.
On a more subtle note, I’ve noticed my breathing is more relaxed throughout the day and there appears to be a connection between relaxed breathing and less consumption of food. I’ve always been cursed with a voracious appetite, and while my daily hour of yoga hasn’t totally cured it, my hungers are lower, I’d say 10% less than without the yoga.
Also with bodybuilding and cardio at the gym, I come home exhausted and must nap for a good hour before I can do anything productive. With yoga, I don’t need a nap. I’m already energized.
It’s important to change your yoga workouts so you don’t go stale. I’d recommend checking out the Bryan Kest DVDs, especially his Power Yoga, which has three workouts on one DVD.
Review by for Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
Rating:
I purchased this video without reading any reviews. (Couldn’t find any) and initially felt like the previous reviewer that it looked boring but I did the whole tape and it’s great! It starts out slow and then builds up to where you are sweating and feeling the workout throughout your body. His routine is different in his sun salutations which was a nice surprise because if you’ve done them enough they can be so predictable. The variety was welcome. Also the floor work was different by moving from one stretch to another rather quickly but afterwards you feel loosened up, strenghtened and relaxed. The overall mood of the tape was calming even though you are working hard and the scenery is spectacular! I think Rodney Yee improves with each new tape he does. His earlier ones were so fast during the sun salutations that I had lower back problems afterwards but this one is at a much better pace.
Review by Pom Lover for Power Yoga – Total Body Workout
Rating:
I’m a moderately experienced Ashtanga yoga practitioner and I bought this DVD hoping it would offer a slightly less strenuous Vinyasa practice I could do at home to supplement my yoga classes. On the whole I wasn’t disappointed. The flow of poses is well composed and definitely offers an aerobic benefit in addition to the strengthening and calming effects typical of yoga. I’ve done the whole sequence about fifteen times and have always felt relaxed and energized afterwards. The DVD’s hour-long time span is enough to provide a challenge for more experienced practitioners but not too daunting for beginners. That said, this might not be the right choice for a complete novice as Yee doesn’t offer comprehensive explanations of each pose, or of how to move from one pose to the next.
I would have liked him to spend a bit more time on the subtleties of each asana, for example, how should the feet connect with the ground in poses like Downward Dog and Mountain Pose, and where should the gaze be directed? Also, what about mudras and breathing in each posture? Additionally, I think insufficient information is provided on modifying poses…again, if you’re a complete beginner you may want to start with something more basic.
Although I really like Yee’s soothing intonations as he guides one through the practice, I simply couldn’t stand the synthetic New Age style music in the background. I’m not averse to New Age sounds per se but I have to work hard to block out the soundtrack on this DVD. I know this is a minor concern but initially it impaired my enjoyment of the practice.
Even if you’re primarily interested in the physical benefits of yoga over its spiritual and philosophical components (and if you don’t have access to hands-on yoga instruction) I recommend supplementing this DVD with a book such as Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga”, which offers very detailed explanations of each pose and its effects on both the external and internal bodies.