Video: Super-Slimdown Pilates/Yoga Blend Workout

This is a really fun workout that combines power yoga moves with strengthening and core exercises from Pilates in a flowing routine that keeps your whole body engaged.

All you need for this one is a yoga mat, so it can be done pretty much anywhere. The workout includes a warmup and cool-down with stretching, and beginner modifications for most of the exercises are included in the demonstration.

* Remember to use caution when beginning any new workout. Listen to your body to avoid injury, and if you are at a low fitness level, you may wish to consult a personal trainer or physician to be sure you are in good enough shape to attempt this workout.
 
Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend
Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend: If you want a slim, sleek, toned body, this is the workout for you. Pilates is great for creating long, lean, sexy muscle...

Review: Kundalini Yoga Workout for Beginners & Beyond

I got several new yoga DVDs for Christmas this year, and I'm still working my way through them all, so I'm not sure what my favorite is yet, but if you're new to Kundalini Yoga, you can't go wrong with the excellent Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond, with Ana Brett & Ravi Singh. I absolutely love their simple, soothing style, and all of my Kundalini yoga DVDs that I have tried so far feature them.

This DVD is a great introduction to Kundalini yoga, which is quite different from the Hatha forms of yoga typically taught in yoga fitness classes, so if you're expecting more of the same old Downward Dog and Crescent poses, you may be disappointed. But if you're open to a new form of yoga which challenges your mind and spirit as much as your body, give this one a try without any expectations, and see what it can do for you.

This workout contains exercises for flexibility, strength, aerobic efficiency, stress relief, back care, and more - together with explicit instructions on breathing and guided meditations. This amazingly effective daily routine features two yoga sets which can be done individually or together, as well as a guided meditation and relaxation segment.

The first exercise set focuses on maintaining a strong and flexible spine - important for every aspect of health. The second set consists of a series called "The Five Tibetans," and yes, it does include some of the traditional yoga poses, but you will flow through them repeatedly and rhythmically, rather than holding them, along with specific types of breathing, so it really works all of your muscles and increases your heart rate as well, and provides quite a challenge for your entire body. I've only done this set a few times so far, and I can't do all of the repetitions yet, and still end up very sore for a couple of days afterwards, so don't let the "beginner" title fool you - this is a real workout!

This DVD also includes the "Matrix" option, which I love - I wish all workout DVDs had this! This allows you to choose which segments you wish to do, and program them to play in the order you choose. It makes it really easy to set up your workout to fit into whatever time you have available. If you have a whole hour, you can just play the whole DVD through. But if you only have 20 minutes, you can choose the opening "Tune In" prayer, the first (or second) workout set, relax, and you're done. Or add the meditation if you are feeling extra stressed that day. It's up to you!

If you want to try a new, fun way to exercise this year, check out this DVD and add a new element to your fitness.

Click Here to Buy It On Amazon.com...

Video - Yoga Meltdown Workout

I'm really excited I found this for you today for our workout of the week - this is one of my favorite yoga workouts ever! Don't let Jillian Michaels scare you - she's pretty intense, but even if you're a total beginner, you can still do this video - this was actually my first yoga DVD! Just follow the beginner model (in orange) for the modified versions of the poses if you're just starting out. This is such a great workout because it incorporates a lot of motion into the poses for some cardiovascular benefits (it really does make you sweat), but it also offers the benefits of static poses at the end of each series for additional toning and strength building.

Check it out, and have some fun while getting that tight and toned bod!  (If you want the DVD version it's available below for the price of a large latte, and also includes Level 2.)

Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown Level 1
Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown Level 1 is designed to sculpt muscle, burn fat, and tone your entire body fast! Begin with a gentle vinyasa, then kick up the intensity with a series of yoga poses combined with Jillian's signature exercises that focus...


Grab the DVD Here:

Video - 10-Minute Beginners Yoga Workout

Here is a 10-minute yoga workout for beginners. This video walks you through a few basic yoga poses at a fairly quick pace designed to challenge your muscles and raise your heart rate to burn some calories. Although yoga is not a cardio workout, it actually can really help with weight loss due to the fact that it works and strengthens all your muscles, thus raising your metabolism, so you're actually burning fat for quite a while after your workout. Plus it leaves you feeling relaxed and energized, rather than exhausted, so it can be easier to motivate yourself to work out using yoga rather than a faster-paced aerobic workout.

Enjoy this one, and see below the video for some other short and fun yoga workouts:

Weight Loss Yoga for Beginners
This routine is designed for beginners and anyone looking for a simple practice to build strength, flexibility, and promote weight loss.


A Few Quick & Fun Yoga Workouts:
   

Review: 10-Minute Solution Yoga (DVD)

I'm always excited when I get a new workout DVD - sometimes I don't do anything but the new one for a few months! I'm trying to keep myself on a more varied rotation these days, but this new one I just got just lends itself so perfectly to the short workout time I usually have available.... I had this one on my Amazon wishlist for a while, but I wasn't sure it would provide me with a good enough workout, so it took me a while to actually order it. I've had it for a few weeks now, and am extremely happy with it.

10 Minute Solution Yoga is part of the 10-Minute Solution series of workout DVDs, and is one of the most highly rated in the series by users.

It consists of 5 different 10-minute yoga sessions, which can be combined in any order for a longer workout, or done individually as a stand-alone workout if you only have 10 minutes.

The 5 sessions on the DVD are:

Yoga Basics - Designed as the "first" session, this workout takes you through several basic yoga poses at a nice pace and flow. I thought this one would be too easy, but it really wasn't. The rather quick pace was a little unexpected the first time through, but even now that I'm used to it, it's still challenging enough and a lot of fun. So far I'm liking this session the best.

Yoga for Buns & Thighs - This session works the larger muscles in the lower half of the body, with poses such as Chair and some of the Warrior poses challenging your thighs and butt, but without ignoring the rest of the body.

Yoga postures Navasana (Boat pose) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yoga for Abs - This session is all about the abs, and boy does it ever work them! As someone who has done Pilates for over 10 years, and yoga for two, plus lots of other ab-focused workouts over the years, I didn't expect this one to be so challenging for me. By the end of the 10 minutes, my entire mid-section was totally burning! This session features Boat pose, and other core-focused poses.

Yoga Burn - I've only done this session once so far, and I wasn't as impressed with it as I had expected to be. It seemed slower than I thought it would be, although it did have a few more challenging poses. I may come to like it better as I get used to it though - maybe I just was distracted by concentrating on the instructions the first time through.

Yoga postures Shavasana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yoga for Flexibility and Relaxation - Flexibility is something I really struggle with, with all the back problems I've had in the past. I could really do this session every day. It really stretches all of my tight areas like hips and butt, and it's a nice, relaxing pace to end the workout with. I do wish it included a longer Shavasana pose at the end though - I know they were trying to fit it all into 10 minutes, but it would have been nice to have like a "Bonus" optional 3-5 minute Shavasana at the end (I usually just do one anyway).

Overall, this is a really nice beginner-to-intermediate yoga DVD. It could stand to have better music - the music seems a little canned and boring - but it doesn't really bother me.

My favorite thing (and I love this and think ALL workout DVDs should have this feature) is the "Create Your Own Workout" feature. This allows you to choose which sessions you want to do, and in what order, before beginning the workout. This makes it easy to pick two or 3 sessions and play them all, without having to stop in the middle of your workout time and find the next session you want to do. It's really cool!

Since a lot of times I only have 10-20 minutes to work out, this DVD fits really well into my schedule. I do have several other yoga DVDs I really like, but sometimes I don't have enough time to do the whole workout, so now, rather than skipping a workout that day, I can just pull out this one and play a session or two. I've found myself getting a workout in a lot more often lately, which was my goal in purchasing this DVD - and I'm really enjoying it!

Whether you're pressed for time, like me, or you just want to add another good yoga DVD to your rotation, this is a great one to grab - and you can find it for less than $10 on Amazon.com.


This & Other 10-Minute Solution Workouts:
   

Video - Basic Yoga Workout for Beginners - Part 3

Here is part 3 in the beginners yoga workout video series. From Tree Pose up through Downward Facing Dog, this great video offers easy through advanced versions of the poses, and at a nice pace.

Enjoy!

01 Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies Part 3
Part 3