Rating: Summary: Getting through the new age feel to the actual workout Review: The first 15 minutes of the tape contains a lengthy monologue from the new-age yoga instructor. I immediately fast-forwarded the tape until I saw a bunch of pregnant women rotating their torsos in circles. The lesson begins soon after that, but the instructor keeps talking...throughout the entire tape, and 2/3rds of her monologue is pregnancy-related banter drowned in new age speak. The other third consists of chanting (which I personally declined to follow) and actual instructions. I have to admit that the workout itself was rather decent, and I could tell that it was derived from actual yoga techniques, with one exception. There was a long primal dance section in the workout that made me feel downright silly to try, so instead I watched the women in the video writhe to new age music and the instructor's commentary. Overall, I would recommend the tape for its workout, but warn others of its over-the-top new age feel. It will be a better workout once I've learned the routine and can mute the tape while playing it to my choice of music.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic! Tones, stretches, and relaxes the body! Review: I loved this video during my pregnancy. There is a couple minutes of repetitive relaxation phrases (some call it "chanting") at the beginning. Although I definitely do yoga for the fitness, not spiritual, aspects; I found the phrases to be relaxing during the workout, helpful during labor, and calming to a crying newborn baby!! She also asks you to do a short "free dance" and imagine yourself giving birth in the forest - pretty silly, but it did help me feel less shy about childbirth. There is also some easy, but intense arm exercises - she helps you learn how to focus on other things and work through pain (obviously helpful for labor!). I was very active during my entire pregnancy. The video was both challenging and relaxing. It is doable for all phases of pregnancy - I didn't buy this video until my last month! The stretching feels great!
Rating: Summary: Great to prepare for birth and help relieve pg problems Review: This video is great! Some had warned me it was "new-agey" but its actually into the ANCIENT wisdom of true yoga (possibly not perfect for all of those women who are into things like "fit mama" or more commercialized work outs?). This was the first time I tried Yoga, but it has got me hooked. It was easy to learn, and remained a challenge throughout. Great for people who view birth as a beautiful experience - not only a great workout, but also a great birthing preparation video. She speaks a lot about the birthing experience and how spiritual it is.After viewing, I feel very bonded with my baby and I feel energized, yet relaxed. Helps relieve my back pain and uncomfort due to growing tummy. I'm currently in my seventh month and its working great. Has helped me to be more flexible, coordinated and able to move freely with my big tummy :). There are ten women in the class on the video so you get to see a range of women performing each exercise. This video was a great challenge for me my first time and as I practice more it gets much easier. The perfect workout for pregnancy. You can take it very easy or you can try to challenge yourself. I had revied ALL of the other prenatal videos out there and this is my favorite. Some do not like the chanting on this video, but was a great release for me and made me feel closer to the baby. My husband also enjoys working out with me to this video :).
Rating: Summary: Finally, Real Yoga for Baby and Me Review: I have been practicing yoga for over six years. Since I became pregnant I have tried three other prenatal exercise/yoga videos. This is by far the best one. The poses are easy to understand and perform and extremely helpful to my growing and changing body. I purchased the DVD, which has been broken up into sections. So if I am not in the mood to participate through the entire workout I can pick one section at at time. I personally found the chanting to be very invigorating. Also, the free form dance, which is meant to help you move and expand your hips, made me feel very emotional and connected to my baby--so much so that I actually started to cry. This video is, obviously by the other reviewers comments, not for women who favor generic workouts like Fit Mama, etc. If you like real yoga, the kind that allows and assists you to get in touch with your body and emotions, this will be your favorite video.
Rating: Summary: A wonderful approach to pre natal yoga Review: I bought the The New Method Pre & Post Natal Yoga (2 Pack DVD Box Set), so I plan to continue this yoga workout as part of my before and after birth exercise plan. I noticed some reviews for the Pre Natal DVD were on the negative side. These reviews are apparently from women who do not understand the purpose of yoga and do not want to explore a different approach to exercise. At least one reviewer recommended Leisa Hart's FitMama - Prenatal Workout instead and I completely disagree. Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa does an excellent job of leading pregnant women through a low-impact, yet aerobic, yoga workout on this DVD. Some "conservative" women may not be interested or afraid of the chanting or some positions like the squats (that mimic traditional child birthing positions), but it's very easy to opt out of listening to Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa's commentary and simply practice the poses, breathing, and mental exercises. The downside to this DVD program is the length of the workout. The workout, including warm-up and warm-down, is about one hour long. With my low energy level during my first trimester and my work schedule, I find this workout to be most manageable during weekends. It's simple to memorize some of the exercises and practice them out of sequence in free time though. I highly recommend this DVD to all pregnant women, including women who tend toward "conservative" beliefs in pregnancy, childbirth, and life in general. Overall, I believe this DVD is superior to Leisa Hart's FitMama - Prenatal Workout. My low opinion of the Leisa Hart DVD can be seen on that product review list. Most notably, I found Leisa Hart's attempts to combine yoga and aerobics did not work (some positions placed unnecessary stress on parts of the body) and both long programs on the DVD lack adequate warm-ups and warm-downs. Regarding The New Method Post Natal Yoga DVD, I have watched it and like Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa's approach to including women's babies in the workout. The moms and babies on the DVD were enjoying the interaction and the program is similar in quality and content to the Pre Natal DVD.
Rating: Summary: relaxing exercises with spiritual overtones Review: I love this video! The class of women on the tape are in all stages of pregnancy, and they are not the usual models and actresses we often see on exercise videos, but instead, real people. The female yogi(also noticeably pregnant) leads a very relaxing series of movements with some spiritual visualization and a small amount of yoga chanting--which is all nice without being too much. The accompanying music is played live in the back of the class (flutes and strings) and many of the movements are extrememly natural, not difficult at all. You can do this tape right up to labor because the movements are geared towards opening up the body and joints with torso stretching and lots of arm reaches, plus repetitive squating to train the legs and pelvis to open up easily in preparation for birth. I was completely out of shape when I started, but I could finish the video with a little bit of effort and didn't feel overwhelmed. There's also some small isometric squeezes to strengthen the legs and arms and a small amount of semi-aerobic movements that are so gentle they get your heart moving ever so easily. Plus, the yogi uses the calming sound of her voice to get you to imagine wonderful things about having your baby and calming images about the labor process. All this is done without too much syrup or new-age religious connotations, which I appreciate very much. I'd highly recommend this to any pregnant woman, especially one who can't get herself going in more traditional types of exercise and wants to do a minimalist physical program to get her body warmed and loose and feeling great.
Rating: Summary: I enjoy this workout Review: I too have been doing yoga for years. All different forms of it. This DVD is based on Kundalini Yoga. For some who are looking for typical asanas found in Hatha or Ashtanga this is not that. It is more focused on the 3rd eye and the Chakras. Opening certain areas of the body to release energy, to relax and feel centered. It is also focused on the breath. It is arguably the oldest form of yoga there is. It is rather primal. Some may find it a bit silly. But in my experience it is not the yoga that is silly but the person doing it. Childbirth is a primal thing. If you can get over yourself you will enjoy it and it WILL be helpful in the delivery room. And that is, after all the point.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic! Tones, stretches, and relaxes the body! Review: I loved this video during my pregnancy. There is a couple minutes of repetitive relaxation phrases (some call it "chanting") at the beginning. Although I definitely do yoga for the fitness, not spiritual, aspects; I found the phrases to be relaxing during the workout, helpful during labor, and calming to a crying newborn baby!! She also asks you to do a short "free dance" and imagine yourself giving birth in the forest - pretty silly, but it did help me feel less shy about childbirth. There is also some easy, but intense arm exercises - she helps you learn how to focus on other things and work through pain (obviously helpful for labor!). I was very active during my entire pregnancy. The video was both challenging and relaxing. It is doable for all phases of pregnancy - I didn't buy this video until my last month! The stretching feels great!
Rating: Summary: Excrutiatingly earnest and unpleasant Review: Gurmukh takes her yoga VERY seriously. Indeed, her intense relaxation is made even less relaxing by her grating voice. She seems to be pleading and whining for your admiration (but in a very "relaxed" way, of course.) If you're looking for a California guru, she might be just what the Maharishi ordered (she's got a turban to prove it) but if you're looking to bond with your baby, take private, mindful breathes, and find a "yoga-mind" for your pregnancy than look elsewhere. We sent it right back and got YogaMama, the Crunch DVD. Surprisingly, although Crunch has a rep as a powerhouse NY workout, YogaMama has all the true reverence, mindfullness, and spirit that this one lacks. Don't let the turban fool you, underneath it is a blonde California New Age girl. It's not suprising that they don't show the star of this video on the cover. This video is a disservice to all those who are serious about yoga.
Rating: Summary: This is fantastic Review: This is a fantastic workout!!! I regularly did yoga before pregnancy & am so happy to have found this DVD. Once you're over feeling self conscious - you get an amazing workout. These exercises are so important for a healthy pregnancy - and will help in labor & delivery. I also like that you get a little cardio workout and arm toning too. HIGHLY recommend it.
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