Hemalaya Behl's Yoga for Young Bodies

Rating:
Summary: Another great yoga from Hemalaya!
Review: I agree with other reviewers. Yoga for Young Bodies will be one of my favorite yoga dvds (and I have lots of them). I like how the dvd is well chaptered and produced. You could choose the length that fit you, also there are modifications for all level (beginners, intermediates, and advanced). Hemalaya blends the traditional yoga with her own style very well. Big thumbs up from me!

Rating:
Summary: Another great DVD from Hemalaya
Review: I am a huge fan of Yoga for Urban Living and I must say that I am really enjoying this new dvd as well.
The workouts are faster paced than on the previous dvd but they are still very easy to follow, yet comfortably challenging.
The music is beautiful and the quality of the dvd itself is amazing.
I am currently alternating both dvds for a very well-rounded and enjoyable practice.
I have tried many other yoga practices over the past two years and I always come back to Hemalaya...I believe that she is one of the best at-home instructors one could practice with.
I highly recommend this dvd to any yoga enthusiasts who are open to incorporating dance and different breathing exercises into their workouts. At times I definately found myself smiling at how silly I must sound and look...but I had alot of fun.


Rating:
Summary: Very Different from her First DVD
Review: I've been practicing with Hemalaya's first DVD (Yoga for Urban Living) for about 5 months now and absolutely love it! When a friend gave me this new DVD I couldn't wait to get home and try it out.

Although I've just started with it, I thought I should let people know that this new title is a lot different from what I was expecting. If you're a fan of Hemalaya's first title, you may be a little surprised with what you find. This time around, Ms. Behl has traded in the her warm loft apartment for a grassy set and a collection of bright, colorful (but natural-looking) backdrops. It has a very unique, yet inspiring look to say the least.

You can switch the backgrounds during the workout too, from blue sky, to a sunset sky or to what looks like a floral blue, watery backdrop. I'm assuming this was intended for younger viewers, but they're all nice just the same.

I haven't tried all the workouts on the DVD yet, but I really like the Chakra Shaker routine. It was challenging but not too impossible thanks to the other girl in the video who demonstrated simplified variations during the workout.

Once again, the music is absolutely amazing throughout the DVD, and I should also mention that the Partners Yoga section is terrific too. I've finally gotten my hisband to do some yoga with me!!

Thanks Hemalaya for another wonderful -albeit different yoga DVD. I cant wait to try the rest of it!

Rating:
Summary: Average, and sort of surreal
Review: Once again, I'm surprised at the rapturous reviews over this DVD. I own Yoga for Urban Living, and find it to be a decent workout overall. I purchased Yoga for Young Bodies because it seemed to offer the modifications lacking in Yoga for Urban Living, and I wanted to add some more variety to my morning routine.

I think my favorite feature in the Young Bodies DVD is the partners yoga. Behl offers about ten different poses you can perform with a partner, and some offer wonderful, deep stretches, such as the backbends. The Chakra Shaker and Chill Vibe are each about 35 minutes long, and are good quick workouts for mornings and evenings when you don't have a lot of extra time.

That being said, I think some of the features mentioned on the packaging are silly, especially being able to change the background. I initially thought this would be sort of a fun feature, but in reality, the background changes from a sort of "twilight" sky with red streaks to a "morning" sky of light blue. In reality, the differences are pretty subtle and nothing worth writing home about.

Also, the woman who is supposed to demonstrate the easier modifications for the beginning yogi or yogini doesn't often seem to recognize that modifications don't simply mean being more lax or slack in postures. She doesn't offer true modifications many times, and instead simply slackens or loosens a pose, which ends up looking sloppy.

All in all, I'm satisfied with this DVD, but I still remain surprised at the wonderful five star reviews, which were the same reviews which inspired me to make this purchase. I bought Shiva Rea's Yoga Shakti at the same time, and am continually amazed that these two DVDs could elicit the same five star ratings.

If you practice yoga at home, I urge you to seek out Rea's DVD. I have been using it for about a week now, and find myself actually looking forward to waking up early to practice her DVD before starting my day. For someone who used to hate the early hours of the morning, this is truly a sea-change in behavior, brought upon entirely by Rea's understanding of the yoga beginner. Rea's DVD offers a "yoga matrix" which allows you to develop your practice. As I'm still a beginner, I'm excited at the prospect of using this DVD for years to come.

But back to Yoga for Young Bodies, despite its rather surreal setting (meant, I'm sure, to appeal to the teeny-bopper I just am not) it offers solid, half-hour routines that will add variety to your workouts. Just make sure you get the Shiva Rea DVD to really stretch and push your learning curve as well.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Beautiful, another winner for Hemalaya!
Review: This is different than her other DVD (Yoga for Urban Living) which has been my all time favorite practice. This is another one that will be my favorite. Great new interface and options for practicing yoga with or without music and/or with or without verbal queues.

There are 4 different routines. The first one is called Chakra Shaker and is primarily standing poses incorporated with lots of energizing breathing and runs 35 minutes. Then, Chill Vibe, which is another 35-minute practice is all floor work and can be as challenging as you make it. You can do either one separate or one after the other.

With Hemalaya's two other classmates you have a choice of three different levels. I love her pace. She holds the poses for enough time to connect mind and body. She doesn't talk too much, but enough so you don't have to look up when changing poses. These are very creative practices where she incorporates some dance moves and fun moves with lots of laughs. I felt so youthful during this practice!!!

The DVD also includes two extras. The 10-minute Stress Recess is a wonderful release when you don't have a lot of time to do yoga. Finally, the DVD includes a session of partner yoga. Many of the postures are quite challenging and fun to watch.

The music on this DVD is beautiful with East Indian flair. I really like it that you can optionally have the music off. This is a very beautifully designed DVD and a must have. Thanks Hemelaya & I'll always buy your DVDs if you keep making them. Yours are my favorite. Hemalaya Behl also has a web site hemalayabehl.com.