Sara Ivanhoe's 20 Min Yoga Makeover - Flat Abs

Rating:
Summary: Good ab workout!
Review: I agree with the other reviewer that some prior yoga experience will help you move through this workout smoothly the first time, but I think even a beginner could probably pick it up after watching it a few times. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was surprised to find myself struggling in a few of the moves (I've been practicing yoga via DVDs for a while now, and have also started Windsor Pilates). I definitely felt the soreness in my abs the next day! I'd recommend this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: A challenging yoga practice to strengthen the core muscles
Review: In this 20 minute video, instructor Sara Ivanhoe leads a challenging yoga practice aimed at strengthening your core abdominal muscles. She begins with standing side bends, adding a twist with a knee lift. Next comes some additional seated stretches with forward bends, twists, and spine rolls. Sara then moves to an all-fours position and leads some particularly challenging work moving from down dog to plank pose with one leg pulled in towards your chest. This is followed by some additional seated twists, including a twisting boat pose. Lying on your back, you'll then perform Pilates-like abs moves such as criss-cross, bicycle, and stretches with both bent and straight legs. You'll also perform a half sit up with the legs both bent and stright as well as side knee drops with the legs both bent and straight.

Although the box for this video says that it is "designed for all abilities," this is a tough, challening practice which is likely to feel overwhelming for beginners. The practice is best suited to those with some level of prior yoga experience as well as some pre-existing core strength. Sara's personality is very similar to her Crunch and Dummies videos: she is very down-to-earth, although some might find her language to be somewhat patronizing. Overall, if you like Sara, have done yoga before, and want to focus more on your core, this might be a good video for you.