Rating: 
Summary: Ancient Wisdom and True Relaxation
Review: "Yoga for Urban living is designed to work around your schedule." ~Hemalaya Behl Hemalaya Behl has been studying yoga since an early age and her practice is steeped in authenticity. She has studied the teachings of Hatha, Vinyasa, Ayurvedic and Tantra. Hemalaya Behl's Yoga workouts allow you to create your very own yoga sanctuary. Her workouts embody the spirit of yoga. She has a very casual approach. In fact, she is talking you through the entire workout "from a distance." She doesn't actually speak while doing the exercises, but her calming voice/instruction drifts in and out of the soundtrack. If you are finely tuned and ready to move as soon as an instructor tells you what you will be doing next, relax into this calming series of exercises. There is no rush, no place to go, just breathe. I find her instruction style to be very calming and she has a beautiful spirit. There are three workouts: Morning Quickie - The blue walls speak of emotional stability and the wood floors and plants place an emphasis on natural materials. Perfect for any time of the day when you have 40 minutes to enjoy a this yoga escape. There are a few gentle neck stretches and then you start to breathe away your tension and stress. There is an interesting "rotation" segment and a "sun salutation series" in which she is rather good about telling you what you will do next. While doing the spine twists, I suddenly realized I was going much deeper into the poses than I had on other yoga workouts. You will recognize positions like triangle, plow, down dog and cobra. Hemalaya also includes a variety of authentic moves and creative poses. Daily Connection - The workout is set in a room where purple splashes across the walls in paint and artwork presents a peaceful still dimension. In 60 minutes, Hemalaya can bring you from the highest mountain of stress to the most tranquil valley of relaxation. Her pleasant voice leads you into a meditation of the body. The poses follow a logical progression and have a depth. It reminds me of how one drop of water meets the next and eventually there is a peaceful stream. This is the best way to describe what I cannot otherwise put into words. If you complete all the poses to the fullest extent, this could be considered an advanced workout. I could not fully complete the "eagle" or "camel" although I can say that when I was in my 20s, these were much easier for me to accomplish. While doing this workout, I did finally succeed in maintaining the most amazing Tree Pose I've ever done. It is definitely easier to do tree pose while wearing the shortest shorts. Having fabric in the way does not allow your foot to remain planted on your other leg. You just have to do this pose to see why I am saying this. Anyway, I was quite elated that I could finally master this pose. There are many poses in this workout I won't be mastering for at least another year! Evening Bath - When they say: Evening Bath - they mean it. You know how you feel when you have a nice warm bath before bed? Well, this yoga workout will have the exact same effect. I'm not sure if it is just the poses or the music that helps you relax into a deep level of peace. The truth is, I feel blissfully asleep while in the relaxation pose and now I know that I should probably climb into bed at that stage. This "evening bath" workout is definitely for the time right before bed. The exercises start with "OM" and as the word vibrates through your entire being, you will quickly abandon all worry and fear and sink into a state of serenity. There are a few gentle twists and then you start to breathe away your tension and stress. You will recognize most of the yoga poses. Spine stretch, leg stretches while on your back, spinal lift, relaxing rolls from side to side, youth postures (fountain of youth - I had no idea my body could do this pose), resting pose (definite challenge pose you can work into over time), chest-opening poses and full-body stretch. The pace is just slow enough to relax and just fast enough so you don't get bored. Yoga can be a place of escape from everyday stress. The tension of the day melts away into your yoga mat and drips invisibly through the floor as a deep sense of peace pervades your entire being. Yoga reminds you to breathe, to nurture the soul that you are, to let your body release the stress for you as you stretch away worry, fear, sorrow and anger. After completing this yoga workout, all you will feel is an incredible sense of peace and bliss. The postures all flow beautifully and each yoga workout has a different emphasis. Special DVD Features: Breathing Techniques Section
Instructional Segment
Custom Audio Options
Interactive Full Motion Menus P.S. IDEA: I think you can enjoy this workout even more if you place a blanket or down comforter on the floor and then put your yoga mat on top of the blanket/comforter. Having another comforter for the relaxation stage adds an entire new dimension of luxurious comfort. Then, fold a towel in half and place it in the middle of your mat. This gives you more "comfort" during your workout. I find it is easy to move the towel, but I really enjoy the feeling of a soft towel under my feet instead of always feeling the cold "plastic" feel of the yoga mat. Doing all this might seem like too much extra effort, but when you do the Urban Living workouts, you are really creating a mood and a place for your soul to escape and your body to relax.
Rating: 
Summary: sorry, better luck next time
Review: As a yoga enthusiast, this was a slight let down as the routines are mainly basic and hardly draw a sweat or raised heart rate. This is of course not a sign of a poor routine-teacher, but I was hoping for a more rigorous yoga regime.
Rating: 
Summary: love/hate
Review: i have a hard time with this dvd. while i love the three different routines, and i love the rythm, there are some things that drive me nuts. i don't understand why she switches up her left and right so much! as well, she doesn't offer modifications that would allow people to get into some of the postures more deeply. finally, the deep relaxation at the end is incredibly short. in the main session, it is less than a minute. this dvd is getting marketed to people who practice regularily and i don't get why they didn't do a proper relaxation. give me two minutes at least!
Rating: 
Summary: Solid integrated yoga video
Review: I have found this dvd to be most similar to the yoga classes I take. This dvd integrates the methods of ashtanga, kundalini, and vinyasa. The empahsis placed on the warm up is welcome compared to some other yoga dvds. Hemalaya Behl is professional and soothing, but not too foo-foo. The 3 segments provide flexibility and when I don't feel like a vinyasa flow I can still get my yoga for the day in with the night time session. The one problem is that the cueing could be better. At times she is trying to provide verbal cues so that she "mirrors" the viewer, but the cues often don't match your movements. I just go from one side to the other and ignore which side she says to start with. But if you are new and need precise cueing this might be a dvd to buy after a few months of class work.
Rating:
Summary: I vote it the best Yoga DVD for 2003!!!
Review: I have over 40 exercise and yoga DVDs in my collection and many of them by Sara Ivanhoe (her's are wonderful too). But this one by Hemalaya is the best in my collection!!! A wide variety of choices, my favorite being the 1 hour yoga session. I'm just getting into Kundalini and it's nice to see breath of fire used in the practice. I use the DVD again and again and love it. She holds the poses for a nice amount of time with relaxation betweeen. Thanks Hemalaya! I'm waiting for a follow-up to this one. Well worth the money!!! It is broken into 3 different sessions. The AM and PM sessions are 30 min. The AM is energizing and PM is relaxing. Both include a wide variety of yoga poses. She explains well, holds the poses for a long time, and allows time between to listen to the echos of the pose. My favorite is the full 1 hour session. Also included on the CD are explainations of breathing techniques and details on form of the poses. Check my other review on Amazon for the best choices in exercise and yoga DVDs. Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Best yoga dvd that I own!
Review: I have so many yoga instruction related items (books, vhs, dvds, cd-roms, etc.)and by far this is the best one. It is the most like a real level 1-2 yoga class. Plus, you don't have to deal with any props (props are fine in a yoga studio but at home it's too much to fool with). Unlike other yoga vhs/dvds, where it is difficult to connect movement with breath because of poor verbal cueing (i.e. Yoga Journal tapes) or the instructors' annoying habits (overly perky Yoga for Dummies lady), these three routines are great for daily practices and I like Hemalaya's straightforward style. Although the routines are basic, they include core yoga poses that even experienced yoga practitioners continually seek to refine. I recommend this dvd for anyone who has attended some yoga classes and is looking for a way to develop a daily yoga practice at home.
Rating:
Summary: A nice, relaxing practice
Review: I like the fact that this one DVD has three different practices, (two 25-minute and one 60 minute) each distinct in its mood and pace. The main (60 minute) routine is not kind of practice that will make you sweat (try Rodney Yee's power yoga series for that) but is thorough and slow, which is just as beneficial. Great for back and thigh stretches. It's a good addition to your library of yoga DVDs.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the audio track doesn't always synch up with the video track, and things get repeated (didn't we just do the left side?) which can be annoying, but isn't a big deal, especially if you are not a beginner. I wouldn't recommend this DVD for rank beginners, actually; there isn't much instruction or guidance on most of the postures.
Another plus of this DVD is Hemalaya herself; she is very beautiful, and has a "real" body, which I like. She's clearly very fit, but not stick thin. She's even got a little bit of a belly. Since the last thing I want while doing yoga is to feel lousy about my body, this is a nice plus.
Rating:
Summary: Great traditional yoga workout w/ lots of options
Review: I really enjoyed this DVD. This is the first DVD I have purchased from Behl, and let me say that she certainly knows her craft. This DVD offers a workout for every point in the day, a morning quickie (30 minutes), a full workout 60 minutes, a evening workout (25 minutes), breathing exercises, etc. She gives you an opportuntity to experience almost every aspect of yoga (meditation, breath work, postures, etc.). I think that this is one of the most complete yoga dvds on the market today. A person can really get an at home practice going with this dvd. The only thing I would tell someone wanting to purchase this dvd is that this not a Power Yoga type of dvd, where you will sweat the whole workout. Although some of the poses are challenging and all of them are held for a fair amount of time, these workouts are not designed to make a person sweat to the degree that say an Ashtanga workout, a vinyasa flow, or Bikram workout are intended to. After completing one or more of these workouts you will feel stretched, relaxed, and calm, but do not expect a heavy sweat (ala Rodney Yee's Power Yoga, Berly Birch's Power Yoga, or Richard Freeman's Primary Series dvds). I recommend this dvd for a person with at least a few months experience with yoga, especially before attempting the 60 minutes segment if you are not used to an hour or so of yoga. However, the new yoga enthusiast can still get something out of the morning quickie workout and the evening bath workout, and work their way up to the 60 minute workout. Again, this is a great dvd, and is a great buy for the person who is looking for a yoga workout that gives a person more than just a good physical workout.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Yoga video EVER
Review: I recently purchased this DVD. WOW!!! I have bought three others and been extremely disappointed. This video provides everything you need to do yoga for relaxation, for energy, for mediation, stress relief, etc. The video includes instruction on poses and breathing, an energizing AM routine, a daily connection routine for relaxation, energy, meditation, and a wonderfully relaxing evening bath routine. I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading cover!
Review: I would like to give this DVD a higher score, but I am still a little annoyed over its misleading cover. The cover has a photo of the lovely Ms. Behl performing a yoga asana dressed only in an orange bikini. I assumed she would be wearing this pleasantly revealing costume for at least part of this DVD, but she doesn't! Most of the time she wears a bikini bottom and a more covering vest-type top. She still looks wonderful performing her asanas, but I just wish she was wearing that orange bikini. Maybe next time, Ms. Behl?
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