On the Ball: Yoga Workout for Beginners with Sara Ivanhoe

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Yoga Experience
Review: If you love yoga DVDs, try this one. It's a new way to do yoga -- with the balance ball. Very challenging, but in the typical Sarah Ivanhoe way, very relaxing and renewing. I really like the extra session which includes 4 poses with the ball, including an introduction to a handstand! In the main session Sara teaches you a new approach to the Sun Salutation. Also, try her Candlelight Yoga DVD -- it's my favorite out of all the DVDs lead by Sara. Yoga for Urban Living is my all around favorite yoga DVD, so try that one too! Enjoy!
Read my other DVD reviews on Amazon too.

Rating:
Summary: If you are not fit - this is THE way to get started in yoga
Review: If you, like me, are overweight and not very fit, but very interested in doing yoga well, this is the video for you. The use of the stability ball allows those of us who are less like gumby and more like bluto to acheive the harder positions and stretch without killing ourselves. If you are a larger person, some of the traditional yoga positions put enormous pressure on your joints and extremities, but using the ball allows the weight to be more evenly distributed and makes it much more comfortable and pleasant to perform the routine. Sara Ivanhoe is knowledgeable, very personable and a pleasure to spend time with. The workout is somewhat challenging, but is well paced and gives you ample time to achieve each pose. I cannot say enough good things about this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Great for the beginner--relaxing, fun and effective
Review: My sister the yogi insisted I get started doing this ancient form of exercise. She's been doing yoga for years, and while I did yoga in high school, I've been a drop-out for decades. Ok, ok, I'm getting started, really, I am, Sis!

I chose this Yoga DVD because it was labeled for "beginners" and also because I have a large exercise ball gathering dust. I liked the idea of using the ball for support because I am clumsy as hell, and the ball acts as a sort of yoga block as well as making you use your small muscles as you strive to balance. (I was told by a professional trainer that this is why free weights and walking are superior to static machine exercises, because the act of balancing uses many more muscles.) So I pumped up the big ball and dusted it off, got out a sticky mat (you need one for this) and took off my shoes and put on some suitable yogi pants and a soft tee shirt. I then tested the ball, as the DVD instructs you, to make sure it was at the right firmness to position me correctly.

Ms. Ivanhoe has a clear, pleasant voice, the filming is bright, well-positioned and easy to follow. The workout was moderately challenging for me--nothing I couldn't do, but not overly easy. I felt the workout immediately in my abdominals, while getting a pleasant stretch to my entire back. You start with a series of movements, each position flowing into two or three more "asanas" to make a set of exercises. The first set uses the puppy pose (head down, back arched inward) and the pyramid pose (rather like stretching the hamstrings before working out.) You roll the ball down and put your hands on the ball rather than on the mat as an advanced pose might have you do. A nice back stretch. The second set used the cat pose (arching and swaying your back) and ending up in the plank pose--lying prone on the ball, using your hands to support you in a horizontal position that makes you use your abdominals. The next set was the "Salute to the Sun" --four more moves. Throughout, the instructor tells you which asana to inhale on, and which to exhale on--this is important, says my sister. The key to Yoga is knowing when to breath and this is not always part of every instructional tape or DVD. When I was done, I felt my abdominals had been worked--I felt "centered" which is the aim of this set of yoga exercises.

I rate this five stars--definitely good for a beginner (assuming you have no health issues you must discuss with your physician) and a great way to get started in yoga. I enjoyed every moment of this workout on the ball.


Rating:
Summary: Great for a beginner yogi
Review: Sara has such nice way about her - she is measured, patient and has a soothing voice. This dvd is really geared towards those that can't do yoga positions on their own and need the ball as a means of support. For a true yoga enthusiast, it offers variation but not enough stretch to fulfill.The sun salutation series is almost pointless with a ball if you are used to doing them on the floor. Don't confuse this with a stability ball exercise tape - this is a beginner's yoga tape with a ball as a prop. Great tape if you don't expect more than it offers.

Rating:
Summary: good for beginers like me!
Review: This dvd is very good for beginners. I alos believe it would be fun and challenging to an intermediate exerciser. Saras goes slow enough and suggest enough modifications so even the unfit can enjoy it. The stretching feel great! As all yoga should, it makes you feel de-stressed afterwards A+++

Rating:
Summary: Well worth the time and money
Review: This is a 45 minute workout. The only complaint I have is that I can't fast forward though the Natural Journeys introduction in the beginning as I might with a video. The DVD contains additional bonus workouts including a modified headstand practice and a backward bend. Sara Ivanhoe has a wonderful presence and clearly loves yoga practice. I have a 65cm ball and unfortunately my appartment ceiling is too low for those positions when the ball is lifted overhead i.e. the standing tree pose and the standing mountain pose, but I perform these without the ball. I have performed this routine twice now and I am amazed that I have managed to achieve what I previously considered advanced positions. The ball gives me confidence and support and I can concentrate on getting into the pose and getting strong. I feel great afterwards. I give great credit to Sara Ivanhoe for the benefits contained in this workout. Her spirit is clear and her direction is friendly and encouraging. I would definately recommend this workout with the caveat about low ceilings and I will definately check out more yoga tapes featuring Ms. Ivanhoe. Definately recommended.