Cathe Friedrich''s Low Impact Series: Yoga Relax

I am still on the fence about this workout. To me, it is very similar to Yoga Max, the other yoga workout in the Low Impact Series. Thus, my comments about this workout are similar to what I wrote about Cathe Friedrich''s Low Impact Series: Yoga Max.

My biggest issue with this workout is Cathe''s constant talking throughout the workout, I didn''t find this relaxing at all.

First, a little bit about me. I''m an advanced exerciser who is one of Cathe''s biggest fans. I own every one of her workouts and always pre-order her new workouts on the first day they''re available. I also practice a few types of yoga, including kundalini, vinyasa and power yoga.

I am sure the Cathe lovers will flame me for this review, but I am writing my impressions from the perspective of an advanced exerciser who is very familiar with yoga.

There were things I liked about this workout. What I liked:

**The relaxing music. I usually don''t like Cathe''s taste in music, but I loved this music. It reminded me of the music that''s played when I get a massage. It''s very calming and relaxing.

**The pretty set. It''s still the brick walls with blank windows, but plants and flowers were added.

**Cathe''s meticulous attention to form. This was both a blessing and a curse (see negatives below).

**It `forces'' me to do stretching. I know stretching is important, particularly for someone like me who does lots of weight training and intense cardio, but I tend to skip it.

**It may be good for those who prefer athletic yoga without all the talk about spirituality and new-age expressions.

**The two premixes, which are about 30 minutes, for when you are short on time. The original workout is about 52 minutes.

What I didn''t like about this workout:

**It''s too similar to the Yoga Max workout, especially the first 25 minutes of the workout.

** Several of the poses are not relaxing ones. For example, during the balance section, you''re doing tree pose and dancer pose. Balance poses are wonderful and an important part of any fitness program, but they''re not relaxing. The second half of the workout consisted of more relaxing poses, where you are stretching in a sitting or a lying position. I had hoped the entire workout would be more like this.

**Cathe''s constant chatter. It''s wonderful that Cathe is so concerned about proper form, but she gives way too much detail, at least for those who are not beginners. For example during crescent pose, Cathe says "If you want to create little more heat in the body, come up on your back leg." She should have stopped there. She goes on for another 5 minutes about how this particular pose will heat up your body. Okay, I got that the first time she said it.

**The workout didn''t really flow well. It seemed to me to be more of a collection of stretches that just happened to use yoga poses. I''m spoiled by Shiva Rea Vinyasa workouts where the poses flow seamlessly.

I would suggest that if you''re interested in this workout, check out the clips and other reviews to see if you would enjoy it. VideoFitness Forum has some discussions about this workout as well.

I absolutely love this Yoga Relax DVD! I am an advanced beginner and found the poses in this workout to be challenging, yet the workout overall was very relaxing. My muscles were definitely tight the next day, so I consider this an effective workout. There are three workouts on the DVD, a full 52 minute and two express workouts ( just shy of 30 minutes each). Cathe does a great job of giving modifications for each pose; easy, intermediate, and advanced. I definitely have plenty of opportunities to strive to achieve those advanced modifications, but I never felt overwhelmed or discouraged while doing the workout. I love that she reminds you to only stretch as far as your body will allow you today and to give thanks for what you are able to achieve. While she does give helpful suggestions on body alignment, this is in no way a beginning "how to" DVD. The background music was relaxing and I like that there is a voice only option to play your own music. I will definitely be purchasing her Yoga Max DVD as well!

Buy Cathe Friedrich''s Low Impact Series: Yoga Relax Now

I''m overweight but working hard to lose the extra bulge and was hesitant to try Yoga but wanted to give it a shot. I rented this video and was overall very pleased with it (I''m familiar with Cathe''s other low-impact videos and she is one of my favs). I recommend watching the video first and trying the poses so you know what to expect before you do the whole routine.

I simply could not do some of the poses because my excess fat got in the way, but was able to do some minor modifications so that I could still get some benefit. The only exception was the balancing poses I had to lay my foot on a chair behind me as I could not reach behind and grab onto my foot from the inside (or outside) as directed. Others like me may have the same problem but I still felt resting my foot on the chair and stretching forward will give you some benefit and help you work TOWARDS being able to do the real pose. I was very pleased, however, that I COULD do MOST of the poses without modification or excess strain. So if you are overweight and getting back into shape like me, don''t hesitate to try this video, just be aware that you may have to make some modifications and DON''T do any poses where you feel uncomfortable or stressed as that means you are doing the pose wrong or over-extending yourself. I don''t know if I''ll buy this video I think instead I would take a real Yoga class with an instructor who has worked with overweight people and can help us safely acheive the poses.

Those of you who are already in shape will probably LOVE this video and get a lot of benefit from it. I found it an excellent way to finish my workout week, stretch out all my tired muscles, and let the stress melt away.

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