This is my third Yoga related review and previously I’ve needed support from my partner who knows Yoga inside and out, but not anymore. I’m an old hand at it now. So here goes...
Firstly, we get an explanation why this hybrid of Yoga and Pilates has been created. Then we get thrown into a quick demo of what we’re going to need to perform some of this incredibly flexible activity. The DVD apparently comes with a handy elastic strap thrown in to aid some of the exercises, which my reviewer’s copy didn’t have, so I’m not sure how practical it is as a tool (it looks helpful, if that’s any good to you.)
Then it’s off into Program One, the first workout. This lasts for around 36 minutes and is pretty strenuous (so says my partner who came in to help me after laughing for a bit). The last 32 minutes sure looked strenuous from where I sat on the couch.
Following that we enter Program Two. This is shorter at 30 minutes, but includes three and a half minutes of Relaxation at the end. Both workouts are excellent, though Ms Solomon does tend to fall into Journalese a little annoyingly throughout her instruction. You know, when they do that ‘straight reporting’ direct to camera on the news? Like that. Also, I think if you’re uncomfortable using the word 'butt' you should find an alternative word. (Maybe 'bum' - at least then it’s got good comic value.)
The sets used are quite nice. They’ve obviously been shot in someone’s very swanky digs, and have been well chosen to incorporate lots of natural wood. There is a bizarre ‘white room’ set too, which resembles The Construct from The Matrix a bit, and with all the women lying on the floor in perfect symmetry even smacks a little of the sleep chamber in Alien. But then it was shot in Byron Bay.
Throughout the DVD, Ms Solomon describes this program as suitable for everyone except pregnant women, yet there isn’t a man to be seen. There are, however, up to nine women performing the exercises at any given time, which seems a waste as the camera mainly focuses on our host. Surely in Byron it couldn’t be too hard to dig up a man or two willing to ‘Yogalate,’ if only for the sake of the shoot? Oh well. Back to our beer drinking and football I suppose.
Professionally shot in well-lit sets and outdoor scenes, this DVD is very easy to look at. There are no harsh, glaring lights and even though it’s shot indoors it rarely looks like a studio (but for The Construct scenes). Menus are animated, though it’s just waves breaking on the beach in lurid orange and yellow, while we see the equally lurid silhouette of our host meditating. Nice pan flute music sets the scene accordingly, making this whole package pretty good from start to finish. Sound is fine in Dolby 2.0, which is all a DVD like this requires.
Naturally, there are no subtitles or anything other than English language, but as a bonus, we get a super eight minute Corporate Workout for people stuck at a desk, computer or drawing table all day long. Being of the latter, I tried this quick series of exercises and can say they’re pretty darn good for getting the knots out and are simple things we can do sitting at a desk. A nice extra.
Also, there’s a quick three minute 'Interview’ in which Ms Solomon answers questions from an unseen and unheard interviewer. This isn’t much more than a little bit of extra info about Yogalates and probably not something you’ll rewatch time and again.
As a complete package (and assuming the store version gives the elastic-tooly-thingy) this is pretty good value. Some great exercises that are visually descriptive and well explained and are good for you (provided you aren’t pregnant).
