Karen Voight: Yoga Focus (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Starring Karen Voight

Features:

• Workout tools explanations
  
• Link to Voight’s website
  

Released by: Entertaining Fitness, Inc.
Rating: NR
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: A great choice for those interested in yoga

Yoga Focus is actually two workouts in one. First, we have “Yoga for Strength,” a thirty-minute program meant to build strength, stamina, and balance. There is also “Yoga for Flexibility,” a program created to focus upon flexibility and general health of joints and muscles.

Voight here is, as always, a pro. Her instruction is wonderfully clear, and even people who have never done any yoga before will be able to follow her perfectly well. This is a wonderful choice for people new to yoga actually because not only does Voight take you through it all step-by-step, she choose poses that are not necessarily the most challenging, and the ability to choose a strength or flexibility focus helps with this even more. This is not to say, however, that experience yoga practitioners will find nothing in this disc; indeed, more experienced viewers will appreciate the variety of poses she uses, as well as the chance to focus upon strength vs. flexibility. For viewers with any physical limitations, a second instructor demonstrates the modified poses.

What makes this disc nicer than many of the other yoga discs out there is the choice of two different routines. Yoga can be energizing or relaxing, depending upon the moves you use and how you use your body, and here we have one routine to calm you down and focus on peacefulness (Yoga for Stretch) and one routine to get your going and focus on stamina and balance (Yoga for Strength). Whether you need to get and get moving or wind down after a long, hard day, your needs are covered.

The music on this disc is very relaxing, as befits the subject, and rather Asian-inspired for the most part. The set is quite minimal to focus viewer attention on Voight and her co-instructor, but attractive and artistic.

To use this disc at its best, viewers will need a yoga mat and a pair of yoga blocks. One of the extras on this disc is a section that explains the various workout tools you will use here. There is also a web link via DVD-ROM to Voight’s website where you can get more information about her and her videos, as well as order any supplies you might need. Lastly, there is also a selection of ads for Voight’s other exercise discs that might compliment this one.

All in all, Yoga Focus is a wonderful disc for anyone looking to add an element of yoga to their lives and exercise regime. This disc provides the instruction and motivation that you will need to get more in touch with your body and increase your general level of fitness. This would be a great choice to alternate with your regular cardio exercise program, or to just keep around for those days when work makes you want to go on a rifle spree.