My Place of Happiness

We are finishing part of our place into a mini studio. I'm so excited! I'll have my own place to meditate, dance, condition, choreograph and teach. This also means that I will have a better place to try out all the workouts than the current 3'x6' area of carpet in my bedroom! So far we've done the primer...

.....and painted the walls...

 ....One of the walls is a nice blue called foggy mist...

 These two walls are each going to have ballet barres (one 14' long the other 10' long) that will be placed at two different heights (one lower one higher)...

The floor being installed!!

The floor is in! 

I added some curtains since we don't have blinds yet. I also hung up a cute little clock (not shown) on the other side of the room. We were able to get this rug on clearance for $24!! I can easily roll it up and put it in the closet whenever I'm using the whole floor or teaching. (don't mind the extra base molding and flooring under the window there...:) )

The ballet barres have arrived and are waiting to be attached to the wall. I've put up a whiteboard sticker on one of the walls (not pictured here) and a large dandelion vinyl on the blue wall. I love it!

The Ballet Barres are up!! See below :)

 We ended up putting the longer barre on the blue wall after all, even though the original plan was that the shorter barre would be the higher one and the longer would be the lower one. But I'm happy with how it turned out and use them all the time!

Happy Training! à bientôt!

ELEMENT: Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga

I've already tried an Element Yoga DVD and I enjoyed it. I really liked her teaching style. This DVD I wanted my sister to take a look at, since she is actually pregnant. Below are her thoughts:

"This is a great routine for beginning to intermediate yoga practitioners. Both the instructor demonstrating and the voice-over guidance are easy to follow. The calming, but minimal acoustic guitar in the background combined with the soothing voice of the instructor sets a relaxing tone for the work out. The exercises themselves flow well, encouraging gentle opening, energizing and strengthening without holding the poses for so long that it becomes uncomfortable. This routine would be good from the beginning all the way to last month or so of pregnancy - with the second trimester probably being the best time for it.

For me personally at 38 weeks, there were a few poses I had difficulty with and chose not to do, namely triangle, side angle, tabletop and plank. If I had been doing this routine a few months ago perhaps these poses would not have presented any problems. So if you are far along be prepared to modify or exclude some of the exercises as needed. The instructor mentions a few third trimester modifications, but does not dwell on them, so previous knowledge of how to modify poses is helpful though not absolutely necessary.

This 30 minute sequence takes you from standing salutations to variations on chair, warrior 1 and 2, side angle and triangle and mixes in some floor work with plank, squats, pigeon, tabletop, and child's pose punctuated with plenty of down dog and forward bends. The last 10 minutes or so are a seated cool-down sequence and meditation. Overall, I thought it was a very balanced work out, though not ideal for the last few weeks of pregnancy. Always listen to your body and if a pose doesn't feel good, back off and substitute one that does."

Thank you Krysta! This DVD also has a routine for about 6 weeks after giving birth. You can look forward to another review regarding that routine, also by Krysta, in the future.

If you are interested in purchasing this DVD on Amazon.com see below:

Purchase on Amazon

If you are more interested in Element Yoga see below:

Element Yoga

Happy Training! à bientôt!

Highland Dance

I just got my photos back for Highland dance...I definitely  have some Scottish pride going on. I mean just check out this kilt! I am so psyched for the competition this month!

 

Anyway, that was a side note...

Happy Training! à bientôt!

RADIANT FLOW YOGA: with Janet Stone

**For the Intermediate/Advanced yogi

Absolutely exquisite! Radiant Flow is an intermediate-advanced yoga DVD for those that want to take their practice to the next level (Or those with dance experience like ballet, contemporary, jazz or modern). Right away I knew that this was a routine that I would love! It keeps you moving and at times it would be fast moving for a beginner. I lean more towards yoga that moves like a dance, which usually means power yoga or Vinyasa flow yoga--which is exactly this! Your body will warm up quickly and you will be introduced to some "new" poses (Some of her poses I have never seen on a yoga DVD before) almost immediately. If you are looking to get into the "pretzel" yoga poses (i.e. putting your foot behind your head) then this is the DVD for you! Janet does encourage you to use a strap or towel if you aren't as flexible as she demonstrates, which I did have to do for a few of the poses.

The menu is pretty simple, there's an option to either play the entire routine or to go to a chapter selection. If you are familiar with the routine I imagine that this would be an awesome feature to go to the section you like! (Again with the customizable stuff...you guys probably have me all figured out!) The music is incredible. The studio is done on a cement floor that has a small amount of water and the class is on slightly raised mats. This makes the visual really cool! Janet narrates as she and the class demonstrate the routine.

This DVD includes a 69 min. routine that will challenge any yogi! You will begin with a small amount of meditation (literally only a minute), finding where you are at that time. Janet doesn't mess around, she jumps right into the routine. I can tell that she has thought through the routine and that she has created a sequence that will prepare you to be strong and progress to the more difficult poses in the routine. Her voice has the perfect tone to give you energy and keep you relaxed at the same time. This is definitely one of my new favorite yoga DVDs, and I definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a challenge and progression in their yoga practices. An incredible routine for strength, balance, core connection, flexibility and of course for muscle toning! The routine ends with some counter poses and the ever-popular corpse pose.

Some of the poses include:
Scorpion
Down-dog Split
(Some poses that Shiva Rea used in her Dancing Warrior sequence  that I LOVE...but obviously don't know the pose names)
Side Crow
push-ups before down-dog
Warrior 3-arms entwined
Back bends
Half-happy baby
Plow

If you are interested in purchasing this DVD see below:
Purchase Radiant Flow

If you are interested in Janet Stone and her yoga studio or other DVDs see below:
Janet Stone Yoga

Happy Training! à bientôt!

NEW YORK CITY BALLET: Workout I

Given that the New York City Ballet post randomly landed on September 11th I thought it prudent to mention that if anything this is meant to honor those who lost their lives and loved ones that day so many years ago. 

I've owned this DVD for a while, and always enjoy doing it. I love how gain an increased sense of your rotation (turn out) and alignment. There is a fluid quality to a lot of the movements that make you feel like you are in a modified ballet class. I was first introduced through conversation a few years ago to the series and I was intrigued but thought it beyond my skillset. However, I think that anyone could pick it up given that they have basic dance or particularly ballet experience. You will be able to work on your strength, core, flexibility, as well as your turn-out. The additional benefit on top of all those listed above is an increase in body-awareness; which is so good for everyone!

The DVD has a caption at the base of the front cover that says "Stretches and Exercises Anyone Can Do for a Strong, Graceful and Sculpted Body." I agree whole-heartedly with this statement. It truly will sculpt your muscles and make you feel like a dancer even if you aren't one! The dancers that demonstrate the entire workout are evidence of this. Their bodies are beautifully sculpted, strong and limber. Everything you need to be functional and more!

All of the exercises are done to classical music (also an option for contemporary music on the main menu!), demonstrated by dancers, and narrated/instructed by Peter Martins. 

What's included on this DVD:

Workout:

•  Section 1 -Warm Up One (3 min.): You begin working in parallel and then turnout, using the arms separately and with the movement. I love this warm up! I always feel my stiffness go away by the end of the 3 minutes!
• Section 2-Warm Up Two (1 min. 30 sec.): Two ballerinas take you through a balancé sequence that moves side to side and slightly forwards and backwards. arms are used, and some parallel is employed in addition to the turn-out.
  Section 3-Warm Up Three (1 min. 40 sec.): two danseurs (male dancers) take you through a sequence, that is very similar to Warm Up Two.
• Section 5-Abdominals & Leg Darts (4 min.): just like it sounds, you are doing core work involving crunches, and rotating crunches including bicycle crunches. Just the right amount to get you sweating if you aren't already. Demonstrated by one of the men.
• Section 12-Passe (2 min.): a simple exercise to increase balance, as well as precision in the passe movement (lifting one leg to the knee then passing it to the back of the knee before lowering the foot in turned out position.). There are some lovely variations including a plie.
• Section 9-Plies (4 min.): Plies are an essential part of a ballet barre warm up. When bending the knees make sure that your knees are tracking over the toes and not in front of or behind them (this will protect your knees). Also keeping your butt tucked and abdominals lifted will help you engage the correct muscles.
• Section 13-Front Attitude (3 min.): This is a great exercise to work on your attitude devant/derriere (bent leg in front/back). You also work on some basic rond de jambe (circular movements of the leg).
• Section 14-Grand Battement Front (2 min.): The grand battement is a essentially a kick. This is a simple exercise that is great for your propioception and balance. Remember to keep the shoulders down and not to tense up, this will help you keep your alignment and your muscles available to stretch.
• Section 15-Arabesque Raises (1 min. 30 sec.): An arabesque is lifting your leg directly behind you. be sure to keep your pelvis aligned and spine lengthened in order to protect your back (much like back bends in yoga). 

Sports Options: This includes options for football, skiing, and racquet sports. I haven't ever used this selection but from what I can tell they have taken the segments of the warm up that are helpful in conditioning for the above listed sports. (This might also be fun for my husband to try the football selection)

Exercises: This selection on the menu takes you to each of the exercises that are used in the workout but listed by section #. If you are familiar with the workout then this would be a great place to go to select the exercises you specifically want to practice. The awesome part about this is that there are exercises that weren't included in the workout that you can add to your workout! I am such a sucker for customizable workouts!

If you are interested in purchasing this DVD see the below link to Amazon.com:

Purchase this on Amazon

If you are also interested in workout II of the series, I will be reviewing it at a future date, but I also enjoy that one.

New York City Ballet: Workout II

Happy Training! à bientôt!

SUNRISE TAI CHI: Simplified Tai Chi for Health and Longevity

Thank you Sonya for referring this DVD! 

Sunrise Tai Chi with Ramel Rones is a good DVD if you are looking for some low-impact, Tai Chi inspired (or simplified Tai Chi) workouts that you can do in the mornings. I was hoping that it would include more of the actual Tai Chi movement than it does, simply because of the title of the DVD. However, if you have no expectations and you are looking for a mild, breath centered workout, then you may enjoy this DVD!

Ramel Rones is a renowned instructor in the martial arts and health sector. Originally from Israel, I believe he now teaches in Boston. If you look at the link to his website at the end of this post then you can read more about his accomplishments and works partnering with the medical field.

Sunrise Tai Chi has so much content that I haven't been able to get through all of it yet. On the DVD menu if you select Contents then it will lead you to a few different options. There was so much that at first I didn't know what to select and was tempted to go straight to the workouts. I decided that it would be beneficial to anyone interested in the DVD if I at least translate what the different options are. Those options are listed and explained below:

• Demonstration
• A list of small exercises including meditation, breathing techniques and stretches. These are demonstrated with music and mild instructional reminders. You can follow along with these exercises after you understand how to do them. The demonstrations are given with Ramel Rones on mostly flat stone surface with a beautiful backdrop and city in the distant background.
• Instruction/Teaching
• These are the same exercises as listed in Demonstration but are broken down and taught in a very detailed way. Something that for me related to the name of the DVD (Sunrise Tai Chi) is that they are teaching in a studio using props like a bed, chair, rug, and there is even a pair of slippers off to the side. This is helpful since I don't own all of the equipment used in the Demonstration section.
• Workouts
• This section includes three different workouts at three different lengths. Each workout gives the option of using flute/harp or piano music in the background.  These workouts aren't exactly what I visualize as Tai Chi. They are more like Tai Chi inspired workouts that are for the most part low-impact. When you select the music it seems like you are selecting the music for the a large chunk of the first half (warm up) and  the last few minutes for the cool down. There are three different workouts: 20 minute, 40 minute, 60 minute. The cooldown of the 20 minute is where you get into the real Tai Chi, which is my favorite part, but parts of it may be hard to follow if you are unfamiliar with the movements.

If you are interested in Ramel Rones see the link below:
Ramel Rones Website

If you are interested in purchasing this DVD see the link below:
Purchase DVD on Amazon

Happy Training! à bientôt!

THE BOLLYWOOD DANCE WORKOUT: With Hemalayaa

I was a TA for the Indian Dance class at my university this summer, and I miss being able to work on my Bharatanatyam, Bhangra and Bollywood! So of course this DVD was very tempting, and I hoped that it would not only be a workout, but that it would include actual dance steps.

 

Below is a break down of the workout:

1. Warming (6 min.)

 -My shoulders were so tired after this warm-up! And it wasn't that it was all shoulder or arm movements, but because a segment of it is spent doing shoulder shrugs at a slow, medium then a fast speed. 

-I also feel like sometimes Bollywood is similar to ballroom in that you have facial expressions involved in your movements. This is a very Indian characteristic, especially in Classical or Bharatanatyam. So don't be afraid to just do what she says, let go, use your face! You do use one basic mudra(s) where the index finger touches the thumb (pictured on the cover).

2. Playtime Begins (7 min.)

-You begin to work with the hips and pelvis more, you also add two basic turns. Something I found helpful since she just goes for it and doesn't break the movements down is to think for one of them instead of 4 steps, 1 2 3 together or 1 2 3 switch. This might help in the transition. This section felt really good, and even though I was doing the workout in a 6'x3' space I was able to loosen up my arms and torso and just have fun!

3. Footwork (6 min.)

-I liked this one a lot! The foot work is pretty basic at first, and she does break it down for this one. She will show you slow then speed it up. You can either keep doing it slow or you can try to do it at a faster pace. Throughout the DVD you'll notice the girls in the back will sometimes do variations, if you feel more comfortable with something they are doing, go for it! There was one part that I felt like she got off from the music but I think that was because it was a difficult transition from slow to fast with the music.  My absolute favorite step in this sequence was the gorilla walk! So fun, and anything similar to it is usually my favorite part in bhangra or bollywood dances.

4. Now We're Hot! (8 min.)

-This was also a fun sequence to do. The Hare Krishna step was one of my favorites. I am definitely sweating by this point. So while it isn't as demanding as running it is definitely a good calorie burner.

5. Ground Play (6 min.)

-This one involves moves that may hurt your knees. I'm used to the full bhangra  bounce and don't have an issue with it, but if you aren't then please don't stress your knees! You will then transition to the floor where you do some abdominal work, which was great! and then a step that I categorize as a "sexy move". If you don't feel comfortable you can do something else, like another set of ab work or fast-forward. My favorite part of this sequence was the ab work, for sure! 

6. Playful Dance (5 min.)

- This one was fun for me! Some of the movements were a little fast if you aren't familiar with the weight placement, but as long as you are working at it then it would be a great addition to your workout! My heart-rate went up during this one, which brought me into even more of a sweat!

7. Cool It Now! (9 min.)

- By far the best part of the workout! ;) After the aerobic steps it was nice to be able to relax and stretch out everything. The first stretch feels fabulous, especially when she moves into the circles with the upper body.

After completing the workout I would say that it was worth it! I might even be interested in looking at her other DVDs. The music was fun and had a great beat, and the backdrop was gorgeous as well! I would recommend it to anyone that just wants to have fun, and for the most part a low-impact workout! All of the jumps/hops are done with flat feet and you cushion the impact with the knees. 

If you are interested in other Hemalayaa DVDs see the link below:

Hemalayaa Website

If you are interested in purchasing the DVD you can find it on her website or on Amazon.com:

Purchase DVD on Amazon

Happy Training! à bientôt!