My primary reasons for taking up yoga were to lose weight, reallign my back, increase flexibility, and achieve more relaxed breathing. Yee's Total Body Workout, a little over an hour, achieves all my goals. First, let me say you need to have about six months of basic yoga in order to do these moves and you probably can't be more than thirty pounds overweight; many of the moves require a body that is reasonably muscular. I've got six months of yoga and thirty years of bodybuilding (both a blessing and a curse) behind me so I can do 90% of the moves. Secondly, you should invest in a thick yoga mat; they go for about forty dollars and if you sweat a lot like I do, place a beach towel over the mat so you don't slip. The only other piece of equipment you might need is a ten-dollar strap or just a belt for some of the lying leg stretches.

I like Yee's screen persona. He is authentic, direct, and clear. He spares you New Age pretentiousness, self-aggrandizement, and any other affectations.

The workout is vigorous and fast-paced. For the first five minutes, a warm-up period, you think you're going to get off with an easy workout but within twenty minutes you're sopping with sweat. The first couple of times you might just have to figure out what Yee is doing. By the third workout, you should be able to follow along seamlessly. It's worth the work. You'll burn between 500-700 calories per workout; that's over a pound of fat a week or fifty-two pounds a year.

On a more subtle note, I've noticed my breathing is more relaxed throughout the day and there appears to be a connection between relaxed breathing and less consumption of food. I've always been cursed with a voracious appetite, and while my daily hour of yoga hasn't totally cured it, my hungers are lower, I'd say 10% less than without the yoga.

Also with bodybuilding and cardio at the gym, I come home exhausted and must nap for a good hour before I can do anything productive. With yoga, I don't need a nap. I'm already energized.

It's important to change your yoga workouts so you don't go stale. I'd recommend checking out the Bryan Kest DVDs, especially his Power Yoga, which has three workouts on one DVD.


CHANCES ARE YOU'LL LOVE...
MTV - Pilates
MTV - Power Yoga
MTV - Yoga
Pilates Complete For Weight Loss
Yoga Shakti
10 Minute Solution: Pilates
Yoga Zone - Conditioning and Stress Release
A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners
Yoga for Stress Relief
Dance off the Inches: Sizzling Salsa
Jennifer Kries: Hot Body Cool Mind - Level 1
Yoga Wisdom for Neck Pain & Tight Shoulders
Combining Pilates & Yoga for Balance


Recommended: Yes