This is definitely a good workout for larger people who are new to yoga - the poses were simple, gentle, slowly paced, and well explained. In between standing and seated poses, instruction was given to help the student rise and descend gracefully and with purpose - not always an easy task when you have a lot of weight to move around. To assure that the student gets the most out of the workout, alternatives were suggested for moves where body parts (for example tummy or breasts) might get in the way, or for moves where more strength is required to hold the pose (such as warrior). Megan Garcia, who is also a professional plus size model, was a great subject for the video - her posture was beautiful and she flowed from pose to pose with grace. The entire workout is about 25 minutes long from initial centering to the end of savasana.
Overall, this was a good beginner workout although there were a few things that irked me. For example, I think it would have been good to add in some more difficult poses with modifications/levels so the user could improve with time and continue to use the same DVD. As it is, I think that that most people will outgrow it rather quickly and need to find something more challenging. The session was also a bit too short for my tastes.
Megan does not actually narrate the entire DVD - she gives a short introduction and then another voice takes over as she demonstrates the moves. Her style of speaking during the intro is a little 'Stepford Wifey' and really freaked me out - so when the other voice came on at the start of the actual workout I breathed a little sigh of relief. Interestingly, she gives an interview at the end of the DVD and sounds completely natural then - so I'm not sure why she was so uptight and weird in the beginning.
At this point in my yoga practice I definitely need more of a challenge than this workout can provide. However, I was intrigued that a workout targeted towards the overweight community even existed, so I did some research on the internet to see what else was out there. I came across with a few more DVDs that I want to try:
- ShapelyGirl - the creator of the Shapely Girl workouts, Debra Mazda, is right here in Philly and even has a fitness studio! I'll definitely be checking out her classes at some point.
- Look Great, Feel Great: Plus-Size Pilates
- Ya Don't Gotta Be A Size 2 To Do Pilates
- Heavyweight Yoga (unfortunately this title is not available on Netflix or at my local library - but I did find a cheap copy on Ebay)
- Megan Garcia also has a book called MegaYoga, which received good reviews on Amazon.com.
I also ran across this article about a yoga studio in NYC: Buddha Body Yoga. BBY is a studio where the classes are only for people who are overweight. What?!?!?! I am dying to take a class there to see what it's all about but unfortunately it looks like right now they are only held on Thursday nights and you have to buy a series of 4 classes. Since it takes me a couple hours to get into NYC from Philly I'll have to wait until they offer something on the weekend. But I'd love to hear from anyone else out there that either has tried this place, or lives close enough to try it!
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