By: Stepfanie Romine, SparkPeople Blogger
3/16/2010 12:23 PM   :  110 comments   :  71,181 Views

See More: DVD, celebrity, yoga, product review,

I've seen Jillian Michaels on TV, and I've tried her infamous "30-Day Shred" with co-workers. She lives up to her reputation as TV's toughest trainer. It seems like there's no workout Jillian hasn't tried. She's a jill of all trades in the gym.

On "The Biggest Loser," her co-trainer Bob is usually the one seen leading yoga workouts, so when I heard Jillian was releasing her own yoga DVD, I was intrigued. As a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher and longtime student, I love a good yoga practice. For me, yoga helps me stay centered, builds strength inside and out, and makes me feel good about my body.

Here's what I knew about the DVD before I tried it:
"Jillian Michaels, winning trainer on NBC's 'The Biggest Loser,' introduces a new yoga workout unlike any other. Combining hard-core yoga power poses with her dynamic training techniques, Jillian will get you real weight-loss results fast. YOGA MELTDOWN includes two complete 30-minute workouts that include a warm-up and cool down. Begin with the Level 1 workout which focuses on quickly flowing yoga sequences to burn mega calories. Then progress to Level 2 which adds twists and balance poses for an even greater burn."

I generally practice Ashtanga yoga, which is practiced in silence, with only the breath or a teacher's cues (often Sanskrit counting) to guide you. The same poses are practiced in the same order and held for five breaths, with each one flowing from one to the next. Would Jillian, who's always moving and very assertive, give me that same "love your body" and peace-love-yoga vibe? How would her "you can't phone in a workout" philosophy translate to yoga, where we're taught to respect our bodies and never push too hard?

Well, my friends, I was pleasantly surprised.

I tried this DVD on a rare night when I didn't have a run or yoga class scheduled. I wanted to do some strength training but get my heart rate up. I wore my heart-rate monitor, and while my heart wasn’t pounding, I did work up quite a sweat. It was as high as it would be during a brisk walk.

Who would like it: This DVD is not appropriate for anyone who is new to exercise or yoga. Due to limited cues and a fast pace, it requires a decent amount of strength and knowledge of yoga.

This DVD is ideal for a yoga student who wants to build strength and burn calories while lengthening and stretching the body.

Pros:

Jillian is surprisingly encouraging throughout. Her gruff persona is often misinterpreted as mean, but when you need to find the strength to finish a set of biceps curls, her style works. She's slightly "softer" with her voice and cues here, but she is still aggressively encouraging.

She has two assistants, one of whom offers an beginners' modification and the other of whom offers advanced options. You'll find plenty of modifications to suit your body. (She offers her assistants lots of praise and encouragement, which is a nice touch.)

Her approach to yoga helps you build strength and fine-tune areas of your practice. You start with 10 repetitions of a yoga pose, then hold each pose for 15 seconds. This helps ease entry and exit--which would normally only be practiced once per pose--and build endurance in a pose. The repetitions require a great deal of focus on the body, and holding the pose builds mental stamina.

Jillian includes two 30-minute workouts each with a warm-up and cool-down. Level 1 workout focuses on fast flowing yoga sequences to burn calories. Level 2 adds twists and balance poses for a bigger challenge. I did both back-to-back, and I felt moderately sore the next day. Her chaturanga series (low plank) will having feeling the burn in no time, as will the side planks and the balancing poses.

Cons:

Some of the poses are quite difficult for the average exerciser or yoga novice. Crow pose, in which you balance your knees on the backs of your arms, is held for more than 10 seconds, and pushups in wheel pose can be dangerous if not done properly.

Jillian's directions aren't very clear. Instead of saying "left" or "right" foot, she says "this" or "that" foot, which means that if you might end up spending more time staring at her on screen than actually doing the pose.

This isn't yoga as you might know it. It's more of a circuit and strength-building workout than a relaxing workout that links mind and body.

You can buy the DVD for $14.98 or less (currently $8.99 on Amazon). Overall, I would recommend this DVD--as long as you know what to expect and you're ready to feel the burn during yoga.

Would you try this DVD? What kind of yoga do you prefer: fast and furious or slow and relaxing?