If you feel powerless to resist these sweet morsels of the devil in a plastic-wrap like I do, then why not make them in a way that is clean, pure but still tummy-rubbing satisfying? Fat-burning brownies? Pizza? Cheese Stuff rolled? Focaccia? Muffins? Crepes? New York cheesecake with raspberries on top? All Gluten-free? I can feel the drool leaving my mouth just thinking of these things…
Author, and diabetes coach Kelley Herring whips up foods for those in a healing crisis such as diabetes, cancer or just overweight with low-glycemic, low-sugar foods for healthy living. At this stage of the game, we all know the culprits are things like blueberry muffins, Dominos, …. anything cheesy or sugary seems to be satan to our butts and thighs. But just imagine a…fat burning brownie!! She includes this in her gluten free desserts book.
Gluten-Free Desserts Book
Kelley Herring is the Editor-in-Chief of many clean-eating cookbooks including: Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. Her books which are available online as downloads are: Guilt-Free Desserts, Better Breads, and Awesome Appetizers.
She taught me about a fiber which adds a “cotton-candy” sweetness and creamy mouth feel to desserts that feeds good bacteria in the gut as well as covering the bad side of artificial sweeteners (Equal, NutraSweet might as well be Lysol in a pretty packet that you can sprinkle on your coffee).
She describes an alternative to sugar that have zero calories and no glycemic impact which will be critical for diabetics or anyone that wants to lose some blubber around the middle. In her recipes, you’ll see how to add “invisible fiber” to your desserts that doesn’t change flavor, texture or preparation.
She even substituted the evil ingredients with “metabolic power ingredients” which help to keep your blood sugar stable and even “stoke your body’s fat-burning furnace:. Many conventional comfort food recipes such as chocolate mousse, cheesecake, pizza, muffins, creme brulee and mucho mucho others were given a “total health makeover” while keeping all the taste, texture, moisture and decadent sweetness.
Some of the ingredients will be trickier to find such as non-aluminum baking powder, organic coconut flour, agar agar powder, chia meal, erythritol, xanthan gum, pasture-raised eggs, SweetLeaf Stevia Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia, Organic Sunbutter and a few others. Most of the other ingredients call for organic ingredients and often will be chemical-free, processed sugar free and they contain ingredients that are minimally refined or processed (if at all) in this gluten free desserts book.
You probably won’t be able to find these ingredients at your local average supermarket and will have to get many of the ingredients at a specialty health food store such as Whole Foods. You might be able to get some of the ingredients at a local farmer’s market such as the pasture raised eggs. She often gives resources for where to get some of the ingredients online.
I chose to make the brownies and there were about 2 sticks of pasture raised butter and 6 pasture raised eggs in there. It was a simple recipe to make and I always love to lick the bowl and beaters after I have mixed up all the ingredients. After about 25 minutes in the oven, my steamy brownies came out and the perfume of chocolate was wafting throughout the house. The texture was like a brownie, mousse and souffle……. light, dense and moist all at once. It is taking every once of my limited will power to just not eat the whole pan right now (If I did that, could I lose a few more pounds?)
Often when I make low-fat or gluten free baked goods, there is something missing in the texture or the sweetness is off. Not so with the brownies…. only problem is that they are TOO yum-yum. When I am God, I am going to make broccoli taste like cheesecake, and cheesecake taste like broccoli.
Probably the most unusual ingredient in a cupcake is organic cannellini beans for the Yellow Cupcakes. (It’s so strange though that it has to be good)
Have you ever cooked a gluten-free, or naturally sweetened (with Stevia or coconut sugar dessert)? If yes, what results did you get? What did your friends and family think?
Music for Yoga CD at Intimate Retreats for Couples
In a yoga class setting up a scene with lights, music and space is such a key part of the experience. Before considering a space to teach a retreat at I look at the lighting pretty carefully. I also plan out the music carefully as well It really takes you to a sacred place and I tend to get all flustered is my sound system is not working. Whenever I am teaching at a new place or subbing I make sure to spend awhile understanding how their music system works. Just last week I used a new CD player and accidentally had the song on repeat. Since we were in the middle of a couples yoga massage sequence, I couldn’t change the music without disrupting the couples since the CD player was right next to them. It was not one of my best classes.
I actually have two CDs playing at our retreats. I have one in the reception area that is kind of funky so they know they are in for an adventure and then in the actual practice room another CD that is more tranquil.
Shamanic Dream – When I play this in my classes, I almost always get a student come up and ask me what the CD is. It is hypnotic, ambient and a bit tribal all at the same time but with a fairly even tone. I teach a lot of couples yoga classes and I usually play this at the end so people can drop into a very deep space when the lights are very low. This will transport you both
Dessert Dwellers – One of my students suggested this to me a awhile ago. I tend to have a lot of CDs that are not just Sankrit chants and Ooommming. I don’t like to have too many vocals on my music since that tends to be distracting and like to have the music be pretty clean sounding. I like the chill, funky vibe but the tone is even enough to play in a class. A fine one to play at your next cocktail party.
Snautam Kaur – Don’t let her turban scare you. She does a few songs in English as well. I discovered her when I was at the Omega Institute years ago. She was part of the Ecstatic Chant weekend. What a line-up they had! She has a voice like an angel and you can feel her soul into all of her chants. This is one of the CDs that my yoga students ask me about the most in my yoga class. I often chant some of her songs while I am driving in my car and going through “stuff”.
Rain – Another CD you won’t usually find on your top ten yoga music CDs. This is acoustic guitar and piano and I remember playing this when I driving around in the mountains of New England during the changing of the leaves. I still see the bright orange colors, and brilliant reds whenever I listen to this. The music just matched the mood so well – melancholically beautiful.
Wah!– The ! is not a typo. I’ve seen her play a few times and it always shocks me that she is is not in bigger venues (she usually leads a Kirtan at a yoga studio) I actually went to one of her events at she was leading a somewhat unsual and at times bizzare yoga class. I fa chanting Indian guru and Natalie Merchant had a baby then this is who they would create. I discovered her when I was working at the Chopra shop in California a few years ago. We used to play her CDs in the store to give it a Chopra vibe.
Couples Yoga Workshop
Le Spa Sonique – Don’t let the lavenders flowers scare you. This had a chill kind of vibe to it, sweet, sultry and sexy. I think I discovered this at Kripalu a few years ago.The beat can be a bit funky and might not work that well during shivasana. This is a great CD to play for a a lounge-y cocktail hour.
Deva Premal & Mitten I don’t think you can call yourself a serious yoga student unless you have at least 2 of their CDs. Deva’s voice is like an angel and their tunes are soulful and sensual. I still remember the first time I heard their music at a tantra workshop. I get plenty of students that come up to me after class asking what the music is. I remember the first time I went to one of their concerts. They think of their concerts more like a community getting together and singing…very interactive and the way that they lead some of the mantras you’ll feel incredibly connected to the ether of the universe.
Krishna Das – He is the Bruce Springsteen of Kirtan. (group chant) scene. I saw him perform at the same ecstatic chant weekend at the Omega Institute a few years ago. His songs are in Sankrit which might turn off some of you (or could turn you on…everybody’s different). His CDs are work well in any yoga class but buy a ticket to one of his live shows and watch yogis jump and twirl around in. Quite the spectacle…. and you’ll find yourself hopping and jumping as well.
1000 Questions Married Couples Should Ask before “I do”
What if you had asked your husband or wife 1000 questions before you got married? What kinds of premarital counseling or classes for couples did you take if any?
Although I have a lot of issues with the Catholic Church stances on many issues, one modern practice that is to be commended is their practice of classes for couples before getting married. How much do couples really dive in deep and ask uncomfortable questions about how they will live their lives together. Do couples ask each other things like what temperature would you ideally want the house to be set at in winter and summer? Another resource I love is 1000 questions before Marriage, which is a book that lists all kinds of questions like the ones below. It also gives guidelines on when to ask the questions.
Other men and women have been shocked to learn what their mate thought about sex, religion, careers, household work, money and the future. In fact, many of these differences have led couples to divorce court. Married couples could cut down on a lot of their clashes if they knew more about their mate’s thoughts, beliefs and emotions. The best way to get to really know someone is with questions.
You need to use a certain amount of wisdom with these 1,000 questions. Someone who has just begun dating shouldn’t accelerate the relationship by starting off with questions on marriage and sex.
Obviously, you wouldn’t ask this to someone unless you are in a committed relationship or close to having one but at what point is it appropriate to start to bring these issues up? How can you really know someone’s life values, beliefs without really having deep conversations about them or having to experience them directly when you are thrust in the situation?
1000 Questions for Couples Before You Say “I Do”
How often do you think we should take a vacation? Would we take it just the two of us or would we leave the kids with grandparents or baby-sitters so we can just focus on the two of us? Once we have kids, how often will we plan on having a date night with no kids?
What about the sensitive subject of in-laws? How close or far away or close will we live from our families? How involved do we want them to be in events like weddings, christianings, how we raise our kids, baby-sitting our kids? Do we need them to call before they come over ( if they live close by) or is it ok if they just knock on the door? What kind of boundaries do we want with our extended families? If we live far away, how often will we travel out to see them? How often do we want them to come over and visit us? Will they stay with us or at a hotel?
What about religion? Will one of us convert? Who will that be and how will that be decided? If the other does not convert, how do celebrate religious holidays? If the holidays falls around the same time such as Easter and passover or hanukkah and Christmas, how do we celebrate them? For our kids, how do we teach them about both of our faiths? Are we going to send our children to religious school? What priority do religious holidays have in our lives?
What about money? Will we share bank accounts or maintain separate ones? Do we also have a joint account? If there is a primary breadwinner does that person have more power and control over the household finances or do we share that equally? Do we set a monthly budget? How much savings will we have every month? If one of us has a lot of debt do we pay that off jointly or individually? How do we decide how to spend our money each month? Should we run major purchases by each other first? How do we decide what a major purchase is?
What about where to live? Do we want to live in a house, condo or apartment? Do we want to live in a more urban area, more suburban area or out in the countrywide? Do we want to live part of the time in one city and have a vacation home in another city or country? Will we do our own yard-work or hire someone to do gardening? How important is it to us that our house is in top condition? Do we want to spend money on major repairs so that our house is always in top condition or is that less of a priority? Will we do some repairs ourselves like painting and refinishing or will we hire someone to help us with that?
What about your social life? Do we like to go out a lot to to restaurants, bars, dancing, movies and other cultural events or are we going to focus on savings and business matters and sacrifice going out as much? How late do we like to stay out? Do we like to go out just the two of us or do we prefer to go out with friends and family? How often do we want to socialize with close friends and family?
What about health and wellness matters? Are we going to spend more time and money on eating healthy and staying fit or are we going to relax in our off time and get prepared food and take-out? Who is going to do the cooking and how will we decide that? What kinds of foods do we want to eat on a regular basis? Does one of us have any dietary restrictions and how accommodating will our mate be to them?
1000 Questions Before You Get Married
What about pets? Do we have any allergies to pet? If yes, then are you prepared to give up an animal or not have a certain kind of animal for your partner? If we adopt a pet, what kind of pet will we adopt? How do we figure out how to share in taking care of it? How much of a priority will out pet be? Do we plan our day, vacations around our pet or take them with us? If our pet starts to get sick will we invest a lot of money in taking care of it? Will out pet sleep in our bed with us? Are they allowed up on the furniture?
I believe a lot less couples would get divorced (or even not marry each other in the first place) if they actually knew each other well enough before they got married.
Neck Pain & Tight Shoulders – Yoga Poses that Help Relieve Pain
Unfortunately, neck pain & tight shoulders seem to always come together. Often in my yoga classes, I will ask students what body parts are not feeling good and what they want to work on. The number one answer is always low back pain and the next body parts are usually tight shoulder, neck pain and also hip tightness.
I think every single yoga class I have ever done helps with low back pain, as long as the student does not get too aggressive and try to go farther in the pose than is appropriate, which is very common for very new students. For new yoga students I am alw Pays reminding them to let go of striving and competition and if they are wincing or grimacing or worst, grunting in a pose (yes, that happens) then they needs to stop, modify so it is more comfortable or get my attention in a big class so I can give them an alternate pose.
Neck Pain & Tight Shoulders Poses
Here is my youtube video on using tennis balls and laying on top of them to give yourself a neck and shoulder massage.
Often it is so relaxing and since I am releasing such deep tightness with the tennis balls from neck pain and tight shoulders that I fall asleep in when I am doing this. I drop down into a deep place of relaxation that I tell my husband not to talk to me when I am doing this. The dog also knows to give me some space when I am working with my tennis balls.
I won’t travel anywhere without my tennis balls. I put the balls in a sock so that they can work on each side of my vertebrae evenly. I probably have at least 4 pairs of tennis balls wrapped in a sock in my house, maybe even one in my car and I never travel anywhere without my tennis balls.
Another technique that works well is a very hot bath. Sort of cliche but it is quite therapeutic. Best to add a few drops of essential oil such as lavender and also Epsom salts which lets you relax further. If you don’t have any essential oils, then you can also throw a few bags of herbal tea such as chamomile into your bath water to make it smell all spa-like.
Since I have been having some inflammation in my knees lately, I can’t soak in a hot tub or else my knees will start screaming at me at the top of their knee-lungs so another way to heat up this part of the body without inflaming another is I have a herbal collar that I heat up in the microwave. I actually have my lavender, rosemary and some other yummy smelling herbs collar on right now as I am writing this. Awesome to wear on a chilly night as well. You have to be careful heating up an herbal collar since I actually burnt the last one in the microwave by trying to heat it up too fast.
Jill Miller Yoga TuneUp DVDs – Knee Hab
I was reading a review about Jill Miller’s Kneehab video in a recent YogaJournal magazine and decided to go ahead and order it but didn’t give much hope to this.
A month later, after doing the Kneehab video for almost every day and feeling a LOT of relief, I figured I should also buy her DVD for upper body pain . When you are in pain, you often are open to trying lots of different things without having much expectation to them actually helping. Her DVD for upper body pain is divided into parts that give exercises, poses and moves for people that are just recovering from surgery to seasoned athletes.
Not all of the poses will be accessible if you have a lot of neck pain & tight shoulders . This DVD is divided into 5 segments specifically for pain in different parts of your body such as your neck, shoulders, The segments range from 5-10 minutes …. easy to fit into your day. I actually do some of the moves when I am watching tv or on the toilet (am I sharing too much again?)
Jill Miller Yoga TuneUp DVDs for Neck Pain and Tight Shoulders
Even though it is called Yoga Tune Up it actually feels more like a yoga-flavored physical therapy session. If your primary purpose is to find a very-low cost way to find your own relief from neck, shoulder, hand, wrist or knee pain, you are going to have to carve out time to do these moves on a regular basis.
It’s not a tape to do once and then have you neck pain and tight shoulders be magically healed. It is an on-going routine that will have to become part of your life. It’s less time to do this tape then to have to see a acupuncturist, chiropractor or physical therapist though a few times a week.
I was reading a review about Jill Miller’s Kneehab video in a recent YogaJournal magazine and decided to go ahead and order it but didn’t give much hope to this.
A month later, after doing the Kneehab video for almost every day and feeling a LOT of relief, I figured I should also buy her DVD for upper body pain . When you are in pain, you often are open to trying lots of different things without having much expectation to them actually helping. Her DVD for upper body pain is divided into parts that give exercises, poses and moves for people that are just recovering from surgery to seasoned athletes.
Even though it is called Yoga Tune Up it actually feels more like a yoga-flavored physical therapy session. If your primary purpose is to find a very-low cost way to find your own relief from neck, shoulder, hand, wrist or knee pain, you are going to have to carve out time to do these moves on a regular basis.
Couples Yoga Moves for Beginners or Seasoned Yogis
Couple Yoga DVDs and Book Reviews for Buoyant Bonding
Couples Yoga is a wholesome way to learn surrender, build trust, and deepen intimacy. If you have never done partner yoga before, it is both meaningful and playful, and students say that they feel more open-hearted and can lead to a better sex life. To find a class suitable for your fitness and body type, make sure to ask the teacher before-hand if previous yoga experience is required and if the poses are physically challenging and suitable if you are unathletic and out of shape.
Some poses challenge your balance and strength. Others require your total trust and surrender. Some exercises and breathing techniques uses the power of the partnership. Partners can often achieve more than if they were practicing alone. These creative and sensual practices will add both tenderness and power to your relationship. This yoga style requires no special equipment and can be done in any open space.
Since it is not always easy to find a couples yoga class or maybe you or your partner is embarrassed to practice in front of strangers, you can also explore doing these couples yoga dvds and books.
Make sure to set the scene before. Send the kids to grandma and grandpa’s for the night. Turn off your cell phones. Set up soothing music, frangrant candles or incense etc. Avoid eating a heavy meal before… no lasagne or cheesecake for dinner. Opt for something light and easy to digest like a grilled chicken salad.
Together–The Art of Partnered Yoga
This couples yoga DVD is not suitable for yoga beginners as some of the poses are more advanced and there is not much for explanation for the poses. They do the poses quite quickly without much explanation. I do like how there are two options to do the practice – with their explanations and one without, so you can just follow along without hearing their voice. Ideal for a seasoned yoga practitioner but not for yoga newbies. However this is a beautiful workout and very much worth it especially for those who are in a relationship and already practicing traditional yoga together on a regular basis.
Sexy Yoga: 40 Poses for Mindblowing Sex and Greater Intimacy
First revealed over 2,000 years ago in the Kama Sutra, the link between yoga and sex has been generally recognized but widely ignored – until now. In Sexy Yoga, Ellen Barrett, popular author and instructor for New York’s Crunch studios, offers the modern yoga student a specific program designed to transform and heighten pleasure in sex and lovemaking.
Barrett’s program includes a series of asanas (postures) that use yoga’s combination of movement, breathing, and focus to release sexual power. Sensual, erotic, and guaranteed to improve sexual performance, the poses are also designed to improve one’s ability to navigate both the physical and emotional demands of intimacy. Rooted in the rich tradition of yoga but far from an esoteric Indian practice, the program in this book is suitable for everyone from new students to experienced yoga practitioners. Not for prudes though.
Yoga Two-gether
This wasn’t filmed in a big fancy Hollywood set but don’t let the production diminish how much joy you will get from this yoga for couples DVD. Sometimes it is hard to hear the teacher with the background noise. Not for beginners because he does not describe in enough detail for the newbie. It is probably great for experienced yogis though. The asanas create a bond between partners that facilitates strength, flexibility, intimacy, and trust. Two people flow together from one yoga pose to another, in a sequence of more than 60 poses. The teacher incorporates a full range of postures, including forward folds, back bends, twists, side bends, standing poses, sitting poses, and even inversions ( going upside down).
Partner Yoga – Making Contact for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Growth
With their 30 years of combined experience in yoga, medicine, fitness, dance, the martial arts, and music, Cain Carroll and Lori Kimata, N.D., have developed a practice that blends mutually beneficial postures, conscious breathing, trust, communication and playfulness.
The 60 dynamic postures and 3 yoga flows introduced in this book offer a threshold into a provocative and exciting yoga experience. Developed with reverence for the ancient tradition of yoga, these beautiful postures are designed to help improve balance, strength, and flexibility as well as increase the level of trust and communication between you and your partner.
Tantric Yoga for Lovers by Steve & Lokita Carter
This titilating DVD offers easy-to-learn yoga routines for lovers to increase the flow of sexual energy, develop a regular practice for toning your bodies, and balance body mind and spirit – in and out of the bedroom. Sensually filmed, they are fully clothes but this is also not for prudes. The music is quite erotically charged with pulsing drum beats.
The DVD contains three segments:
What is the Breath of Tantric Love?
Demonstration and explanation
Intimacy Spa – Sensual Yoga for Couples
The video is good, but not until the end do you actually get to the practicing. If you have done a lot of yoga already, only the last part of this video will be good for you. Though, the beginning was a good review for the avid Yoga enthusiast. This is a worthwhile program for sharing yoga with a loved one whether you are a novice or a long-time devotee. Some of the scenes are with them doing no clothing so this tape is not for prudes. Beautifully shot, especially the postures filmed on a gorgeous stretch of waterfront. Several of the chapters give you the option of learning or practicing positions with either verbal instructions over video or written instructions over still photos… a great touch and nice tool for going at your own pace.
Lovers’ Yoga: Soothing Stretches for Two
Darrin Zeer knows it takes two to tango and two to yoga. His latest book, Lovers’ Yoga, shows how easy it is for couples to indulge in nurturing, soothing partner exercises to relax, rejuvenate, and create deep, lasting bonds. Delightfully illustrated, this little handbook outlines 60 surprisingly simple stretches organized into five chapters Playful, Powerful, Peaceful, Patient, and Passionate. The exercises build on one another, so couples can indulge in one stretch, a chapter sequence, or the entire book from beginning to end. Whether time allows for a few minutes or a few hours, Previous yoga experience is helpful but not required to do this poses.
Intimate Yoga for Couples
Learn about the benefits of deep breathing and explore the chakras, solo positions and romantic partner positions with this couples yoga DVD. Over 270 color photographs, artful sequencing and easy to follow instructions will appeal to both novice and seasoned practitioner. With 20 years of experience as a yoga instructor and massage therapist, author Mishabae believes that if you take the practices in this book off the mat and into your lovemaking, the experience of great sex can be yours to share, nurture and expand upon. There are plenty of tantra yoga pics with naked people which makes this look like a kama sutra kind of book. Not for prudes.
Yoga for Partners: Over 75 Postures to Do Together
Yoga for Partners features dozens of inspiring photos of the paired asanas. It teaches each partner how to synchronize their movements and breathing, bringing new lightness and enjoyment to any yoga practice. Following a brief introduction, 75 two-page spreads offer a full-page photo accompanied by positioning tips, a short commentary on the benefits of the posture, and advice on breathing techniques and proper focus. Sensually photographed, many of the poses are not ideal for beginners but recommended for seasoned yoga practitioners of if you are athletic.
The Pleasures and Principles of Partner Yoga
Presents simple to advanced partner and group practices that are ideal for those with or without prior yoga experience. Over three hundred beautiful, unique photographs and illustrations demonstrating over sixty practices. Elysabeth Williamson has studied and practiced Yoga for more than thirty years. She has taught a unique synthesis of various traditions of Yoga for eighteen years. She frequently does workshops at places like Kripalu and had quite a few youtube videos on how to do many of the sequences. Suitable for friends as well as couples.
Dana Rae Pare’s Partner Yoga
Dana Rae Paré’s soothing voice guides you through a series of yoga poses and innovative stretches for you and your partner. With Partner Yoga you’ll receive all the physical benefits of yoga (increased strength, stamina & flexibility) as well as learning how to give, receive, trust and support your partner. What happens on the yoga mat can transcend into your personal life bringing vitality, joy and peace.
Couple Yoga DVDs and Book Reviews
Couples Yoga is a wholesome way to learn surrender, build trust, and deepen intimacy.
Written by: Mishabae, Ellen Barrett, Cain Carroll and Lori Kimata, Cain Carroll
Sadie Nardini is a popular yoga instructor, youtube queen and co-owner of The Fierce Club, a yoga studio in Soho. Nardini is an expert in yoga fitness and balanced living and is a columnist at GaiamLife and has written for YogaJournal and The Huffington Post. She teaches at all the big events like Yoga Journal and Omega.
Sadie Nardini will kick your flabby butt with inspiration with her Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga Series. Her style is more of a philosophy on yoga than an actual branch of yoga. I actually have taken classes in NYC with Sadie. Her classes were always completed packed with mats just a few inches apart. She even had students that wanted to take her class even if that meant they had to do the practice in the hallway. I also took her teacher training. So I know this practice well and know her gutsy style as well also. She demos the poses with confidences and integrates meditation into each practice.
This DVD includes six full workout sessions that last for an hour or more each, as well as twelve smaller, quicker sessions, each under fifteen minutes. It’s better to do 15 minutes of yoga every day then just one 90 minute session once a week.
Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga: Total Body Transformation
A highlight to this DVD is the ‘Learning How to Fly’ workout which focuses on building yourself to the readiness to do headstand, as well as other gravity-defying postures. I don’t recommend headstand though since that pose can lead to neck pain if you do it improperly without professional supervision.
The focus on weight loss is integral to each workout. In her Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga Series, Sadie does not treat body fitness as an obsession, but simply as a result of a balanced way of living. I love how she infuses living your life more authentically and how your practice is a metaphor for how you live your life.
Total Body Yoga Sculpt: Calorie Burn + Deeper Core Strength
Not another power yoga DVD that is just filled with a bunch of standard sun sulutations….. this 90-minute practice with a matrix menu with unusual poses and flowing sequences keeps you engaged while you activate deep core muscles for more sweaty weight loss. This yoga weight loss DVD is filmed in Sedona (no voice-overs)
I’ll start this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Sadie Nardini’s dvds. However, this is probably my least favorite for a few reasons. First, this dvd seems considerably less “athletic” than the others. If you are not a traditional yogi and you prefer athletic power yoga you might prefer some of her other dvds This video is considerably slower paced than Sadie’s others, and much more “chatty”. I will say that there are still some powerful, excellent strength-building sequences in here, but I found myself really missing the faster flow of her other DVDs.
I’ve done many of her classes before so I had an idea of what to expect. The matrix menu is great because on busy days it allows me to choose what I want to focus on (it’s divided into core, standing, floor, etc). This is so useful because I can build the practice I want on any given day.
This DVD is set up with a “matrix” menu, i.e. there are 8 individual segments that you can play from start to finish or pick and choose based on time and mood. The segments are:
However, I am giving the video 4 stars because it does contain very helpful, very detailed instructions, and awesome cueing. I can see how people looking for a more spiritual yoga video would love this one, but if you want a faster paced workout then stick with her other dvds.
Sadie narrates the whole workout while still doing the routine – no voice-overs. Her alignment tips are spot-on and her background in truly understanding anatomy shows through. She’s also very good at knowing when you’re likely to slip out of proper alignment and will remind you to straighten this or support that at just the right moment. More than just a yoga workout, this DVD truly encompasses the inner workings of yoga as well, helping you to focus and let go of things you no longer need to hold onto in your mind and heart.
The backdrop of Sedona makes for one heck of a beautiful and inspiring session. There is also no cool down segment and I really missed that. If you want to end your practice with Savasana (corpse pose) you’ll either need to do the Inversion segment (includes headstand and wheel) or you’ll need to add it on your own. I wouldn’t recommend this for pure beginners, however if you have some yoga experience there will be something for you in this.
Total Belly Transformation: Whole Body Tone + Deeper Core Strength
Yay! A core workout that’s creative, flowing and tones your whole body along with your center in 30- 45 minutes. . Her very detailed instructions and visualizations come into both my left and right brain through her use of physiological detail and metaphorical imagery (belly bonfire anyone?) . After just 3 meetings on my mat with this DVD, I am learning how to send different kinds of instruction to my core, using deeper muscles than have become my habit.
This series of abdominal/core flows are deep and tough. Because this DVD is easily done as either one continuous series of flows or 3 individual sections, it is very easy to insert into the middle of a longer practice when you want to focus more on core work.
If you have Shiva Rea’s Core series DVDs and wondered if this was worth having too, it is, absolutely worth having ( I have a few Shiva Rea DVDs…. her tummy toning one and her yoga trance dance one) It’s mucho different from Shiva’s work and would make a fine addition to a serious, yoga loving, core focused person’s collection that wants a gutsy workout.
If you have been practicing Bikram yoga for awhile and wanted a dvd you can do at home when you can’t make it to the hot studio. (or maybe paying $20 a Bikram class just isn’t in your budget right now) First thing I noticed is that the entire DVD is actually 45 minutes long as opposed to the 30 it says. There is a 15 minute warm up, a 15 minute standing series and a 15 minute floor series (you can pick and choose or do them all).
I wouldn’t call myself a beginner Yogi but some of these poses were too advanced for me to come close to completing on the first attempt. That being said: I am, again, more than ok with that. I will follow along as best I can and now I have an additional goal of learning to complete all the poses. It’s a nice change of pace from Bikram and if you follow her instructions about the way to hold your stomach and your lower spine, you can really feel your “belly bonfire” ( she does have a way with words).
My only other suggestion would be to watch this dvd through one time and watch how each pose is done if you are unfamiliar with this type of yoga. I think it would be much easier to follow along the first time you try if you have seen each pose done first.
This video is very different from her other Sedona video, as well – no repeats here. In fact, between the two Sedona videos, this one is definitely my favorite. I found this to be a very unusual yoga workout with several moves I have not seen elsewhere – it is almost like pilates in the sense that it is very targeted towards the core. My only complaint is that I feel as if the floor segment in particular could move a bit faster with less talking.
Overall I would say that this is a very solid intermediate level video with one or two advanced moves (crow and side crow), which make it different from other power yoga DVDs with a bunch of sun salutations. This is not a great fit for someone brand new to yoga…. you’ll probably feel overwhelmed unless you are very athletic.
Author, and diabetes coach Kelley Herring whips up foods for those in a healing crisis such as diabetes, cancer or just overweight with low-glycemic, low-sugar foods for healthy living. At this stage of the game, we all know the culprits are things like blueberry muffins, Dominos, …. anything cheesy or sugary seems to be satan to our butts and thighs. But just imagine a…fat burning brownie!! She includes this in her gluten free desserts book.
I chose to make the brownies and there were about 2 sticks of pasture raised butter and 6 pasture raised eggs in there. It was a simple recipe to make and I always love to lick the bowl and beaters after I have mixed up all the ingredients. After about 25 minutes in the oven, my steamy brownies came out and the perfume of chocolate was wafting throughout the house. The texture was like a brownie, mousse and souffle……. light, dense and moist all at once. It is taking every once of my limited will power to just not eat the whole pan right now (If I did that, could I lose a few more pounds?)
