MTV Yoga Is Fresh, Different and Worth the Price

What happens when you mix the music of MTV with the relaxed pace of yoga? You get one of the most stimulating yoga DVD’s out there in the exercise market. The MTV Yoga DVD perked my interested when I was browsing through new Yoga DVD’s at my local Target. I consider myself an Intermediate yoga practitioner and have been practicing yoga for about two years. I’m a bit past the beginner stage but nowhere near being an expert. I take care on the weekends to really hone in on yoga, to relax and increase my flexibility in a calm environment.

I didn’t really know what to expect when first viewing this DVD. As with any exercise program you should watch the entire thing before you decide to actually do the motions. I was incredibly glad I did because I realized that this wasn’t a “typical” yoga DVD. Before I get into that though, let me give you some background info on the DVD. The actual yoga DVD is hosted by Lori from the Real World: Back to New York. She is the aspiring singer who falls for one of the other roomies. After some heavy flirting he dumps her on TV and she focuses herself even more on her budding music career. The actual yoga expert who leads the routine is Kristin McGee, a yogi who I’ve never followed before.

As the expert, Kristin McGee is very easy to follow and listen to. Her voice is soft, and she stresses how important breathing is, often coaching with instructions such as “breathe in slow” and “exhale out.” Her coaching doesn’t disrupt the concentration factor needed in yoga and since many of the positions change when your breathing changes, it’s helpful to pay attention to what she is saying.

As I mentioned before this DVD is very stimulating, from the music, to the NYC “hotspot” film location to finally the actual yoga moves themselves. The music is provided by a DJ named BT, whom I suppose is a popular underground DJ from the East Coast. His beats are fast paced but they never take center stage. For those who love to practice yoga in complete silence, this DVD is not for you. The producers obviously wanted this yoga DVD to lure young people and while the music is never obnoxious, it can be distracting to people not used to having music on during their yoga sessions.

While this DVD claims it is meant for all levels of people who practice yoga, let me say that beginners will find the past much too fast. McGee’s instructions begin with normal sun salutations but I noticed that the initial warm-up sequences were much too short. Soon you will find yourself during a brisk sequence of poses that have Downward Facing Dog as a resting point. Most resting points for beginners are using a simple pose, which will have standing on the flat of your feet. Downward Facing Dog is a pose in which your body is stretched into a “tent” position and can be considered an intermediate pose for some.

Like I said, the pace is brisk and if moving swiftly from one pose to another isn’t your cup of tea then stay away from MTV yoga. While I could keep up with the pace I noticed that I tended to enjoy the back workout (Child’s pose, Locust, Cobra) more that some of the more advanced poses that worked out the abs. McGee helpfully adds in variations of some poses to make them easier to execute for beginner practitioners. Usually Lori does the variations with the other cast members doing the more advanced versions of the poses. Occasionally McGee will let you know that your foot should be planted a certain way, or that you should feel the stretch in certain areas, but she mostly keeps to coaching breathing. A beginner won’t have too much instruction on poses they’ve never tried before so make sure you have practiced the poses before starting this workout. It will not only prevent injury but also make it easier for the person to keep up with this yoga program.

At the end of the 40-minute workout is a sequence in which Lori asks questions on certain poses and McGee instructs her on the right way to execute the pose. In reality this sequence should have been in the beginning of the workout to ensure that the practitioners have their bodies in the proper stances. At the end I was too tired to go through the poses yet again and really, this part should be in the beginning to prolong the warm-up sequence, which is much too short.

Overall I really liked MTV Yoga and will continue to practice with it. Because it is based on the vinyasa type of yoga, the poses flow into one another and make for a swift moving workout. Practitioners who don’t like or not used to this type of yoga should avoid this DVD.

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Tiffy0380