Urban Ashtanga style for intermediate level and beyond

MTV and Yoga? Well it makes sense from a trendsetting point of view but MTV got Crunch's Kristin McGee to come on board and create an urban yoga work out for various levels of advancement on the yoga path.

If you are looking for a yoga DVD then you have hundreds, literally, to choose from.
The Pros of this Yoga video is that it really succeeds in exactly what it was designed for; those who want to quickly jump into their yoga workout and get their heart rate up while pushing their abilities as a yoga practitioner. Kristin McGee is clear and succinct as she explains the poses and correct postures letting the music take over while you move through the poses.
A pro you may or may not like is that she isn't a talker, she's comfortable in front of the camera and only speaks to guide you through the poses and show you correct posture. She doesn't cheer lead you through your workout.

The DJ MTV brought in to mix the music does a fantastic job of changing up the beats and vibes with the flow of the poses adding to the tone of the workout without being ostentatious or annoying. No birds or waves in this background music, this is strictly electronic sound strategically mixed to go with the fast paced, up beat nature of the work out.

The work out is broken up into three pieces which you can choose from when you begin the dvd however they are not exclusive of each other. They are simply broken up so you can jump in where ever you would like. There is an intro with breathing exercises, a warm up with your typical sun salutations and finally a section which focuses on stretching and balance poses and concludes with a brief meditation.

I do prefer an Ashtanga style yoga session that focuses on flexibility and on the benefits of yoga as cardio exercise. However there are what I would consider to be some Cons here as well and its very important when you have hundreds upon hundreds of DVDs to choose from.

You may have noticed that I used the words 'work out' more often than I referred to this as a 'yoga session'. As I said, the sun salutations get you pumped up and get a sweat going however I believe it is equally important to breathe in each posture and focus on how it benefits your body, why you should do it, correct posture and how you can increase the intensity should you desire to. These topics are covered only in the briefest way (but they are there). No one can adjust your hips or align your back when you are at home, but examples are key and not really the focus of this DVD which I consider to be a con because you might not even know you are practicing incorrectly. If you are an intermediate level yoga practitioner or are combining your home workout with live classes then this may not be an issue for you but for those who need the extra posture focus you won't find them here.

For those who go ahead and choose this DVD I suggest you try the balancing postures by a wall and keep a block handy to focus on the key muscle benefits from each posture regardless of how far you can stretch.

Enjoy! I often choose this yoga DVD for the variety of benefits it provides the user. Namaste.