Sweat Summary: Instructor Shiva Rea leads you through an eclectic, energetic series of yoga poses designed to build core strength and help flatten your abs. This DVD from Acacia consists of three popular Shiva Rea programs—Creative Core Abs, Creative Core + Lower Body, and Creative Core + Upper Body—on a single DVD with Shiva’s yoga matrix so you can easily mix-and-match all 7 segments to customize your practice. The entire DVD is 90 minutes. (http://acacialifestyle.com; $16.99) Sweat Factor: low-to-medium-sweat depending on the segment Mood: Creative and challenging What We Liked: Whether you have 7 minutes, 25 minutes, or 90 minutes for the entire DVD, we liked the variety of workouts and customizable approach. We also found that usually if we just did one of the shorter workouts, we were motivated to tack on another one for a longer workout. If you like the idea of designing a creative yoga routine on your own with nontraditional poses, we think this DVD will help give you some inspiration and work your core from different angles. The peaceful scenery varied from a white-sand desert to a lush green forest area near a babbling stream. What We Didn’t Like: We think it’s a more intermediate practice that takes some core strength to begin with to perform many of the exercises properly. Our tester wanted to strengthen her core but found some of the moves were so challenging, she was engaging her neck or trying to compensate for a lack of ab strength. Some of these poses would be much better guided by an instructor in person to ensure you’re using proper form. If you’ve never done yoga before, some of the high-energy poses and rolling around on the floor with leg kicks might scare you away a bit. Calories Burned: 144* calories for 20 minutes of the higher-energy yoga segments. (Based on a 135 lb. woman). The entire DVD is 90 minutes. [sidebar]Rating: Sweat it for some fresh new poses to add to your repertoire and become more creative with your own solo practice at home, 2 remotes.
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Full Review: If you’re looking to change up your regular sun salutation home practice or want to learn a few new ideas for how to engage your abs during yoga, this DVD is a good place to go for inspiration. Some of the movements might seem very odd, like when you begin the Spontaneous Core segment on your back with hands and legs in the air shaking them looking like a bug. And in some of the segments you’re doing extended leg kicks and bicycle-like pedaling to each side from your position on the floor. Shiva tells you to “allow movement and variations to flow through you freely” and in some of the segments you have about a minute or so to do your own thing after she’s shown you a few poses. We liked that this “free time” allowed for us to do the poses we liked best at our own pace while having some fun creating our own flow. When the upcoming pose was a more intermediate one, Shiva often told you to watch her first and join when you felt ready. In some of these segments you’ll definitely work your entire body doing lunges, warrior poses, chaturangas, and even high-energy exercises similar to mountain climbers. You’ll definitely get blood flowing and feel energized after doing any of these segments. We were surprised that the Agni Namaskar segment was more like a 25-minute traditional practice with plenty of sun salutations. We’d recommend this segment to help wake you up in the morning with a full-body stretching routine. End each workout session with a guided 2-minute shavasana and stay there as long as you’d like. [pagebreak] Favorite Move: Rocking Bridge Lie faceup on mat, knees bent, feet flat on floor and about hip-width apart, arms extended by sides with palms flat. Inhaling, pull knees into chest and rock onto upper back, lifting hips off floor and extending legs toward sky. Hold for 1 second. Exhaling, bring knees back into chest as you rock forward to a squat, bringing left foot flat on floor and extending right leg in front of you at hip height, lifting your bottom off the floor, placing fingertips by sides to balance. Hold for 1 second. Do 10 reps, alternating extended leg each time. Media Platforms Design Team Media Platforms Design TeamWhat To Wear: No shoes, but you’ll need a yoga mat and yoga clothes. You’ll spend a lot of time on your back so choose shirts that don’t have back detailing that will annoy you. Editor’s pick: We like the Lucy Hatha Capri Leggings because they are comfortable, versatile, and moisture-wicking (great for when you’re really heating up during this workout). (Lucy.com; $79). We chose Athleta’s Happy Baby Top for it’s cable-textured soft fabric, flattering ruching, and built-in bra. (Athleta.gap.com; $59)
