Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown [DVD]

Despite a lot of reviews criticizing Jillian's approach to yoga I bought Yoga Meltdown. I thought this dvd gave you an awesome workout in a half hour and thought it was the perfect dvd to for busy people looking to fit in a quick wokout. It is not too difficult of a workout but its not easy either (and I am in decent shape and do lots of yoga). Jillian's approach to yoga may not be as traditional as some other yoga dvds out there, but she doesn't advertise it to be traditional style yoga and does not claim to be a yoga instuctor. What to Expect: 1) Repetitions incorporated into traditional yoga poses, as well as holding each pose for 15 seconds. 2) Lots of plank variations and chaturanga push-ups (can be difficult for people with shoulder pain/injuries or very out of shape people)If it's hard for you work your way up using the beginner variations 3) Interval training: your heart rate will go up and down burning more calories 4) Fast paced yoga workout: If you are a beginner to yoga I would recommend watching it first to get an idea of what the proper form is because Jillian does move through the poses quickly and it can be confusing to figure out if your doing it right if your new to yoga. 5) EXPECT TO SWEAT, BURN CALORIES AND FEEL SORE THE NEXT DAY. What NOT to Expect: 1) A traditional yoga practice: This dvd is not a traditional or relaxing yoga dvd, this dvd was meant to be more of a gym style or a fusion of traditional yoga poses and interval training. I love traditional yoga but I bought this dvd expecting it to be what it is, which is a gym style yoga practice. If you buy this dvd expecting a very traditional yoga practice with meditation, a lot of stretching and holding poses for a significant amount of time you WILL be disappointed. If you are looking for more traditional yoga dvds don't look to this, look to Shiva Rea or Sadie Nardini both are well-known, certified yoga instructors and offer great selections for different types of practices depending on what you are looking for. Shiva Rea is associated with Shakti types of yoga, while Sadie Nardini is associated with a Vinyasa style yoga. However, I highly recommend this dvd if you are looking to add something fresh and different to your yoga practice or regular workout. Though Jillian is not a yoga instructor, if you expect a gym style yoga routine that is gonna kick your butt Yoga Meltdown will not disappoint you. Traditional Yogis: I know Jillian is a little out there with her boot camp style training but yoga teaches us to be open to new things in life and this dvd is worth a try even if you're used to the more traditional style yoga or if you're just not a fan of Jillian. It still delivers an awesome workout for your whole body.

I received yoga meltdown in the mail yesterday, and tried it this morning. I disagree with one review that noted this dvd was for people experienced in yoga. First, there are two levels, the 2nd is considerably way more advanced in a shocking, inspiring sort of way ( i took a peek after completing level 1) & in level one you are even shown how to do a simpler version of a pose, so that it's bearable if you're just starting. So, I am writing this feedback as a complete beginner...I have never meditated or practiced yoga in my life - only familiar with some poses for stretching and strengthening I just started doing over the summer like the warrior pose. Most of my weight loss exercise habits have consisted of spending anywhere from 1 to 3 hours at the gym starting with cardio machines followed by weight machines afterward. What I didn't realize until now is that I wasn't achieving the toned look, not even the feeling of getting toned, so when I say a complete beginner, I mean having no background in yoga & just getting started on building strength all over my body. Given that, and if you are a beginner too, & checking out your options, "yoga meltdown" is not discouraging. Yes, I had to pause a few times because keeping some poses longer than 3 seconds starts to hurt & I had to manually pause the dvd to watch how to have the right form & form throughout a move sequence. It was still FUN and you'll probably be surprised or enjoy doing a new pose or new stretch that you've seen before in health mags but don't do because they either look too hard or too simple. I can only say that as with any fitness workouts that challenges your current fitness level, once you learn the moves/poses & be consistent, you will get better at it; maybe I can compare it to muscle memory in addition to improved strength & you won't have to take breaks or pause the dvd anymore! P.S. Do you get a good heart rate workout? YES. I had a cup of water I had to sip maybe once & in one of the plank moves, my arms started to slide of the yoga mat because they were getting sweaty! However, my right wrist ( I have slight wrists) started to hurt during the side planks but it will get better over time with strength. Favorite part of the workout was at the end (I think it was an advance warrior pose position) and Jillian's few words of wisdom.

I bought this video to shake up my workouts. I tend to stick with more HiiT and bootcamp type exercise programs -- Jillian Michaels is a favorite of mine and I also love Barry's Bootcamp (another one I recommend to readers). Anything that is super effective and challenges me in 30 minutes is ideal, especially for this working/busy mom! I'm not a yoga person, will tell you that up front, but I do have a lot of back and knee pain so I thought I'd try this video -- being a fan of JM DVDs. WOW is all I can say. The first time I completed it, I thought... I barely worked up a sweat and it wasn't worth doing again, but I gave it a second try and I'm glad I did. Once I got through the first time, I could work harder the next go around -- having learned the moves. Don't expect to be dripping wet with sweat on this one, but DO expect to be challenged and SORE. She mixes in pilates and yoga moves for a very intense 30 minutes. I'm only on level 1 and I mix this video in my weekly routines at least one day. My back/knees always feel so stretched out and purely wonderful afterwards... so relaxed. And, my arms (always my weakness)... holy smokes. The push up, which I believe she refers to as the chaturanga, as part of the level 1 program is much more intense than I'd ever imagine. I can see a difference in my arms and abs with this video after only 2 weeks. That 6-pack is fighting its way through! I love 30 day shred and Six Week Six Pack and enjoy this one too! I have yet to be disappointed with a JM workout.

I am writing this review as a former exercise and yoga instructor, so take this with a grain of salt. I haven't taught in a few years due to tennis elbow and wrist problems that kept me from advancing my yoga practice to a point where I felt I could advance my students, as well. So, lately I do a lot of 30 minute yoga videos at home to help keep me flexible and moderately fit. I'll break it down into the good and bad: The good: This is a great introduction to yoga for those who have shied away from it because they are intimidated or think it's boring. I worked up a light sweat which I don't always do on other yoga videos. You will work your whole body. Level 2 will have more ab work and standing balance poses while level 1 will have more sun salutations and plank poses. The bad: I felt that Jillian's cuing leaves a bit to be desired. One time she told us to step 'that' foot forward, and when I looked up she had both feet forward. This was a common problem and many times I was wondering where they were and felt I had to strain my neck to see if I was behind, etc. Of course, this will get better as I get more familiar with the DVD and the progression of the moves but it may turn others off who are used to doing exercise DVDs. Also, if you are a true yoga person you may be disappointed as she leaves out some key points of the sun salutation and other moves that you may be familiar with. For example, when you do the sun salutations she leaves out the half lift after being in forward fold, she just goes right up to mountain. I find that this misses some of the benefits of the stretch for the hamstrings in the half lift position and I tried to add it in myself with my own breathing while doing the DVD. All in all, I didn't think it was a waste of my time. I sweat, I stretched, and was even challenged a bit. I'll probably put this in my rotation along with my Sara Ivanhoe and Karen Voight workouts. For the days when I want to melt and do major power yoga, I'll pull out the P90X yoga! That video kicks my rear every time I do it!

I've dabbled in yoga, pilates, P90X and other various work-out dvds over the years and this one is fun but challenging at the same time. I agree with some of the other reviewers, it is hard to see some of the variations of the poses at times. Also, she doesn't do a great deal of verbal description of each pose or what is next, so you have to look at the screen, sometimes while in some awkward positions. I like that she does admit that she has a hard time with many yoga poses, it makes her a bit more human. I enjoy the relaxation and physical benefits of yoga, but also enjoy a good old fashioned work-out (not that traditional yoga isn't challenging). I wouldn't recommend this for people brand new to yoga, as she doesn't have enough basic instruction to get into some poses properly, but if you already have some yoga experience and like to also get in some cardio, this is the dvd for you. The Level 1 workout is a decent challenge, Level 2 is a bit more advanced, but if you combine them, it is one heck of a work-out! I'm sure they don't recommend it, but if you are feeling saucy and want to wear yourself out, doing both levels back to back will take care of that for you. But, the fact that each work-out is only 30 minutes, you can work in a work out into just about any schedule and feel as though you accomplished something that day. Her method of "repping-out" some of the poses is one of those ideas where you think "why didn't I think of that." After repping-out some of the poses and then holding them for 15 seconds, you are feeling the pose (especially, for me, the goddess pose and wheel), but it gives you something to work towards. I'm glad I added it to my rotation.

This is the third Jillian DVD I have purchased. I enjoy Ripped in 30 & 30 Day Shred, but sometimes they just have too much jumping and it bothers my knee. I wasn't sure what to expect at all with a yoga DVD, as I am pretty new to working out at home. I received this last week and have already done the workouts six times! After I finished Level 2 I literally felt like applauding. The power poses provide an awesome burn, my muscles feel worked out and tired. I'm relieved to find a workout that is low impact, but still makes me feel like I am working. I am in good shape, but my recent knee problems make it difficult for me to feel like I am working hard enough to get stronger. Doing these workouts has given me a break from the normal, more jarring exercise I do, while still feeling like I am making progress. There are a few things I don't like, however. I feel that the warm-ups and cool downs are not long enough. This is the same with all her videos, so I supplement them by doing my own exercises before and after the video. Also, the workout itself isn't long enough. I have been doing Level 2 & also part of Level 1 so I am working out long enough to feel truly fatigued. I think it would also be better to hold the poses longer to help make big gains in flexibility. But hey, I'm not too critical, this is J's version of yoga, and I dig it!

UPDATE: Having done the second workout in this video, I think it would be dangerous to do unless you're pretty comfortable with fairly advanced yoga poses, and you know your own body well enough to know your limitations and how to work around them. Little to no guidance is given for poses where you could really hurt yourself if you're not doing them right, such as crow pose. I took it down from 4 stars to 3 because these workouts are marketed as something that anyone can jump in and do, which is not true if you don't want to wreck your joints. Below is my original review for the first workout in the video, which still stands. Note: I am not an orthodox yogi or a purist -- I'm into whatever reason people want to get involved in yoga. This DVD includes 2 workouts, which consist of yoga poses alternating with yoga-inspired HIIT sequences (because it is, you know, Jillian Michaels). It is NOT a beginner workout by any means. In my opinion, 30 Day Shred Level 1 is easier than Yoga Meltdown Level 1. It would also be helpful to have done some yoga in the past, because the video does not go into a tremendous amount of detail about the poses -- although they are all common poses, so even if you've only taken a few classes, you should be in good shape. But if you're starting from scratch with fitness, or with yoga, I would skip this DVD and come back to it later. That said, do be sure to try this, because it's a really fun workout! It's busy and interesting enough that the half hour goes by VERY fast, it does work your whole body, and the advantage of including the yoga poses and balancing moves is that you're working your little muscles in addition to your big ones. Unlike a lot of Jillian's other videos, there are no mandatory jumping moves -- although there are still a number of lunges and lunge-like maneuvers, so it still may not be the best idea for folks with bad knees. Jillian takes a gentler tone here than usual, which is nice (I like her workouts but I'm not a huge fan of the barking and yelling), and another surprisingly pleasant thing: She's not the best in the room at all the moves. In fact, for a few of them, she can barely do them. So if you get tired of looking at fitness instructors who don't even seem to be trying, while they're telling you to sweat and struggle, you might find this reassuring. It's 4 stars instead of 5 because I do think there are a couple of bad things: -- The "beginner" variations aren't always easily visible, and some of them don't actually make the move any easier. In a few cases, I even think the "advanced" variation is the easiest. -- The cool-downs are really quite bad. They're very short, and the stretches largely target your hamstrings and hips, after you've been working your whole body hard. I just turn off the video at that point and do my own thing. tl;dr -- it's not purist yoga, and it's not for beginners to fitness or to yoga, but it's fun and it WILL work you out!

This is an hour long yoga video. All you need is a mat. There are two levels, so this video will last you a long time. If you're a beginner, only do 30 minutes and work yourself up to the full length of the workout, but don't give up! This will slim you, make you look leaner, improve your balance, improve your coordination, and boost your circulation. I think I lost about 5-10 pounds with this DVD in one summer. I was 5'4" and approx. 155 pounds, but didn't look like it thanks to this DVD. I had a pretty voluptuous hourglass figure, too. This DVD will not make your good attributes go away... It will tone you. I naturally ate healthy, though I didn't necessarily think fat-free or low-cal. I also did other things like gardening, yard work, walking on college campus, etc. I even had sugary coffee drinks. This is not a traditional yoga DVD. It's upbeat but still relaxing. I've tried traditional ones before and they're nice, but I personally never stuck to them. You will notice results with this one, and you'll have more energy and a great positive attitude after doing it. I like this DVD. I also use JM's Revolution DVD set and will use this in between days if I'm hurting too much from the harder workout DVDs of hers.

This is my first Jillian Michaels workout purchase. Very happy with the Yoga workouts included on the dvd. Her instructions are very clear (I like her firm tone) and there are 2 workouts (Level 1 and 2). You will definitely build good strength and tone from the moves. A good challenge.

di potermi appassionare alla yoga.. invece Jillian ci è riuscita. Non solo mi sono appassionata, ma riesco a fare buona parte delle posizioni ... e la mia autostima sta crescendo insieme alla mia autostima. Consigliatissimo!

This is a fantastic workout if you are looking for a change up to Jillian's usual dvds. I have been doing her 30 Day Shred and 30 Days to Ripped workouts but was looking for a change of pace to switch it up and after reading other good reviews on this dvd, I decided it might be just what I was looking for. It is definitely not a calming, relaxing yoga session but Jillian takes traditional yoga poses and methods and intensifies them so that you still feel like you challenged your body. It does get a little fast paced towards the end but if you have previously done yoga then you will have no trouble following along. For those who have never done yoga, after a couple of times you should be able to pick it up. This dvd worked muscles in different areas to the standard Jillian workout which was great and at the same time it provides some fantastic stretching moves. Definitely recommend!

Exactamente lo que pedí, está en español no como otros que compré en Amazon

simple et efficace comme tout les dvd de jillian MICHAELS,pourquoi demander un roman sur des cours que je recommande tout simplement.