Yoga for Energy & Strength
Teacher: Rodney Yee
Location: A Hawaian beach.
Time: 48 minutes
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

This video consists of two programmes: "Yoga for Strength" runs for 1 hour 10 minutes and is set entirely in the studio; it is not reviewed here. The "Yoga for Energy" routine is set on the Hawaian coast and divided into five sections: Awakening, Centering, Creativity, Reflection and Surrender. These parts have different formats and Rodney Yee is helped during all but the first and last by other participants.

The 10 minute Awakening section starts with Rodney Yee lying on the beach, in reclined mountain pose. He introduces leg stretches, then twists before sitting for forward bends. He progresses through cat and downward dog to some lunges. The whole sequence is very gentle and suitable for beginners. The same cannot be said for Centering, in which Rodney Yee is accompanied by Patricia Walden in an 8 minute standing vinyasa. Moving with the breath, they swing from left to right between postures. We are prompted simply by the name of each. The vinyasa is well constructed, but neads to be learned in order to flow seamlessly.

In the 15 minute Creativity section, Rodney Yee is accompanied by Patricia Walden and Anne Josephs in a similar, rapid vinyasa sequence, this time including sitting and lying postures. These seem less fluid than the Centering section, partly because they cover a broader range of positions but also because the three participants are situated in separate parts of the rocky beach and the camera moves between them. In the 10 minutes of Reflection, Rodney Yee is seated at the top of the cliff, back to back with Catherine Quist, performing forward bends and leg stretches. The video is completed by Rodney Yee alone on the sand in the five minutes of Surrender, which includes a very relaxing talk-through.

The second, third and fourth sections of this video use very few words to guide us into position. Rodney Yee explains at the end of the video that "The absence of verbal instruction allows you to focus on the movements, the breath, the emotions and the energy that you feel". He suggests that we do whichever section we feel we need at any one time. Unfortunately, the disk is not equipped with stopping points, so to start any session except the first, it is necessary to fast-forward through the entire content to that point.

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