Review of the Shiva Rea Yoga Practice DVD

Shiva Rea Shakti DVD Yoga Practice
September 24th, 2007
Review by Drea

Select your sesh! Inhale, reach up, exhale bring it forward!

This DVD has a variety of preset classes to choose from: Basic, Solar Flow, Solar Flow II, and Lunar Flow. The Basic class is a nice class to get acquainted with Shiva Rea’s style, or for beginners. I have actually never tried this one yet, but have watched it. It looks fun and wiggly! Solar Flow is a more intensive class incorporating backbends and a few arm balances. This is a really fun class and a little more intensive on the warriors and legs then the next class, Solar Flow II. Solar Flow II is in theory the most advanced class, but I switch between the two depending on my mood. Flow II has less emphasis on legs and more emphasis on backbends. She shows a variety of arm balances. Shiva Rea has an Ashtanga background, and the practice is predominately poses threaded together with Salutations. If one is not used to this practice, it can be quite draining on the shoulders, arms, and wrists. I feel sometimes, it can be a bit boring and straining on my shoulders. I have a very strong practice myself, but sometimes repetitive chatarangas just becomes too jolting to the joints. Shiva Rea has a great “set”, beautiful Indian beach, and wonderful music. One complaint, she has very little to say besides “Inhale, Exhale”. She says a few insightful comments, but for the most part doesn’t describe the postures fully nor the purpose of them. I appreciate her worshipful devout practice. It is inspiring. I recommend the video to anyone, specifically vinyasa fanatics.

But just when you feel like exhaling and putting the video down, don’t do it before you discover the Lunar Sequences. The lunar vibe is really when the vibe takes off, maybe her vibe,maybe her style of teaching, or maybe its a nice way to down tempo from other styles of yoga or just a hard week.

The music on the video is very traditional, very spiritual and was a nice choice. I after hearing it I went looking for music on Shivas website but ended up in London where she seems to have some alliances in a crowd that is far from the vibe of the traditional music one hears on the video. Because she started doing yoga at fourteen, she got in early enough to know and enjoy spiritual music. However I am not talking about the trance dance techno stuff she is into.

But she stays clear of that techno in the lunar flows and so it is inspiring to do yoga to her video a few times, maybe on a rainy day. But then its off to the park where the air really flows, outside, yes…. In nature but without the plastic studio blocks. Why do people always take those with them on their yoga videos? Rocks and trees keep it real. But like I say, do the lunar flow and ask your nonself how it feels.

From basic to harder to next level, Shiva gives you two dvd’s for the long session in you, plus she is down with sounds true – so she must be one with the energetic rhythmic movement which happens through her.