Photo: truepoweryoga.com

If a workout has a lot of celebrity endorsements, sometimes, I'm a bit skeptical (still interested, of course, but skeptical). However, when celebrities and professional athletes alike tout the same program, you'd better believe I get my game face on before I begin!

Mark Blanchard's True Power Yoga ($59.95) includes four workouts on three discs -- True Flow Workout (90 minutes), which is geared toward athletes (in fact, NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh participates); True Strength Workout (90 minutes), a flowing class filled with inversions and arm balances; True Core Workout (45 minutes), which, unsurprisingly, works your back and abdominal muscles; and Hip Opener Workout (50 minutes), a class that is actually led by Mark's wife and aims to relieve stress, both physical and emotional.

In addition to Houshmandzadeh (who says, "It's like lifting weights and stretching at the same time,"), NBA star Steve Smith, and actors Drew Barrymore and Mario Lopez are fans.

Level of Difficulty
Intermediate to advanced -- definitely not a "My First Yoga" DVD. Some of the moves are very difficult, and modifications aren't shown, so if you've never done a class with an instructor, this could be extremely tough.

Next Day Soreness
Quite a bit, but then again, yoga tends to make me pretty sore.

Who's It For?
People who want a good, hard yoga workout. There's no glitz or glamor -- it's a stripped-down, solid workout.

Likes
I enjoyed the rhythm and flow of the workouts -- you move quickly and seamlessly from one pose to another. Also, the instructors (Mark and his wife) give good instruction regarding which muscles you're working. The workouts are truly situated as classes, so the instructors spend time correcting and modifying the students' postures (admit it -- it's nice to see that not everybody is perfect, isn't it?). Also, it's four different workouts!

Dislikes
I wish there had been some simpler modifications shown for some of the moves. Mark makes a point in the beginning to discourage the use of props, saying they're dangerous. However, for someone with a lack of flexibility (ahem, like yours truly), some of the moves are pretty much impossible without help.

Bottom Line
This is an amazing set of DVDs for anyone who's serious about getting a major yoga workout from the comfort of their home.



Want to know more about the way yoga can benefit athletes? See what this instructor had to say.