DVD Review: Shiva Rea's Yogini -- Vinyasa Flow Yoga for Women

Shiva Rea is known for yoga workouts that enhance the body and mind, so when her newest yoga DVD, "Yogini: Vinyasa Flow Yoga for Women," was released just over a week ago, That's Fit was anxious to try it out.

The 75-minute DVD is made of five segments: Healing Meditation for Women (seven minutes), Flow of Love: Backbending Vinyasa (27 minutes), Flow of Beauty: Fluid Backbending Vinyasa (16 minutes), Flow of Empowerment: Standing Pose Vinyasa (22 minutes), and Shavasana (three minutes). The segments are all programmable, so you can customize your workout. Additionally, you can choose whether or not you want instruction with the music -- always a nice option.

The setting, beneath a stunning waterfall in Kauai, Hawaii, couldn't be more beautiful. And Rea, of course, is the perfect yogini. But what does this DVD have to offer that we haven't seen before?

Level of Difficulty
Intermediate to advanced (sometimes venturing into the realm of "she must be joking").

Next Day Soreness
Significant, particularly through the midsection.

Who's It For?
Well, I wouldn't recommend it to a total yoga beginner simply because some of the asanas are quite challenging, and while Rea is great about telling you not to push your body beyond where it wants to go, she doesn't always give a lot of explanation about exactly how your body should be lining up. However, that's one of the things that makes it so great for folks who already practice yoga -- the DVD allows you to really feel what you're doing and be present in the moment. Although it's designed for women, anybody who enjoys yoga is sure to like this.

Likes
Shiva Rea is truly inspiring -- she's centered, strong, lean and incredibly flexible. I enjoy the flow practice -- I particularly enjoyed the Flow of Empowerment: Standing Pose Vinyasa because it was a little faster-paced than I'm used to and really felt "new."

Dislikes
I know that all the back-bend poses are designed to open the heart and help us reconnect with inner strength (not to mention work the core), but for someone with very little back flexibility, there was a lot of it. That being said, next time, I'll just do one back-bending segment instead of both in succession. One thing that isn't really a "dislike," but something I think I should point out, is that Rea encourages some self-massage throughout the DVD -- in the first few minutes of the Healing Meditation, she instructs you to rub your breasts. I had no problem with this, but I can see where some people might be taken aback, particularly if doing the video alongside a friend. Still, the idea behind this workout is to empower women and help them be in touch with their bodies, so it's not out of place.

Bottom Line
Not only is this a really solid physical workout, but it's great mentally and spiritually, as well. I'll definitely keep it in my rotation, particularly for days when I need a little empowerment. It also made me want to go to Hawaii in a bad way.

Want more Shiva Rea? Check out our review of Surf Yoga Soul!