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DVD Review: Tara Stiles Yoga Anywhere
Posted on Aug 16th 2010 3:00PM by Kristen SeymourFiled Under: Fitness, Reviews & Products
Tara Stiles leads yoga classes unlike any other -- she uses rock-and-roll-influenced music, and there's definitely no chanting. As the founder of New York City's Strala yoga studio, she's got big-city style and moves like a cat, and now, you can follow along at home with her DVD, "Tara Stiles Yoga Anywhere."
The DVD consists of a one-hour yoga routine with instruction and four bonus routines in various areas of New York City without instruction. The entire video is approximately 88 minutes long.
Stiles has plenty of fans and is the personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra. But is her DVD the right choice for you?
Level of Difficulty
Stiles says in the beginning of the video that it's for "beginners and if you've done a little bit of yoga," but I would put it somewhere in the intermediate to advanced category.
Next-Day Soreness
Some -- it probably would have been more if I'd been able to actually do more of the poses.
Who's It For?
If you like practicing yoga, have some skill but don't like some of the stereotypes associated with it, Stiles is the instructor for you.
Likes
The music was different -- calm but still with some energy. And I loved the concept of practicing yoga anywhere. (Stiles has four bonus segments showing her practicing amid the hustle and bustle in several parts of New York City.) Also, she's fascinating to watch -- she's extremely strong and flexible and makes even the most difficult moves look like a piece of cake.
Dislikes
I was so, so frustrated that Stiles said this was appropriate for beginners. Flexibility is not my strong point, but I can normally follow along in beginning and intermediate yoga classes without a problem, yet within the first 10 minutes, she had gone through several moves I simply couldn't do, and no modifications were shown or mentioned. And, while it's great that she made them look so easy, I also find it problematic -- I know enough about yoga and my body that I knew when to stop, but if someone had very little experience, they could really hurt themselves. Also, although I liked the music, I think it muffled her -- I could only hear and understand what she was saying about half the time, and it's hard to get what you want out of a yoga session when you can't look away from the TV.
I do want to mention that Stiles specifically says you should just do the moves you can and work toward the tricky ones as you go. However, this isn't said until the end of the video, after the elbow stands and splits and bends.
Bottom Line
I can't imagine anyone wouldn't find this workout challenging -- it moves quickly and incorporates balance, strength and flexibility, just as a yoga workout should. It wasn't a great fit for me because it required a lot more flexibility than I have, but for a more flexible or more advanced fan of yoga, this could be just the ticket.
Wondering whether you should go with yoga or Pilates? See which is best for you!
The DVD consists of a one-hour yoga routine with instruction and four bonus routines in various areas of New York City without instruction. The entire video is approximately 88 minutes long.
Stiles has plenty of fans and is the personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra. But is her DVD the right choice for you?
Level of Difficulty
Stiles says in the beginning of the video that it's for "beginners and if you've done a little bit of yoga," but I would put it somewhere in the intermediate to advanced category.
Next-Day Soreness
Some -- it probably would have been more if I'd been able to actually do more of the poses.
Who's It For?
If you like practicing yoga, have some skill but don't like some of the stereotypes associated with it, Stiles is the instructor for you.
Likes
The music was different -- calm but still with some energy. And I loved the concept of practicing yoga anywhere. (Stiles has four bonus segments showing her practicing amid the hustle and bustle in several parts of New York City.) Also, she's fascinating to watch -- she's extremely strong and flexible and makes even the most difficult moves look like a piece of cake.
Dislikes
I was so, so frustrated that Stiles said this was appropriate for beginners. Flexibility is not my strong point, but I can normally follow along in beginning and intermediate yoga classes without a problem, yet within the first 10 minutes, she had gone through several moves I simply couldn't do, and no modifications were shown or mentioned. And, while it's great that she made them look so easy, I also find it problematic -- I know enough about yoga and my body that I knew when to stop, but if someone had very little experience, they could really hurt themselves. Also, although I liked the music, I think it muffled her -- I could only hear and understand what she was saying about half the time, and it's hard to get what you want out of a yoga session when you can't look away from the TV.
I do want to mention that Stiles specifically says you should just do the moves you can and work toward the tricky ones as you go. However, this isn't said until the end of the video, after the elbow stands and splits and bends.
Bottom Line
I can't imagine anyone wouldn't find this workout challenging -- it moves quickly and incorporates balance, strength and flexibility, just as a yoga workout should. It wasn't a great fit for me because it required a lot more flexibility than I have, but for a more flexible or more advanced fan of yoga, this could be just the ticket.
Wondering whether you should go with yoga or Pilates? See which is best for you!
