I purchased this program out of curiosity and must admit was fairly skeptical because of the title (something about "Beverly Hills" and "Yoga" being grouped together that doesn't seem quite right :)). But having been skeptical yet pleasently surprised by programs in the past (such as Kathy Smith's excellent Yoga Programs) and also because I happened to see this at a very discounted price, I couldn't resist taking a chance on it.I have to say that I'm glad I did, because this program would have easily been worth the full retail price. While I don't claim to be a Yoga expert, I have been practicing every day for about 9 years and have over 80 Yoga programs in my home library. I feel that I have a good idea of what constitutes a sound practice.
Janis Saffell, like Kathy Smith, is a well known fitness instructor and likewise put together a really sound yoga practice. Often, it seems that fitness instructors can make a mess of a yoga program when they get their hands on it and bring that "rah rah" aerobics teacher mentality to it. Thankfully, Janis Saffell avoids that pitfall here.
Though this program leaves out the "spiritual side" of yoga, Ms. Saffell certainly maintains an atmosphere of equanimity. She gives excellent verbal instruction (with a very soothing voice) and demonstrates the poses with beautiful body mechanics, no doubt a tribute to her background in dance.
The actual sequence is very well done, in fact it's one of the most sound programs I've seen. She has lots of incremental movements that build to larger movements. She maintains a wonderful flow which keeps heat in the body and helps to gently and gradually open you up which prepares you for the more challenging poses to come.
Timing in at almost exactly 45 minutes, it's long enough to be quite thorough but not so long as to be overwhelming. I would say that it's probably a late beginner to early intermediate level in terms of difficulty (though it has two poses that are quite challenging "Side Plank" and "Revolved Crescent Lunge").
The only thing I would have liked at the end (and of course this is only a personal preference) would have been to finish off with a lying twist and then relaxation pose (Savasana). I just add those at the end on my own so it's no biggie and certainly doesn't detract from the overall excellence of this program.
I would highly recommend this program for someone who wants a flowing, moderately challenging and straightforward Yoga practice. If you do this program regularly, you should be able to increase your flexibility as well as functional strength. I can definitely see this DVD playing a regular role in my own daily practice.
Highly Recommended!
Namaste
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