Yoga on SteriodsForget all zen notions traditionally associated with yoga and prepare for an ass kicking workout. Yoga Sculpt uses dumbbells and incorporates high intensity cardio intervals into a yoga power flow. Yoga power flows are already physically demanding and intense for most people. Getting into and holding yoga poses requires both strength and balance; in my experience full attention to the breath provides gentle guidance into strength and balance. Adding lunges, squats, curls and overhead presses with dumbbells during Warriors, I, II, and III turns yoga into what feels like an extreme sport. |
Anyone looking for an introspective, mindful yoga practice will not find it in Yoga Sculpt. This class really suits people in peak physical shape looking for an intense workout with a yoga twist. R&B music invigorates the workout and the yoga poses become an interesting backdrop for resistance reps. Otherwise, the fast pace and R&B music diminish the mindfulness and full attention on the breath. The breath is everything in yoga but feels impossible to maintain while fumbling with dumbbells in Yoga Sculpt. Instead I tune into the music and push through my fatigue the way I do in gym classes like cardio kickboxing and body sculpt. Serious exercise junkies will relish the burn and shaking muscles, not to mention the blissful post-workout glow.