Blissology

The Blissology Project by yogi, surfer, and self-described "blissologist" Eoin Finn is a 6-disk DVD set covering every day of the week (5 disks for each of Monday through Friday, and then a shared 6th disk for Saturday/Sunday). It offers not just yoga sessions (11 total) but also daily meditations as well as "Blissology Commitments," which involves a a total yogic approach in various areas of one's life.

With the exception of the Saturday/Sunday disk (which is structured slightly differently), each weekday Main Menu offers the following options: Theme (a short introduction to the theme for that day), Meditation (described as being 10 minutes but in reality, varies from about 8.5 minutes to 11.5 minutes), Full Yoga Routine (varies from about 45 minutes to 55 minutes), Yoga Quickie (a shorter version of the main routine running from around 27 minutes to about 36 minutes), and Blissology Commitments. The latter address not only yoga and meditation but also nature appreciation, food awareness, gratitude, and "wild card." In these short segments, Eoin simply encourages increased reflection, awareness, and gratitude around these issues without being preachy or sanctimonious (if you disagree, however, you can easily ignore these sections).

Eoin is accompanied for almost all of the yoga sessions by his wife, Insiya; sometimes they are joined by another yogi, and Monday's class is a bit larger. His brand of yoga is fairly unique, although it generally in the vinyassa style. Perhaps being influenced by the beautiful Bali setting in which Blissology was filmed, however, Eoin is generally quite chill in these routines: although he does throw in more challenging postures, particularly arm balances (especially in the full practices), overall, he moves through the yoga at a measured pace.

However, I would caution that that Blissology is NOT designed for beginners. Although Eoin does include a modifier for most of the practices and also encourages viewers to go at their own pace, there is very little actual instruction in these routines. Also, as noted above, there are a fair number of more advanced postures included--for example, crow pose is quite common even in the quickie routines. A more experienced beginner who has knowledge of how to modify might be able to follow along, but someone brand-new to yoga is very likely to be overwhelmed.

In her review below, Tracy (LunaSea) did an excellent job of copying the poses from Eoin's web site (blissology.com) and filling in some blanks. I am re-listing them in my review, however, both to provide some additional information and to offer the English translations for the postures for those who are less familiar with Sanskrit.

BLISS MONDAY

Meditation (9.5m)–somatic, focus on noticing feelings in body

Yoga: All Around; Eoin joined by class of 5 students on beach

(full routine includes several advanced arm balances)

Full Routine (45 min)

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation Sea (low lunge to front-facing triangle to standing split)

Warrior 1; add eagle arms to eagle pose

Warrior 2 to side angle pose to triangle

Camel to crow

King Arthur pose (low lunge); add eagle arms

Deep pigeon

Full seated forward bend

Full boat to abs work

Vinyasa to forearm plank to side plank to dolphin

Turtle to firefly

Standing pigeon to eka pada galavasana arm balance

Cobra to bow to camel

Half sage twist

Pranayama brief seated meditation to savasana (3.5m)

Yoga Quickie (27 min)

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation Sea (low lunge to front-facing triangle to standing split)

Warrior 1; add eagle arms to eagle pose

Warrior 2 to side angle pose to triangle

Camel to crow

King Arthur pose (low lunge); add eagle arms

Deep pigeon

Full seated forward bend to half sage twist

Pranayama to brief seated meditation to savasana (3.5m)

BLISS TUESDAY

Meditation (9.5m)–focus on energy, life inside

Yoga: Front Body Stretches; Eoin with Insiya & Paula on a riverbank

Full Routine (53 min)

Sun Salutation A

Fluid Triangle Sun Salutations

Warrior I to warrior II to triangle to side angle to half moon to warrior 2

Vinyasa with three pushups to side plank

Warrior I to twisting side angle to low lunge to low lunge variations

Bow to camel to one-legged pigeon

Dancer's pose to splits side splits to Visvamitrasana (side plank variation)

Wheel to happy baby to supine leg stretches to double pigeon

Seated meditation to savasana (5m) to final seated meditation (1m)

Yoga Quickie (34 min)

Sun Salutation A

Warrior I to warrior II to triangle to side angle to half moon to warrior 2

Vinyasa with three pushups to side plank

Warrior I to twisting side angle to low lunge to low lunge variations

Bow to camel to one-legged pigeon

Wheel to happy baby to supine leg stretches

Seated meditation to savasana (5m) to final seated meditation (1m)

BLISS WEDNESDAY

Meditation (7.5m)–focus is on manifesting balance between self & others

Yoga: Side Body Stretches; Eoin alone

(focus on twists to increase energy upward)

Full Routine (43 min)

Sun Salutation A

Sun salutation Sea (low lunge to front-facing triangle to standing split)

Standing forward bend variations

Warrior 2 to side angle with shoulder opener to triangle with shoulder opener

Warrior 2 w/cow pose arms to wide-legged forward bend w/cow pose arms

Revolved side angle to I.T. Love

Deep pigeon

Half sage twist to cow-face twist

Abs work: leg twists, revolved abdominal pose, half boat to full boat

Revolved head-to-knee pose

Noose pose

Cobbler's pose to wide-legged seated forward bend to full seated forward bend

Savasana (3.5m) to final seated meditation (1m)

Yoga Quickie (36 Min)

Sun Salutation A

Sun salutation Sea (low lunge to front-facing triangle to standing split)

Standing forward bend variations

Warrior 2 to side angle with shoulder opener to triangle with shoulder opener

Warrior 2 w/cow pose arms to wide-legged forward bend w/cow pose arms

Revolved side angle to I.T. Love

Deep pigeon

Half sage twist to cow-face twist

Abs work: leg twists, revolved abdominal pose, half boat to full boat

Wide-legged seated forward bend to full seated forward bend

Savasana (3.5m) to final seated meditation (1m)

BLISS THURSDAY

Meditation (11.5m)–focus on five elements with emphasis on creating space

Yoga: Restorative; Eoin with Insiya & Paula in rice field

(a slower flow with fewer vinyasas in-between sequences)

Full Routine (44 min)

Neck stretches

Sun Salutation A

Earth & Sky Sun Salutation (includes touching forehead to ground)

Triangle to side angle to revolved triangle to standing split

Side angle to revolved side angle

Wide-legged standing forward bend; add arms overhead

Standing hand-to-foot pose to tree

Locust to camel to crow

Deep pigeon

Full seated forward bend

Wide-legged seated forward bend to revolved

Savasana (4m) to Seated earth-sky meditation (1.5m)

Yoga Quickie (35 min)

Neck stretches

Sun Salutation A

Earth & Sky Sun Salutation (includes touching forehead to ground)

Triangle to side angle to revolved triangle to standing split

Side angle to revolved side angle

Locust to camel to crow

Deep pigeon

Full seated forward bend

Wide-legged seated forward bend to revolved

Savasana (4m) to Seated earth-sky meditation (1.5m)

BLISS FRIDAY

Meditation (11m)–focus on earth body, including self as metaphor for nature

Yoga: Strength + Stretch; Eoin with Insiya and Christy on rocky beach

(focus on yoga for fitness)

Full Routine (45 min)

Sun Salutation A

Ultra Yang Sun Salutations (includes lifting from chaturanga to plank)

Warrior I to warrior II to triangle to half moon

Plank, lifting alternate arm & leg to side plank

Standing hand-to-foot pose to quad strengthener to warrior 3 to standing splits

Standing pigeon

Head-to-knee pose to revolved head-to-knee

Cobbler's pose to squat to crow pose

Boat pose variations to supine abs work, including "submarine" to full boat

Side forearm plank

Sage I to Sage III to compass to eight-angle pose

Camel to one-legged pigeon

Wide-legged seated forward bend double pigeon

Brief seated meditation to savasana

Yoga Quickie (33 min)

Sun Salutation A

Ultra Yang Sun Salutations (includes lifting from chaturanga to plank)

Warrior I to warrior II to triangle to half moon

Plank, lifting alternate arm & leg to side plank

Head-to-knee pose to revolved head-to-knee

Cobbler's pose to squat to crow pose

Boat pose variations to supine abs work, including "submarine" full boat

Side forearm plank

Camel one-legged pigeon

Wide-legged seated forward bend to double pigeon

Brief seated meditation to savasana

BLISS SATURDAY

Yoga: Metta Yoga + Meditation; Eoin & Insiya on steps of ruins

Yoga + Meditation practice (27 min)

Sun Salutation A–repeat 6x:

*Focus on love for 1) self, 2) a spiritual leader, 3) someone close to us, 4) a neutral person, 5) a confrontational person, and 6) all beings

*Breathe in "may I be filled with loving kindness," breathe out "may I be well," breathe in "may I be peaceful & at ease," breathe out "may I be happy," breathe in "ohm"

Finishing poses: warrior I (aspirations), front triangle (cleansing), low lunge (gratitude), pigeon (humility)

Seated forward bend to savasana

BLISS SUNDAY

Meditation (8m)–focus on pranayama via practice of ujjayi & nadi shodhana

Here are a few additional notes about the Blissology set:

*Eoin cues live. However, sometimes the audio is a bit off, so it can feel more like a mix of live and voiceover cuing. Also, he does NOT mirror-cue to the viewer.

*The quickie practices are simply shortened versions of the full routines. However, the cuts are completely seamless; it never felt to me like something was missing from the shorter practices. One thing to keep in mind is that shorter does not necessarily mean EASIER! Sometimes the quickie practices didn't contain the more advanced poses, but sometimes they did.

*The packaging is amazing! When I received it, I couldn't believe that it contained all six DVDs. They are ingeniously tucked away, three per side, WITHOUT overlapping in the case, which is only slightly wider than the case for a single DVD.

Overall, I have found that I am really enjoying this set. I was initially a bit hesitant to obtain it, as I thought that 1) I might be too overwhelmed about the number of choices, and 2) that Eoin's vinyasa style might be too fast for me. I needed have worried, however, as I love the daily format, including the option to choose a shorter or longer practice, and I am really clicking with Eoin's slow flow routines. Highly recommended!

Blissology DVDs: Pose Information

This is a very brief review, and mostly, a breakdown of the practices.

The Blissology Booklet does not have pose info for the dvds, and I found it difficult to locate all the pose information on Eoin's website. So, I gathered as much info as I could find from the website (and doing the practices), and have put together lists of the poses for each dvd.

Overall impressions of Blissology:

I really enjoy this set. They are my favorite Eoin practices! I have not used them in a rotation, but simply choose one when it suits my needs/mood for the day. I practice yoga daily, and these are great options when I want power/vinyasa yoga. What I like most about these practices is the pace (slower than other Eoin dvds, especially Power Yoga for Happiness 2) and the variety. Each day has a specific focus (front-body stretches aka backbends, side-body stretches aka twists, etc.), which makes these even more versatile if you want to use as a "program" or system.

One note: the Thursday practice is called "Restorative" but this is not true restorative yoga. I would categorize it more as "slow flow." (I think the name must be a comparison to Eoin's usual style - it is restorative for Eoin!) With that understanding, it is one of my favorites in this series. There are 4 slow sun salutation variations followed by a substantial standing pose section with quite long holds - this is lovely and can be quite challenging! The practice ends with forward bends held quite a long time - this is the more restorative part of the practice.

Below are the Pose breakdowns for each practice.

Note: Eoin uses mostly sanskrit names - so I have kept those. I've also corrected misspellings. If you aren't sure about the sanskrit names, you can look up most on Yoga Journal's Pose Index. It's a great resource.

***Bliss Monday***

Yoga: All Around

Meditation: Body Based

Full Routine (45 min)

Yoga Quickie (27 min)

[Only this one set of poses given - assuming this is full routine, and quickie is a subset]

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation Sea

Warrior 1 Garudasana Arms

Garudasana

Virabhadrasana 2

Parsvakonasana

Trikonasana > Repeat

Utkatasana

Bakasana

Vinyasa To Downdog

Kind Arthur Arch

King Arthur Gomukhasana Arms

Deep Pigeon > Repeat

Paschimottanasana

Ardha Matsyendrasana

Sukhasana > Pranayama > Meditation > Savasana

***Bliss Tuesday***

Yoga: Front Body Stretches

Meditation: Energy

Full Routine (55 min)

Sun Salutation A

Fluid Triangle Sun Salutations

Standing Poses 1: warrior I > warrior II > triangle > side angle > half moon to sugar cane > warrior 2 > vinyasa > (repeat other leg)

Vinyasa with three pushups > side plank

Standing Poses 2: high lunge > twisting high lunge > low lunge > low lunge variations

Bow Pose > Camel > One Leg Pigeon Pose

Dancers Pose > Splits > Side Plank Variation

Wheel

Supine Leg Stretches

Double Pigeon

Simple Seated Pose

Savasana

Yoga Quickie (34 min)

Sun Salutation A

Standing Poses 1: warrior I > warrior II > triangle > side angle > half moon to sugar cane > warrior 2 > vinyasa > (repeat other leg)

Vinyasa with three pushups > side plank

Standing Poses 2: high lunge > twisting high lunge > low lunge > low lunge variations

Bow Pose > Camel > One Leg Pigeon Pose

Wheel

Supine Leg Stretches

Savasana

***Bliss Wednesday***

Yoga: Side Body Stretches

Meditation: Manifesting

Full Routine (43 min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 sun salutation a

Ch3 sun salutation sea

Ch4 uttanasana variations

Ch5 virabhadrasana 2 > parsvakonasana with shoulder opener >trikonasana with shoulder opener

Ch6 virabhadrasana 2 with gomukhasana arms > padottansana with gomukhasana arms > repeat other side > lunge > parivrtta parsvakonasana> I.T. Love > repeat

Ch7 deep pigeon > repeat

Ch8 ardha matsyendrasana > gomukhasana twist > repeat

Ch9 core cycle - abs - alternate leg twists > jathara parivatanasana > ardha navasana to navasana 3x

Ch10 janu sirsasana twist or ½ lotus twist

Ch11 pasasana

Ch12 badha konasana > upavishta konasana > parivrtta paschimottanasana

Ch13 savasana

Yoga Quickie (36 Min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 sun salutation a

Ch3 sun salutation sea

Ch4 uttanasana variations

Ch5 virabhadrasana 2 > parsvakonasana with shoulder opener >trikonasana with shoulder opener

Ch6 virabhadrasana 2 with gomukhasana arms > padottansana with gomukhasana arms > repeat other side > lunge > parivrtta parsvakonasana > i.t. Love > repeat

Ch7 deep pigeon > repeat

Ch8 ardha matsyendrasana > gomukhasana twist > repeat

Ch9 core cycle - abs - alternate leg twists > jathara parivatanasana > ardha navasana to navasana 3x

Ch10 upavishta konasana > parivrtta paschimottanasana

Ch11 savasana

***Bliss Thursday***

Yoga: Restorative

(This practice is "restorative" relative to Eoin's typical Power Yoga, but it is not a truly "restorative" yoga practice.)

Meditation: 5 Elements

Full Routine (43 min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 neck stretches/ sun salutation a

Ch3 earth + sky sun salutation

Ch4 trikonasana > parsvottanasana > parivrtta trikonasana > urdhva prasarita eka padasana > repeat

Ch5 parsvakonasana > parivrtta parsvakonasana > repeat

Ch6 padottanasana 1 + 2 (with shoulder opening)

Ch7 utthita hasta padangustasana - vrksasana > repeat

Ch8 salambhasana > ustrasana > balasana

Ch9 deep pigeon

Ch10 paschimottanasana > upavishta konasana >ekapada upavishta konasana

Ch11 savasana > earth sky meditation

Yoga Quickie (35 min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 neck stretches/ sun salutation a

Ch3 earth + sky sun salutation

Ch4 trikonasana > parsvottanasana > parivrtta trikonasana > urdhva prasarita eka padasana > repeat

Ch5 parsvakonasana > parivrtta parsvakonasana > repeat

Ch6 salambhasana > ustrasana > balasana

Ch7 deep pigeon

Ch8 paschimottanasana > upavishta konasana >ekapada upavishta konasana

Ch9 savasana > earth sky meditation

***Bliss Friday***

Yoga: Strength + Stretch

Meditation: Earth Body

Full Routine (45 min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 2 sun salutations a

Ch3 2 ultra yang sun salutations

Ch4 warrior 1 arms interlaced> warp speed warrior> virabhadrasana 2 > trikonasana > ardha chandrasana > repeat> alternate arm and leg in plank pose

Ch5 vashistasana

Ch6 padangustasana > utthita hasta padangustasana > side > quad strengthener > virabhadrasana 3 > urdhva prasarita eka padasana > repeat

Ch7 standing pigeon

Ch8 janu sirsasana > parivrtta janu sirsasana > repeat > badha konasana > malasana > bakasana

Ch9 abs and core

Ch10 side forearm plank

Ch11 marichyasana a > marichyasana c > compass > astavakrasana > repeat

Ch12 ustrasana > eka pada rajakapotasana

Ch13 upavishta konasana > double pigeon > sitting

Ch14 savasana

Yoga Quickie (33 min)

Ch1 intro

Ch2 2 sun salutations a

Ch3 2 ultra yang sun salutations

Ch4 warrior 1 arms interlaced> warp speed warrior> virabhadrasana 2 > trikonasana > ardha chandrasana > repeat> alternate arm and leg in plank pose

Ch5 vasisthasana

Ch6 janu sirsasana > parivrtta janu sirsasana > repeat > badha konasana > malasana > bakasana

Ch7 abs and core

Ch8 side forearm plank

Ch9 ustrasana > eka pada rajakapotasana

Ch10 upavishta konasana > double pigeon > sitting

Ch11 savasana

***Bliss Saturday***

Yoga: 'Metta' Yoga + Meditation (27 min)

Meditation: Pranayama

[No poses listed on the website, and this is the only one I haven't done yet!]