Ballet Yoga

NOTE: I received a free copy of this DVD (as part of a set) to review for the web site Metapsychology Online Reviews.

British native Nicky McGinty had a background as a dancer and choreographer before she trained in India to become a certified yoga instructor. She has studied in various styles of yoga, includin Kundalini, Ashtanga, Jivamukti, and Vinyasa Flow. In this box set, McGinty offers three previously released DVDs which blend her teachings of dance and yoga. This DVD features McGinty teaching alone in a large indoor studio. The Main Menu offers the options below:

Play All (78 mins.)

Workout One (26 mins.)

Workout Two (29 mins.)

Workout Three (20 Mins.)

Bonus Feature -- Chair (7 mins.)

Cool Down (6 mins.)

Options [music & instruction or music only]

The first workout is a slow flow (26:08) in which McGinty moves through a variation of sun salutations, adding warrior 2, triangle pose, and side angle. Additional moves include pliés, a standing thigh stretch, pyramid pose, and dancer's pose. This section ends with tree pose. The second routine (24:18) starts seated with breathwork and then moves into seated flexion/extension, arm waves, and wrist stretches. McGinty then proceeds to reclined core work (butterfly crunches, twists, roll ups). This is followed by all fours work: spinal rolls, down dog, and plank; she finishes with sun salutations. For the final workout (19:55), McGinty begins with what she calls "lunar" salutations, although these were basically the same salutations she did in the first workout, adding pulses. She then performs moves on all fours, working the hips and buttocks. Following this, McGinty proceeds to a Pilates-like segment of kneeling side kicks, mermaid, and lying side kicks. She finishes with a round of lunge salutations. The chair segment consisted of some VERY slow ballet moves such as pliés, relevés, and back leg lifts. Finally, the last segment begins standing but then moves to the floor for cat/cow, bound angle, wide angle with a side bend, pigeon pose, full seated forward bend, reclined leg stretch, and a shavasana that lasts mere seconds. I found it disappointing that you need to select this last chapter separately.

Overall, I didn't click with this DVD, despite the fact that I enjoy both yoga and ballet workouts. The three segments didn't really seem to be distinct from one another, and the addition of ballet felt awkward. McGinty is pleasant enough, but her routines generally didn't appeal to me.