The New Method: Baby & Mom: Prenatal Yoga

I liked this yoga DVD. It was not easy -- squats and lots of movement, including some free-form dancing a la Shiva Rea, had me nice and sweaty by the time this was over. It also made me realize that months of FIRMing had locked my thighs into forward position, and I've got a ways to go to get flexible.

This is the third Gurmukh DVD I've tried, but I think this was the first one in which she was a lead. Unlike her other workouts, this one takes place in an indoor studio, decorated with blue and white. She sits on a platform at the front of a live class of pregnant, in-shape mommas. There is also live music, which I thought was cool and reminded me of Yoga Booty Ballet. The lighting is a bit harsh -- this is not the FIRM -- but your eyes are closed for most of the DVD, so it doesn't matter.

This DVD is not as chanty as some other kundalini DVDs I've tried, and I don't think Gurmukh actually says kundalini one time. There is some brief chanting, but it leads directly into meditation and relaxation, so I think this yoga workout is good even for the non-woo woo crowd.

I liked it because this DVD reminded me most of a live class, including the slow down and quiet time at the end, and I can see myself using this more and more as the pregger days wear on.

There is a lot of stretching of the upper body, lots of squats, and a lot of standing cat/cow, which I loved. There is also a nice section of seated stretching which includes stretching and working the ankles and calves which should help (Gurmukh says) with fluid retention and varicose veins. I've got a bit of water retention, so I'll do whatever to avoid feeling like I'm carrying a swimming pool in my torso. ;-)

The standing section of work is quite active, and the squats (or movement from standing into frog pose) is not as easy as it sounds, even with only 15 reps. I found that the easy flow of the class, and the focus on doing what feels good from the inside, helped me get past being able to squat only halfway down.

The last section, a cool down and meditation, encourages the pregnant class to lie on their sides, and it includes a nice trailing off so you can be quiet for a few minutes.

I liked that Gurmukh was the opposite of some of the Type A yoga workouts I'd done before getting pregnant, and it's kinda tough to go from FIRM every day to just feeling your way through stuff and focusing more on how things feel from the inside.

A+.