Jul 06 2008
Shiva Rea - Creative Core Abs [DVD]
I ordered Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs DVD from the library interloan system and it came in today! Yay! So here is the review. 
Takes place in White Sands National Monument with a drummer on a rock and cool music. There is also a ‘just music’ option that is nice for just moving to or doing one’s own yoga moves.
There are three workouts that can be done on their own or all rolled together. Done together it’s a real nice burn for the torso/core in 35 minutes.
In separate sections here are the parts -
Water Core (10 min) - the ‘easy’ part. A good warm-up but still an excellent core burn. Creative, fun.
Spontaneous Core (8 min) - very tiring - this is really the hardest part, as there is no rest once you get both your head and the hips/legs in the air. The free form part is cool if you like Shiva’s style.
Fire Core (17 mins) - Shiva moves fast in this, as she does in this whole DVD. You pretty much have to accept that it’s okay to not be able to follow along at first, and not having a ton of structure until you’ve seen this a few times. This particular section is harder than part one and easier than part two.
I was some reviews on Amazon on this DVD and a lot of people find the last part, the Fire Core, the hardest. The Fire Core has a lot of regular planks, followed by one-legged planks and then this section where you kind of “run in place” while doing planks. Hard to describe but pretty nifty: I felt strong doing that. There are also some flowy warrior poses where you ‘draw an arrow on a bow’ - also pretty neat - and then whip your arms around while holding warrior 2. Made me feel like Artemis. 
There is no Savasana in this DVD. I thought that was a bit odd, but I guess this is to be a short, contained core workout and not strictly yoga? Besides a few planks and cobras there are few typical, recognizable poses.
This DVD is experienced beginner to intermediate and I DO NOT think any yoga novice should expect to be able to follow along very closely. Shiva moves quite fast and does not explain what she’s doing as she goes.
This is not a boring ab routine. What’s best, in my view, is the ‘creative’ part. There are no crunches, just some really interesting freeform-yet-intense pulsing moves.
Definitely gets your sheen going! I did feel a fire in my belly afterwards, chilling out on the couch with the TV. The inner heat lasted about 20 minutes.
Well recommended for a quick, slightly intense core experience that Shiva stamps with her typically enjoyable creative mark.
Stumble it!
