Search - Scott Cole: Millennium Stretch on DVD

Incredible Stretch Program

T.J. | florida | 11/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so glad to find Millennium Stretch newly released on DVD and look forward to see Scott Cole has added to his original stretch program. I used to go to the library just to check out Millennium Stretch on VHS and then one day it just disappeared. I cannot sing praises loud enough for this totally incredible stretch workout. Scott incorporates so many modalities in to one really good workout that you are not just doing basic stretching....you have qi gung, yoga, tai chi, etc. You will not only feel relaxed but invigorated as well. His instruction is easy to follow and you feel so good that its over before you want it to be. The 8 Poses of Empowerment that he created are really nice to do on a daily basis...whether in the morning or evening or whenever. It gives you a few minutes of focus on you and your connection with the subtle energies around you. I was glad that I wrote the steps down when the VHS disappeared so that I could still do them. To see a good video of these you can go to www.5min.com/video and look for "millenium stretch beyond the 8 poses". Then come back to Amazon and buy this DVD. Whether you love stretching or you don't, I bet this video will keep you coming back for more."

Excellent video with tons of options!

YogaKat | Oregon United States | 05/21/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have another video by Scott Cole and Janis Saffell which I like very much. This video is an excellent all around Tia Chi routine with stretching. There are 3 sections.

The first section is "The Original Millenniums Stretch Workout" from 1999 and it's kind of funny because the women in the practice have waist level pants and its looks out of style, but the women are in great shape and the workout options are excellent. The people are not phonies, but real people that are into these practices. It is broken into 6 sections: Intro, Standing Movement, Standing Stretching, Hands & Knees, and Guided Imagery. The other two sections are "Millennium Stretch for 2" and "Beyond the 8 Poses of Empowerment."

In section one, it's nice that the introduction is in a separate menu item; you probably only need to listen to it once. Scott explains briefly that the video consists of yoga, tai chi, feldenkrais (movement therapy), stretching techniques, and body meditation. He then goes on to introduce each of the students, 3 women and 2 men.

The Standing section is a very nice flow that incorporates deep breathing to let go of tension. Tai chi movements with very nice gentle instruction are easy for beginners to follow and a nice change for athletic people to slow down and learn some new energy movements. Scott shows his "8 poses of empowerment" which is a lovely series of grounding, (churning energy), centering, lifting, embracing, balancing (with ball of chi energy), expanding, returning, and releasing (although I counted 9). It is a series of movements you can do every day to help you relax and center. Scott has a very soothing voice, yet very fun and positive instructor. Then he moves into a standing stretch series which he holds for a perfect amount of time. This series will make you feel so nice and open!

I love the seated section. You can do it separately or right after the standing section. Sometimes I just want to do floor poses in my morning practice, so this section is perfect. It starts with a cross legged forward stretch, then side bends, diagonal shoulder stretch (seated Martha Graham), energy in lower back and sides (working out emotional stuff), feldenkrais twist (movement, visualize, then movement again), thigh stretch and body awareness of point/rotation, hamstring stretch (with buns away, he's so funny!), twist, buttocks stretch (really helps my stiatica!), cross angle forward bend (wow, this was totally new to me, calf stretch), and much, much more. He holds the stretches for a good amount of time, so you won't feel hurried. During this section he also shows how you can help your partner with some of the stretches...so call your honey in during these segments!

Hands and knees is a movement of cat/cow is a very slow, lovely pace. I had a teacher years ago that practice in a slow manner like Scott's...it's so nice to do this segment. He shows you how to help your partner too. This segment goes on with more floor postures, excellent movements, and child's pose relaxation which I totally love. He gives you lots of versions or different options in the postures.

The guided imagery is fabulous. It is performed in savasana (lying on your back). He goes through a beautiful visualization of white light throughout your body, part by part awareness and relaxation. He wakes you up slowly with movement, and then sits up with a lovely of body awareness, then standing with breathing, sound, slow-mo movement, and then affirmations. You will feel totally wonderful after this relaxation segment!

The couples stretch includes separate menu items too. Intro, warm-up, standing stretching, seated stretching, and assisted stretching from 2001. It is set in the same room as the video I have with Janis Saffell and Karen Voight . It is a different group of close-together partner/students than the first. It starts with a fairly fast standing movement and the whole section is a lot more upbeat. This is kind-of a funny section...it's like taking a dance class, but could be fun with a friend or lover and includes some excellent ideas for stretching, connecting, and really helping each other to stretch further. It goes on towards the end in a seated connection, then helping each other up to standing and connecting with chi movement. He ends this segment with a mini-Elvis :0) then affirmation.

The 3rd section goes over Scott's 8 poses of empowerment. He goes thru the movements so you can practice further or simply watch him practice to learn the form. This is a very short section and also includes a very quick video clip of the four affirmation poses.

Scott is in great shape, good looking guy, with a very kind, gentle voice with a super playful undertone! The class setting is perfect in this video and will make you feel like you're actually in a live class. His videos are great and this is one of my very favorites!!! scottcole dot com is his website
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