Search - Shiva Rea - Yoga Trance Dance on DVD

Great idea, but not a recommended one.

D. E. MacWilliam | 05/15/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I own and frequently use Shiva Rea's Yoga Shakti - it's the most challenging Yoga DVD I've found to date, so it stands at the forefront of my collection. I enjoy what I'll call Shiva's "academically creative" approach to yoga in general, so I was pleased when I saw advertisements for her new Yoga Trance Dance, and pre-ordered it. The DVD is high-quality; well filmed, and her unique "yoga matrix" is as cool a selling feature as ever, since it allows you to design your own routine. The contents of the DVD are not what I expected, however. I had anticipated more of a creative blending of traditional yoga poses into dance - looser interpretations of the poses set to rythym. However, the DVD is structured such that yoga segments are completely separate from dance segments, and although you can alternate the segments to your heart's content in the matrix, you cannot integrate them. The yoga segments are less structured than your standard fare yoga DVD, but don't offer particularly innovative poses, and are short and few (you can't assemble much more than 30 minutes worth of yoga on this DVD). They're neat enough, but if it's yoga you want to do, you're better off buying a different DVD (try Shiva's Yoga Shakti, which also has the Yoga matrix and offers a multitude of variations on traditional poses, set to well-selected music, and offers the option of elimiating the "instruction" soundtrack and allowing you to practice to music alone). The "Trance Dance" segments are less useful than the yoga. The advertised "free form dance" is TRULY free form dance; the only guidance the DVD offers is footage of people in free-flowing clothing running in circles and waving their arms at White Sands National Monument (which is spectacular), while Shiva's [very soothing] voice encourages you to do the same. The idea of free movement and spontaneous creativity is a great one, and if you're a person who feels silly engaging in it without encouragement, even in the privacy of your own home, you might rate this DVD much higher than I do. However, I'm inclined to suggest that if your proclivity lies in this direction, you should purchase one of Shiva's music compilation CDs, and dance to it on your own. You'll probably feel much more spontaneously creative and less like you're aping the movements of the people on screen (and won't have a visual reminder of how silly you might look in what you're doing!). Bottom Line: a good idea and well-constructed DVD, but not a go-to or essential addition to a yoga collection."

I love Shiva Rea!!!

DVD Workout Queen | CA USA | 05/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is another one given in the yoga matrix style. I have only done the "prana yoga only" option so far, and I loved it. It is a lot like the prana section in Yoga Shakti, but 41 minutes long. You do stuff like go into cobra doing figure eights with your chest, in cat do circles with your chest, in bridge do free-form movements with your hips and hands. (There is a lot more, but it is hard to explain adequately.) You are told to explore and do what feels good. It makes me happy, like a kindergardener doing modern dance. I have no doubt that it will help me to avoid injury during traditional yoga practices, as well as get some different kinds of muscle tone.

The dance part I have only watched so far. I don't know much about traditional "trance dance", so I can't critique the reiewer who said this didn't work well on a DVD. But I can say that as an avid dancer, who cares? You may not hit a true "trance" state, but I love the idea of dancing around, pretending to play the drums that are all around you. (There is other imagery in the variety of dance meditations she presents). This DVD is a perfect way to get into dance for those who are shy, because you learn that dancing is about how you feel.

Anyway, I am super happy I bought this DVD. It is different, but that is what makes it good. I am officially a Shiva Rea groupie. Her style is great (as it was in Yoga Shakti): soothing, smart, present, not overdone.

BTW, per her website, this is only one of the three videos she is coming out with in upcoming months. Another will be more traditional yoga, like Yoga Shakti, and the other about the mental and other aspects of yoga."

A wonderful mistake!

Ms. Mary S. Massung | San Marcos, Texas | 05/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I ordered this DVD accidentally...when ordering creative core abs. When it arrived and I watched it, I was somewhat intimidated because, at age 60, I could not imagine myself dancing in such an uninhibited manner. So this DVD has sat on my shelf for several months. In the meantime, I was learning Chinese Soaring Crane Qigong and learning how to feel QI move through my body.

This morning I decided to give Trance Dance a try just before giving away the DVD. I was astounded. As the drums started beating, something inside me 'broke loose'...something that I have not felt in 40 years! I began moving in ways that I never thought I could! I felt my hips undulate with an intensity I would not have believed possible...and I wasn't following Shiva Rea's moves! I was doing this with my eyes closed just listening to the music!

Because I have moderately severe pulmonary fibrosis, I checked my HR several times. It never went above 100 yet I was hot, perspiring, and enjoying every minute! After 15 minutes, I was too relaxed to continue! I will now use it as my warm-up for strength yoga..when I want to have internal heat!

If this old body can move so freely, what can a young body do with this music. I had forgotten how fun it is to move so fluidly!"

Amazing, but not quite like being there...

Stuart Rice | Sacramento, CA | 05/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In Indian stories, Shiva Nataraj is the Cosmic Dancer and the original Yogi. In Shiva Rea's Yoga Trance Dance, the two rivers of yoga and dance reunite in combination of Yoga asana and pranayama as a preparation to enter into spontaneous dance and movement. In live Trance Dance events, the leader leads dancers through breath and movement (prana yoga activation) into ecstatic dance (movement meditation) and then into meditation and relaxation.

In this DVD, Shiva works to capture some of the magic of these events. Filmed in White Sands National Park, the visual impact is amazing, an further evolution of the Yoga Shakti series (also by Shiva Rea). The DVD is comprised of 17 mini-sequences, and the Yoga Matrix allows you to combine them into sequence, or you can use a preset sequence. The soundtrack is made of some previously released tracks and some newly written ones, including music from Dum Dum Project, Drala, and KDZ. You can watch each sequence with or without Shiva's instruction.

As a product, the DVD is certainly a great representation of the potential of Yoga Trance dance; however, it is difficult to represent the energy of a trance dance in a pre-planned format such as a DVD. For those who want to experience the energy of trance dance, this DVD is an amazing introduction: visually arresting, sonically charged, and undeniably powerful. Shiva's instruction is beautiful (and classically her), and the dancers are wonderfully real.

This DVD is a true joy to watch, and a wonderful way to experience the joy of Yoga and Dance. Bom Bom Shankara!"