Yoga Max

M

mini-natty

Cathlete
I believe everyone is entitled to an honest opinion (good/bad) so I will try to make my negative review a tasteful one.

After doing Yoga Max several times, I have to conclude that I unfortunately do not like it. I am in no ways a Yoga expert/purist, but I have been doing Yoga for several years now, so I do consider myself intermediate/advanced. Let me just start off by saying I prefer Power Yoga, which is a general term used in the West to describe a vigorous, fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. Yoga Max was not the style that I practice and enjoy so it was hard for me to "get into it". The poses were not challenging, as I felt they were not held long enough or had enough movement for me to feel heat in my muscles, sweat and elevate my heart rate. I also felt there could have been more poses incorporated, as I also enjoy variety.

I did however find the music to be very relaxing and I love Cathe's voice, it is calm and soothing.

For a beginner to Yoga, or even one that enjoys this style, may however question why I did not like this workout. But to each his own. Perhaps Power Yoga (the one I prefer) is not very gentle to the joints and people may benefit more from this gentle approach.

If anyone would like to chime in and give their reviews (good/bad) please feel free to do so. :)
 
Last edited:
I think I understand what you are saying, and I consider your review to be polite and constructive. I really like Yoga Max, but it would not be the yoga practice I would choose if I wanted a challenging routine. For me, it's perfect for days when I'm really feeling it from the previous day's workout. That's when I appreciate the gradual warm-up. slower pace, and frequent rests. I actually prefer it to Yoga Relax for stretching and relaxation, because it stretches me out better.
 
I did Yoga Max for the first time this morning. I'm also fairly advanced with Yoga; I've practised for 17 years and for a good portion of that I did Ashtanga Yoga 3-4 times per week. Now I mostly practice the various flavours of Power Yoga.

I would characterize Yoga Max as an introductory class for people who aren't familiar with Yoga. There were samples of several types of poses. The poses weren't held for all that long, but I expect that if they were held for longer the workout might be too intimidating (or even inaccessible) to many of Cathe's customers, many of whom probably don't do that much Yoga. I would have liked to see more hip postures, seated postures and twisting postures, but I can understand that Cathe didn't want to make the routine too long, and probably didn't want to have too much overlap with Yoga Relax.

Stebby
 
I've tried a premix of yogamax and liked it. I love working out with Cathe so yoga for a light day with Cathe worked for me.
 
I like Yoga Max, and Yoga Relax, but I know NOTHING about yoga so I have no experience to compare them to. I never knew there were so many speeds and posture varieties! I'd love to see Cathe create a few more routines mixing it up a bit!
 
I agree with Cristine, I have no experience with Yoga so I'll will like Yoga Relax and Max. These workouts will introduce me to the field because I also did not realize how many different types there are out there. I would also like to see what else she does with Yoga in the future :)
 
In college, I did ashtanga for the my freshman year. I've done Yoga Relax and it was new to me. Hope to try Yoga Max to expand my horizons. I never purchased Stretch Max so my first Yoga workouts on DVD.
 
I liked both 'workouts' and I found them to be fairly accessible to a person new to yoga. I've been practicing yoga for nearly four years now. I started with Yogatoday.com and I also use Shiva Rae. I also like Gary Bromley's disc that comes with a matt, its my go to when I am hurting. There are many different kinds of yoga. I'm not as much of a fan of the power yoga, although it does have its place. I find that some poses can be even more 'advanced' or challenging when held longer rather than a series of faster poses (possibly in sync with breath). I'm not looking for a 'workout' from my yoga practice, I'm looking for fire (many poses or kriyas (spl?) will build that inner heat), strength, alignment, balance (tree pose can be challenging for people with poor balance.) and stress reduction (stress makes us fat, calming the vegus nerve), improved breath/lung capacity (rapid breath of fire can feel like your head is going to explode and dramatically improved my ability to run.) It also helps me with any edema (fluid retention) I might have by helping move lymph fluid. I don't think of it as an 'instead of cardio' type of workout, I think of it as a vital additional part of my total well being.

The only caveat I have with Cathe's yoga at all is the titles, 'yoga max' sounds like its going to be power yoga, and it really isn't at all. Its a great yoga workout, but its not a max and its really not that advanced at all (not a requirement, I like them both.)
 
I am not very yoga-y, so even though I have had this workout since the Monday after they came out (I was a fairly early pre-order), I still have not pulled Yoga Max out.

Now, since I am NOT a yoga person, I anticipate that this will be just right for me and will be plenty of yoga to last me for YEARS :D:confused:. I will do it one of these days...but I just don't know when!
 
I did this one for the first time today. Loved it! Probably not the most informative feedback:p, but just wanted to say thanks to Cathe! I can't wait to do yoga relax!!!
 
RapidBreath said:
.

The only caveat I have with Cathe's yoga at all is the titles, 'yoga max' sounds like its going to be power yoga, and it really isn't at all. Its a great yoga workout, but its not a max and its really not that advanced at all (not a requirement, I like them both.)
Click to expand...

Well said. I think the disappointment has been with the expectation that Yoga Max was going to be a yoga strengthening routine when in reality it is a intermediate yoga stretching routine. But for stretching after an intense workout, I love using either of the Yogas in the LI series as they don't require the use of equipment.
 
Last edited:
I did Yoga Relax for the first time last week and I REALLY loved it! I felt so stretched out and my whole body felt at ease. I am looking forward to Yoga Max and plan on doing these on my rest day during the 3 month transformation rotation. I am new to yoga and not very flexible, so I have a lot of room to grow with these workouts. I did not feel pain or discomfort at all during Yoga Relax and my intimidation factor just melted away along with my tight muscles!;) Thanks Cathe!!!!
 
i agree with the fact that yoga max is not a power yoga...so if that's what someone is looking for then yoga max probably is not it, but this is a very relaxing and calming yoga....so if ur looking for a yoga to destress and calm you and stretch out those muscles, then yoga max is perfect for that.....so that's why i love it b/c i feel so calm afterwards:)
 
I would have to agree about Yoga Max; I was expecting a bit more from it perhaps? I do think Cathe is an excellent Yoga instructor; I did not have to look at the t.v. to figure out what was going on, clear and concise. I hope she does more.
 
like it

I like both the Yogas. I kind of feel that every day doesn't have to be one where I work my body hard. There are days where I need to de-stress, stretch hard-worked muscles and bones( if you could stretch bone, ha ha ) and get more flexible and these yoga DVDs fit that for me. I am recovering from a hurt lower back and yoga is sooooo helpful and allows me to do something physical without straining it too much.
 
Sadiex27 said:
I would have to agree about Yoga Max; I was expecting a bit more from it perhaps? I do think Cathe is an excellent Yoga instructor; I did not have to look at the t.v. to figure out what was going on, clear and concise. I hope she does more.
Click to expand...


Yes, I also found Cathe to be an excellent Yoga instructor. I love her voice and how she explains the moves. You can do the poses and not have to even look at the screen. I honestly thought Yoga Max would be Power Yoga (advanced) w/o and Yoga Relax to be easier and less vigorous. I did try Yoga Relax and liked that one much better. I just wanted Yoga Max to really kick my butt........as Cathe has known to do. I love it when my arms & legs tremble during the poses.

All in all, my only disappointment from LIS would be Yoga Max. The rest is absolutely incredible and I am so happy with my results. Cathe is by far, my favorite instructor. She has given me a level of fitness I never knew existed.

Natasha
 
Love Yoga Max

I love both of Cathe's yoga workouts. I have tried to like yoga before but could never get into it enough to spend my workout time on yoga. I actually like these and credit them with my new interest in yoga. Thank you Cathe!!
 
I think it's a nice workout - good balance to the other workouts in the series. If I want a hard-core yoga experience, I would likely go to a full-on yoga-only instructor (Shiva, Baron, Brian Kest, etc) anyway. But on some days those are just too much for me anyway, so Cathe is the perfect step back. I think it fits nicely into the Cathe compendium and complements the other workouts so well. It makes perfect sense.
 
NY25 said:
I think it's a nice workout - good balance to the other workouts in the series. If I want a hard-core yoga experience, I would likely go to a full-on yoga-only instructor (Shiva, Baron, Brian Kest, etc) anyway. But on some days those are just too much for me anyway, so Cathe is the perfect step back. I think it fits nicely into the Cathe compendium and complements the other workouts so well. It makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...

I totally agree! :D I am circling back to a fitness routine after a time away...again..*sigh* and was glad to get this series out of shrinkwrap yesterday.

I knew I wanted to try one of the yogas and was actually pleasantly surprised by the OP's review. The fact that it isn't hard core power yoga is a bonus!

Back in the way back I did Bikram yoga when all there was to it was a paperback book and the mirror in my bedroom. Haven't touched yoga since, really, although I've wanted to.

Cathe provides the just right level of yoga instruction. It has all the excellent cues and compassion about bad balance days that I know and love from all my other Cathe DVDs.

She makes it accessible to anyone of any stretchiness level. And her straightforward approach continues to refresh me. If I want woo-woo or references to licking ice cream off my body I know where to go for that..;).

Anyway...just thought I'd chime in on this with another perspective.

I appreciate Cathe's work towards appealing to a wide audience and I always know I'll get out what I put in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top