Mark Blanchard -touchy feely?

idream

idream

Cathlete
I'm slowly introducing yoga to my training - thanks to Debbie aka Fitness Freak:)

Anyhow, I bought and love the workouts of Mark Blanchard's Progressive Power Yoga. However, I was slightly uneasy with Mark. Is he a wierdo? He seems to be too touchy to the females (admittedly ones his wife) but gee I'm just not sure. I am wondering if this is the "norm" for yoga trainers?

I work in a male dominated job and I am very broadminded and it takes A LOT to offend me. I'm not sure if I'm offended, but I am questioning because it seems strange. :eek:

Any thoughts?

Andrea
 
i rented one from netflix and when i was previewing i noticed that. he even went far to roll down the back of a girls shorts when shes was in downward dog to "admire" her lower back tattoo. i know some yoga master do a little touchy feeling for adjustment but i think actions like that were too far IMHO.he even looked like he copped a good feel on another girl when doing the half moon side bend.

there are so many power yoga videos out there that i just didn't bother trying the rest in the trilogy. i am waiting for more budget to get tilak pyle or eion finn since they seems to be of popular responses amongst the groups i am in. with all the choices out there its good to know that if i don't like it i don't have to put up with it LOL.

kassia

http://www.picturetrail.com/ldy_solana

http://jtjulian2003.tripod.com

YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING,WHERE WOULD YOU PUT IT??

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1307/4842454/16585805/255246443.jpg
 
I've done Baron Baptiste yoga and the Xflowsion yoga. Both Baron and Eric (from Xflowsion) do alot of form corrections on the class participants so yes, they touch alot as well. One of the XFlowsion work outs starts out in child's pose and Eric is sitting behind someone with his hands on her back for several minutes while he talks. I think it's just part of yoga. I never thought twice about it.

I also have Mark's PPY Trilogy and from what I see most of the time, he is also helping with form.
 
Andrea,

Yoga asansa needs a large focus on alignement to avoid injury and get the full benefit of the pose. "Adjusting" people is common in some schools of yoga. Iyengar school of instruction for instance believes in adjusting. The teacher I learned from is from the Vivekananda Yoga Kendra. They do not adjust - instead they use verbal cues. Personally I think adjusting is more helpful. I like watching people being adjusted in a DVD because it gives me a feel for whether my own body should be angled/moved and where exactly I should twist or bend from.

But some instructors do indeed seem creepy - like a doctor taking undue advantage. I think it is a personal call you have to make about whether an isntructor is being professional or creepy.

~* Vrinda *~
 
I'm fine with the form corrections touchyness and hands on someones back etc. The first time I completed Marks dvds, I had to look at him (I didn't know what I was doing so I had to spend a lot time watching what he did) :) And he was placing his hands on the womens bodies backs, stomachs, arms, and holding the hands there for some time. I did not notice (except a couple of times) him actually improve any ones form.

I've since done the workouts a couple of times now, and I really enjoy them. I just ignore the touchy, I was interested if anyone else found this odd or if it was the norm of yoga.

Thanks guys
Andrea
 
Andrea,

I have not seen Mark's DVD but NO, placing hands on a students body for reasons other than adjusting or supporting is not a norm. :) It sounds creepy to me.

~* Vrinda *~
 
I think there are some yoga instructors who cross the line between 'necessary adjustment touching' (touching 'non-private' body parts in a respectful way to help adjust a pose, and doing the same kind of touching on both males and females) and "creepy touching' (aka "taking advantage of the situation": 'caressing' body parts more than just respectfully touching, touching women in a way that seems more intimate than when touching men, touching when no adjustment is necessary, touching too close to private areas--the rolling down the waistband would cross the line IMO).

I had a yoga DVD by Brian Kest (I think) where I thought he was doing some 'creepy' touching, and I found it hard to workout with him (though granted, most of the time, I couldn't see the screen, and his weird flowery language also made it hard to stick with him).
 
I like Mark and have all of his videos. I never noticed the touchy feely part.....but I do think he is extremely passionate about yoga and thus the reason I really like him. I think he comes off as being a bit eccentric and possibly a bit of an egomaniac....but I never thought anything else.

I love passionate people and he's obviously very passionate about yoga. I also conversed with him via email and he is the one instructor who incouraged me to try poses that I was unable to do as I'm recovering from a spinal injury and surely enough, I'm able to do some things I never thought I'd do. Although, there are still other things like, arm balances that clearly exacerbate my condition which I doubt I'll ever be able to work into.

I also like him cuz he doesn't expect you to do a perfect pose or match the screen and I am nowhere near as advanced as him.

He's still the toughest instructor out there in my opinion. His videos kick my butt good!
 
I totally agree with Kathryn about the Creep Factor re Bryan Kest. I have a 3-workout DVD of his, ranging from a beginner's practice through mid-intensity to power yoga, and he strokes not only the female studio crew but the males as well - all of whom, I might add, are buff, comely and young.

I think it's meant to double as an all-purpose foreplay demonstration.

A-Jock
 
>I think it's meant to double as an all-purpose foreplay
>demonstration.
>
>A-Jock

:) :) :)

I have his 3 Volume Set. His woo-wooness is bad enough. Now this. How am I ever going to get through them again without ROFL?

~* Vrinda *~
 
>I think it's meant to double as an all-purpose foreplay
>demonstration.

I think the guy must have sex on the brain. He also came out with an audio workout called "Long, Slow and Deep." Great workout, but I just couldn't take his way of speaking (and nearly moaning): it was at times almost like a verbal 'bad' touch!
 
Regarding an entirely different yoga DVD producer: I believe there is some industry gossip that Rodney Yee "gifts" himself to his young female disciples.

Now is that a mensch or what?

A-Jock
 
OMG YOU GUYS ***STOP*** OR YOU WILL RUIN EVERY YOGA WORKOUT I OWN!!!

ROTF over all of this. I'm not disagreeing in the slightest, but geez I'm going to be stuck with Stretch Max forever since that's the only one that doesn't annoy me or creep me out! :+ :p :7
 
I bought two Mark Blanchard workouts, and I have to say ... he icks me out. I agree he is too touchy - he lays on the hands but doesn't seem to do any adjusting, as another poster noticed too I think. He just puts his hands on the ladies. You almost think he is going to start caressing them. Ick ick ick.

I don't find this with many other instructors who are putting out yoga workouts. Yes, they do adjustments, but (other than Bryan Kest who I also find slightly creepy) you can see that the student's position is a bit different after the adjustment, and the hands aren't on their body any longer than necessary. I much prefer a "professional" seeming instructor.

Stebby
 
Wow....I guess I'm a lot more open minded and don't see half the stuff others see!

I like Bryan Kest too. I never noticed anything weird about him either.

I've always been a little "different" myself.....so maybe I just overlook other's quirks????

I'll still be doing my Bryan Kests and Mark Blanchards, but Eion, Shiva, Rainbeau and Tilak are all numero UNO in my book!!! and always will be! Eion's my fave!! with Tilak second and of course Shiva and Rainbeau could be sisters!
 
Lora,

I'll still be doing Bryan (and Rodney too for that matter). I bet I will think of A-Jock's comments and smile every time I do.

~* Vrinda *~
 
Vrinda - yes, I agreee...........but like with most things....I never notice them until I read about them on Forum's like this one and Videofitness! Half the time I'm ready to cancel an order for a DVD based on other's reviews......but I don't and when I get the DVD, I like it! Just like the Jackie Warner DVD.....I think it's great and peeps on VF were dogging it bigtime for heer promoting herself shamelessly and I was freakin' clueless and thought it was a good total body workout with cardio.
 
>Vrinda - yes, I agreee...........but like with most
>things....I never notice them until I read about them on
>Forum's like this one and Videofitness! Half the time I'm
>ready to cancel an order for a DVD based on other's
>reviews......but I don't and when I get the DVD, I like it!
>Just like the Jackie Warner DVD.....I think it's great and
>peeps on VF were dogging it bigtime for heer promoting herself
>shamelessly and I was freakin' clueless and thought it was a
>good total body workout with cardio.

different strokes LOL. i love alot workouts that ppl dog all the time too. sometimes there are things i can get past and some things i can't. i don't think it was so much that the touch feely bothered me(other then pulling somebody's shorts down, i hate when my DH tries that LOL)but i didn't think the quality of the videos were not worth the price i have seen mark's go for. for that price i can purchase other videos like erich shiffman(i only tried one with him but he has a soothing sexy voice) and the well recieve eion finn.

thank goodness for netflix though. i just put jackie's on there myself b/c it just looks like a good dvd for shorter workouts. the same with many rodney yee videos except for the one he did for the yoga burn kit with his girlfriend. the yeah yeah's really drove me nuts like he had something else on his mind besides good yoga form LOL.


kassia
 
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