Chair Dancing: Simply Stretch

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

I have gotten away from stretching as much as I should and I wanted to try this stretch to see if it is one I will use. The answer is a definite yes, at least, partially. The DVD is comprised of two sections:

A CHAIR BASED STRETCH

This stretch lasts about 20 minutes and is done in voice over. The set is basically two sets of risers, one in front and one raise and behind, with people sitting in chairs on each level. Jodi Stolove, the instructor, is in the middle of the front row of exercisers. The group includes people of different ages with different body shapes; it's a diverse group with a number of older people in it. The stretches start at the top of the body and, in general, work their way down. The voice over is pretty well cued to the movements on the screen and I had no problem following it. A couple of times, I did go, "Huh? Oh!" as I contined to watch the screen. Because I was in the chair, I had no problem with any of the moves, getting into position or holding the stretch. To me, the stretch seemed flowing and positions were not held for long periods. Instead, muscles were stretched multiple times at various angles. It was a flowing session. At the end, my whole body felt gently stretched out and good.

GUIDED MEDITATION

The same group of people go through this guided meditation. They are in a variety of poses, from sitting on their chairs, resting their head against the back of the chair to laying on the floor. You are encouraged to be in whatever position is comfortable to you. The meditation is also done in voice over and is in basic English - rather than what I would call "meditation-ese". People are encouraged to breathe deeply and let go many times. They are told to form words in their mind; words like "calm", "warm", "free", etc. While the meditation is going on, the people in the group are shown some and other times there are graphics and/or pictures on the screen the enhance the meditation - if you had your eyes open to see the screen. It is very calming and relaxing and lasts about 15 minutes.

For those who are into yoga and stretching big time, this DVD is probably less intense than what they are looking for. For people who want something gentler and/or who don't like getting on the floor, this DVD is a good option. I liked the stretch portion especially and look forward to doing it in the future.