Yoga Booty Ballet Baby on the Way

I had just had my son when this DVD was released and wished I'd been able to use it during that pregnancy. We had no idea I'd be pregnant within a year of that release, so be careful what you wish for. So here's my review at 22 weeks pregnant.

The first thing that struck me was the relative austerity of the set and lack of music. This was filmed in a small studio with white walls, hardwood floors and various bits of pottery in neutral tones. I'd gotten used to the beautiful peaches, blues and Ravi of the YBB series, so I was a little disappointed to see such scaled back production.

Teigh is pregnant along with the two background exercisers, all in the 28 week range or so, and she looks great. She begins with the usual kriya of rubbing the hands together and setting an intention, and there's lots of mention of the divine feminine force. The lack of music was really obvious to me, and it seems that by the time the intention was set, someone turned it on. It's not the usual drums and sitar music but some sort of soft jazz and bland spa that didn't fit the vibe of the workout at all.

The yoga section is short but effective. If you are having pelvic or hip problems, I'd skip the one downward dog she does before moving into the cardio section. The cardio section is fun with some of the YBB spirit seeping in but the music volume and selection made this a lot less fun for me. I also found myself longing for Gillian because the two have such great chemistry.

Finally, Teigh moves into the arm section with 3 pound weights, though you can use 2 pounds, 1 pound or no weights at all. She chuckles that you can still have nice arms during pregnancy, and she delivers. This section was harder than YBB Basic or Advanced, but not as hard as Tonique (is anything?). I enjoyed it, and this is the one of the reasons I'm keeping this workout.

The other reason is that I noticed how much better I felt hours after the workout. I did the workout in the early afternoon, but slept nearly the whole night through. My joints ached less, my pelvis actually felt more aligned and my mood was better.

I give this a B+. Compared to the other YBB workouts, it's not as much of a visual or auditory feast, but it delivers what mothers to be need in a short 35 minute format that won't over tire you.

I like all of the YBB workouts, so when I saw that they had come out with a prenatal workout between my last pregnancy and this one, I decided to give it a try. I think I'll enjoy this workout. It's definitely pretty gentle and low-key. If you're someone who can go all out (or even most of the way out) during pregnancy, then this workout will probably drive you crazy. If you're feeling tired and/or sick, though, or if you just can't imagine doing your pre-pregnancy workouts, then this might be a nice choice for staying somewhat active during the pregnancy. It leaves me feeling good physically and mentally, and like I've moved and stretched. I do wish there were more cardio, as this section is only 6 minutes. And the cardio that there is is gentle but also entertaining - a combination that can be hard to find. None of the strength work comes close to leaving me sore, and I feel like I can easily do more strength work for upper or lower body the next day.

Teigh is 32 weeks pregnant in the video and has two background exercisers who are 28 weeks. One of them shows modifications. Teigh uses 3 pound dumbbells, and suggests you use 1-4 pounds, maybe 5. You also may want a blanket or pillow to sit on at the beginning and use for relaxation at the end. The workout is about 37 minutes in all.

Warm up (12 minutes): Starts like other YBB workouts with setting an intention - this time a group intention: "I now connect more deeply to my baby and the sacred feminine while enjoying a nurturing workout."

Warm up exercises seated in cross-legged position on floor (mostly Kundalini yoga-inspired): spinal flexion forward and back; circles; meditation for banishing doubt and fear/keep-up exercise - hold arms out to side with hands in fists, thumbs up, then move thumbs in towards shoulders and straighten arms back out; butterflies (bounce knees up and down); dynamic stretches (moving back and forth into the stretch) and static stretches for hamstrings, sides, shoulders; cat-cow

From cat-cow (all fours) position, do some leg lifts and circles on each side; Child's pose with Kegels; Downward dog, alternate lowering heels all the way to floor; Standing in squat position - hip circles and big arm circles

Cardio (6 minutes): Typical YBB style with some familiar moves, but pretty low-key (and definitely low impact).

Weights (for shoulders, biceps, triceps) (7 minutes): 3 sets each of 3 pairs of exercises. Legs stay moving for the first 2 pairs, like a kind of mellow 4-limbed aerobics segment:

Lateral raise with step touch side to side

Bicep curls with heels forward

Repeat lateral raise and biceps 2 more times

Front raise with step touch side to side

Plie squats with rotator cuff exercise

Repeat 2 more times

Bent forward tricep kickbacks

Straight arm raises in same position

Repeat 2 more times

Yoga (8 minutes):

Warrior 2 leg position with archer arms, into side-angle pose, back up to archer arms, into triangle. Repeat on other side.

"Pregnancy squats": Inhale up while standing, squat all the way down, then straighten legs and roll up

Double pigeon

Final relaxation (3 minutes): Corpse pose on side, with blanket/pillow between legs

Sit back up and hold belly, repeating mantra three times to yourself: "I love my baby, I love myself, I am blessed."