Classical Stretch, PBS Airs a Great Workout for Anyone

I discovered Classical Stretch on a hiatus from cable television. With only a few channels to watch, I discovered this show purely by accident, and fell in love. PBS stations do air great programming, and this is a gem that I hope is available in your area.

Classical Stretch gets its name from the music played in the background. Instead of pumping last year's club hits, or outdated oldies, this exercise program uses gentle classical music in the background. It sets a tone for relaxation, and does not detract from the exercises by distracting or annoying the listeners. The music is gentle and flowing during beginning warm-ups and stretches. It becomes invigorating during the core of the workout, and calms back down during coll-down and final stretching.

The locations are also beautiful. Instead of being in a stuffy studio, or set on a poorly decorated sound stage, she sets up at high scale, and environmentally friendly resorts around the world. She has been on the banks of a dolphin refuge, near large ponds teaming with fish and fowl, on sandy beaches, and lush green fields. The choice of locations are serene, beautiful, and aid in the relaxation and energy of the show. Ms. Esmonde-White always gives a short explanation of the location, it's environmental value, and the plant and wildlife that reside there. This adds to the value of the show, by giving a lesson, and allowing you to visualize yourself in such a wonderful locale, instead of on a mat in your living room. By allowing a mental journey into these beautiful resorts, you can immense yourself fully into the program, almost as if you were standing opposite of Ms. Esmonde-White and having a private training session with her.

That being said, the atmosphere of these programs is beautiful, but the exercise routines are beneficial. Each show is slightly different, so it is not a repetition of several shows that you end up watching over and over. It also makes it more valuable than a tape or DVD you may buy, as each day, you have a different program to follow. Her routines are a combination of Tai-Chi, Yoga and resistance training. Her calm voice, and fluid motions make this an easy program to follow along with. And the workouts can be scaled to your own fitness level, by adjusting the intensity of the stretch, or taking a break if needed. She gives clear instruction throughout the program, making it easy to follow along with her, and not feel stranded or left behind by complicated moves.

The programs have a clear beginning, middle and end. She starts with gentle stretches and Tai-Chi based warm-up moves to just loosen your joints, and get your blood flowing. These are followed up by more focuses exercises working different areas of the body, and are effective. You can feel the muscles working! She encourages you to use different ranges of motion, to work smaller muscle groups that are often over looked by other programs. The second half of the program is either on a mat on the floor, allowing different exercises for the abs, hips, and arms. Or the second half uses a chair, or a table, to allow you to uses stretches and exercises involving an elevated foot for different ranges of motion.

Each show is ended with a series of gentle stretching to relax and stretch the muscles that were targeted through the program. It's a safe program, with plenty of stretching to ensure no injuries. It's also a great way to start the day. I hope you can find Classical Stretch on your local PBS station.