Yoga Trance Dance DVD by Shiva Rea: Fun, Creative and Rejuvenating

The day I purchased this DVD I had not previously heard of Shiva Rea or Yoga Trance Dance. There was something about the cover artwork - a somewhat blurred photo of Shiva Rea along with other trance dancers seemingly enveloped by the Spirit or the Universal Truth. It also featured a beautifully written description of what's inside the DVD case - "High energy movement meditation to liberate your creative life force!" Well, how in the world could I resist this new experience? So, I approached the checkout counter at Best Buy and purchased this DVD for $18.99 with the hope and prayer that it would be worth my money.

When I think about the contents of this DVD and how it effects my total well-being the word that comes to mind instantly is TRANSFORMATION. While the beautiful scenery in the yoga and trance dance segments are pleasing to the eye - it was filmed at White Sands National Park and the music is absolutely intoxicating, it was the inspirational and encouraging words of the DVD's creator, Shiva Rea that really grasped my spirit and helped me to fully embrace this new workout experience.

Shiva Rea has been teaching Yoga Trance Dance for well over 10 years and she's a leading teacher of Prana Vinyasa Flow. She's a self-proclaimed 'lifelong student' of Tantra, Ayruveda, Bhakti, and Hatha Yoga. In addition, she has a B.A. and M.A. in dance anthropology and movement therapy from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures. And she's taught her classes all over the world from the U.S., India, Jamaica, Kenya, and many other places.

Her energy along with the energy of the other participants in the video is infectious and delightful. The freeform dance segments such as the Liberation Dance and the Damaru-Rhythmic Movement Meditation allows you to be completely free with the movement of your body. While it is very easy to get caught up as a viewer only, it is just as easy to get caught up in the energy as a participant. You don't have to worry about looking a certain way or learning tricky foot patterns and complex choreography, all you have to do is let go and be yourself.

The yoga segments are just as interesting, yet they have more of a routine involved to make sure a certain flow of movements and postures are focused upon for the allotted amount of time. Segments such as Prana Yoga for the Spine and Prana Yoga-Liberating Hips are designed to focus on those specific parts of the body. To me, this shows that Shiva realizes in order to master any movement with the body, whether it's practicing a workout video or doing daily activities in one's life, we must have flexibility and strength in our hips (leg and feet movements) and our spines (full body movements).

Prana Yoga as I understand it, is a yogic practice taught by Shiva Rea that focuses on the breathing patterns within each movement of the routine. The movements should flow just as easily as the breath flows in and out of our lungs. While this may be something that isn't captured the first few times the segments are practiced, if you stick with them, you'll get the hang of it very soon.

There are other intriguing segments such as the Body Blessing, which is a devotional segment that requires very little movement and more visualized meditation as a nice opener to any of the other workout segments to prepare the body, the mind, and the spirit for the freeform dance and Prana Yoga routines.

And of course, Shiva does not forget to make sure we cool down our bodies properly by including a few segments just for this purpose - Infinite Movement Meditation (a very slow, calming dance), Prana Yoga Slow Wave (a slow, relaxing routine that includes calming yoga postures and visualized meditation), and Shavasana-Deep Relaxation (the Corpse Pose).

This video also introduces something that I found fun and interesting - an interactive matrix system that allows the participant to create his or her own routine for the day. You can choose the segments you want to do by clicking on them and once you've chosen the ones you want, you can click on 'play' to start your customized workout. In addition, Shiva offers pre-set practice segments such as Intro-Basic Trance Dance Flow, Prana Yoga Only, Trance Dance Only, Meditation Flow, and there are several others as well. They range from 28 to 41 minutes long compiled of the segments already available on the interactive yoga matrix.

If you are tired of your usual workout routine and want to try something fun, creative, and rejuvenating, I highly recommend Yoga Trance Dance by Shiva Rea. It is an amazing, transformative experience. There's 15 segments, 6 pre-set practices, and a few bonus features to choose from for your enjoyment. Shiva also includes a 12-page booklet explaining the segments, how to use the yoga matrix, and many inspirational words to keep you motivated and ready to move your body in a totally different way.

Reference:

Yoga Trance Dance DVD, Shiva Rea, 2006, Acacia, Acorn Media Group, Inc.