A challenging practice provides both energy and relaxation
This was my first Wai Lana video, and it was not at all what I had expected. First of all, I had assumed that she taught mostly beginner's yoga, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she includes many more challenging asasas. Secondly, unlike most of my other videos, the practice did not really flow from one pose to the next. Rather, each asana was its own stand-alone practice, with the pose being held for an extended length of time time and then a period of relaxation following the pose. What I liked about this style is that it means that each time you do the video, you can do as many or as few poses as you choose.The active part of the practice is approximately 35 minutes long. Wai Lana begins with seated and lying poses. The sequence is as follows (the names of all asanas appear on the screen, but at times, I have substituted the more common name for the pose rather than the one she used): boat, cobbler's pose, plank, bridge, side leg lift, plow/shoulderstand, fish, and 1-leg happy baby. Because each pose is held for several minutes, I found many of them to be quite challenging despite the fact that I consider myself to be at an intermediate level. The next section of the workout consists of standing poses, including triangle, double angle twist (a forward bend variation), wide-legged forward bend, and wind-blown tree. Wai Lana then returns to the floor for two additional seated postures, camel and lion. Finally, the practice ends with a 5-minute seated meditation which includes Wai Lana's song-like chanting and beautiful background scenery. I found Wai Lana's frequent outfit changes, gaudy appearance, and heavy accent a bit difficult to get used to, but she provided excellent instruction and cuing (although she does not give mirrored cues). She is quite encouraging and offers a good bit of information about the benefits of each pose. I was definitely impressed with this video, and I plan to try others in the Wai Lana series.
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