Cathe’s Yoga Max

Yoga Max is a 48 minute yoga workout by Cathe. As I mentioned in my review of Yoga Relax, I was on fence about buying these workouts, so finally broke down and got Yoga Relax. I loved it so much, I immediately ordered Yoga Max.

Both of these yoga workouts are different from any other yoga workout I have ever done and I love them both. Yoga Relax, as the title suggests, is relaxing. So I was expecting more of a power yoga workout from Yoga Max, judging by the title. Not so at all! IMHO, it was just another relaxing yoga workout. I will admit, it is more active and strenuous than Yoga Relax, but I didn’t break a sweat doing either workout. And btw, that is okay with me. If it it isn’t ok with you, then skip these two workouts. I do like power yoga and adore Bob Harper’s Yoga Warrior, but when I want to work hard and sweat, I do strength and cardio. When I want to stretch out and relax–I do flexibility and yoga. Yoga Max and Yoga Relax are perfect rest day workouts after a hard week of strength training and intense cardio work.

Yoga Max starts with deep breaths with your eyes closed. Then you drop into forward bend followed by down dog then cat/cow, then down dog again, finishing in child’s pose. Get back into down dog and pedal your heels. Next she introduces a sequence that she will return to repeatedly throughout the workout (and I love this sequence): down dog to high plank to low plank to up dog. You will return to this sequence between most moves in the workout (I will refer to it as down dog/up dog). It will be done at least once, sometimes as many as 4 times in a row. (Cathe says low plank but you are just lowering your body from straight arm plank to the floor with hands on mat under shoulders.)

Next is warrior one on the right, then the down dog/up dog series 4 times. Then you do warrior one on the left which transitions into down dog to child’s pose. Then you stand and do some forward folds.

Next is warrior one to warrior two on the left, into reverse warrior, back to warrior two, then into extended side angle. Do your down dog/up dog series, then repeat the warrior sequence on the right, ending with the down dog/up dog series. Side planks, some more down dogs/up dogs.

Stand and do swan dives to forward folds to chair pose. You will repeat, but the second time you do chair pose you raise to your toes.

Warrior two to triangle. Swan dives to forward fold and warrior two to triangle on other side. Down dog/up dog series.

Next is balance poses. First you stand on your left leg and lift your right knee. Turn it to the side with the option of grabbing your toe with your fingers. Move knee back to front and straighten the leg in front of you. Bend forward, lifting the right leg behind you into airplane. Repeat on other side.

Down dog/up dog to locust pose for the lower back; repeat. Do camel to child’s pose twice, then cat/cow.

Next is abdominal work. In comparison to Cathe’s normal core work in her other workouts this is very, very tame. Which again, is fine with me! It’s relaxing yoga–I don’t need pain and sweat! First she does single leg stretches where you pull one knee into the chest with the other leg out straight, then switch. Then you lift both legs up in the air straight and slowly lower them and scissor at the bottom. Then it’s boat pose. You end with a “levitation”: you sit cross-legged and lift your body off the ground with your palms.

Lay in corpse, then transition to fetus. The workout ends in cross-legged pose.

Overall this was a very relaxing yoga series. More active than Yoga Relax, but relaxing just the same. There are two premixes #1 is 33 minutes and #2 is 35 minutes.