Release

Release is another Patrick Goudeau Presents workout in the tradition of Kickbox Burn. I love that Patrick finds these awesome trainers and uses his influence to introduce people to them. I am currently in the midst of a long and challenging hybrid rotation (Body Beast, PiYo and Weider Ruthless–reviews of all will post eventually), so I was looking for more yoga than what I already own (not a huge selection) to supplement this hybrid rotation. The reason I chose this particular workout is because Patrick was endorsing it. I love Patrick’s metabolic weight training workouts and his last “Presents” has become one of my favorite cardio kickboxing workouts and also made me search out more from the trainer Heather Corndorf (see Moxie workouts which I love!). So I trust Patrick’s judgement. And I was clearly smart to do so because I think Release might become my favorite yoga workout.

Erin Kirk is the yoga instructor who leads this workout. Patrick has a 2:38 minute intro that I really enjoyed because it sounded just like my problems with yoga. I know I need to do it, but it has never “spoken” to me. I am never sorry when I do it and I even sometimes enjoy it; but for the most part, I am not a big yoga fan. Well, that was Patrick’s problem as well, until he met Erin. Overall, I found this an intermediate level yoga workout–challenging and yet still relaxing–a balance that is hard to find with yoga. And I’ll be honest, I tend to gravitate toward the less challenging yoga workouts because I see flexibility as “recovery”–not another intense workout, which I do enough of already. But this workout creates a wonderful balance. Also, this workout is structured as Patrick does many of his other workouts–which I adore! He breaks it down into chapters, and you can go in and choose a chapter or you can design your own workout but picking the chapters you want to do in the order you want to do them. I love that because you can skip sections you hate or just don’t feel like that day (like the balance section!) or make a shorter workout if you choose. I actually dislike the very last section called “Final Release.” I dislike it because it is the corpse pose, which I actually enjoy in other yoga workouts because you’ve been working so hard and you usually only lay in corpse for a few minutes (sometimes as short as 1 minute or less). Not in this one. You lay there for 8 minutes–just too long for me, so I will skip it in the future.

Release is 59 minutes long. I am going to give brief, general descriptions of each section along with how long the section is. I am not going to detail it move by move, but just a general sense of what to expect. Keep in mind that everything is done on both sides of the body, even if it isn’t mentioned in the description. This should help if you decide to design a workout–you can make it the time length you need and give it the focus your body needs at that time.

Dynamic Warm up 5 minutes: In the warm up she has you swinging your arms side-to-side and around your body. She had you do an interesting shoulder/upper body stretch where you place your hands on your shoulders–same side not opposite–and bring your elbows together while rounding the back then circling them up and around. I felt my spine and shoulders popping each time. You will do hip circles, rolling torso up and down, and bending forward with hands laced together behind your back and arms raise to the ceiling.

Starfish Sun Salute 10 minutes: You will get on the floor and do locust pose with your hands clasped at the small of your back and raised. Down dog to triangle to reverse triangle. Runners lunge where you reach to the ceiling with one arm. 3 legged down dog where you lift one arm (opposite arm of the leg that’s lifted) and raise it to the side–so a balance move.

Floating Moon Balance 6 minutes: Chair into plow. Chatarunga, down dog, 3 legged down dog, warrior 3, reverse warrior, lizard (probably one of my favorite poses after pigeon; I don’t know why but it feels so good). After repeating on the other side you end this section with a long down dog.

Eagles Flight Balance 5:30 minutes: eagle pose, figure four, dancers pose.

Wing Opener 6:30 minutes: side rainbow pose, side plank, some amazing shoulder stretch that I have no idea what it is called as I have never seen it before (and cannot find it Googling), a sort of side angle pose.

Core Power 3:30 minutes: bent knee boat pose with various arm movements, extend your body out longer into a straight leg boat but with torso and feet low to the ground and do the same arm movements, slow leg scissors, a high straight leg boat pose. My core and legs were burning.

Hip Opener 7 minutes: 3 legged dog into a quad/runners stretch into a wonderful long pigeon.

Letting Go 6 minutes: head to knee forward bend, spinal twist.

Final Release 8 minutes: lay in corpse pose. Erin mostly talks but at one point she chants, too.