Mark Blanchard's Progressive Power Yoga: The Culmination

A well-sequenced mix of varied-level yoga poses, deep stretches and pure relaxation (all exquisitely filmed among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona). It's Mark Blanchard's most challenging program -- there are some “technical” yoga terms and a few segments include headstands, backbends and intense flexibility poses. But Mark's attitude is always supportive and very understanding (“if this is too difficult, just take a break into child's pose”). The workout begins with an extended warm-up (e.g. sun salutations). It ends with a variety of basic and not-so-basic yoga stretches. That's followed by a well-deserved guided-imagery relaxation segment. DVD includes a 9-minute, one-on-one tutorial showing all 39 poses.

You’ll develop calmness, focus and strength. We have built a workout that allows you creative room to explore while you simultaneously develop all of the core, stretch and flow poses that we have trained on throughout the week. The celebration of your week’s success will trumpet loud and clear as you practice this DVD and utilize all of the strength and balance that you have garnered through your learning experience.

You will know if you are doing it correctly when you find a great personal satisfaction in striving to hit a new plateau and discovering one day that you have achieved and surpassed it. It is Progressive Power Yoga because you are working to progress at a rate that makes sense for you. There is no one here for you to keep up with. There is no benchmark that you must obtain to be successful. You only need a passion for the experience and a willingness of the heart.

I find great joy in seeing my students “get it.” I have a tremendous passion for yoga and through my opportunities to teach all of you, I am finding new ways of developing methods to help grow the general yoga practice. In bringing you to the heart of the mystical regions of Sedona, we learn new lessons from a land that is millions of years in the making. We celebrate beauty. We find inner peace. We develop calmness; focus and strength wile simultaneously discovering that we have lowered our blood pressure, lengthened our muscles, improved our elasticity, improved our immune system and boosted our metabolism. Yoga is a wonderful challenge that delights students of all ages.

I do not believe in a beginner, intermediate and advanced system of yoga. There really is no such thing. I also do not believe in props or straps or even music. Yoga is more than 5000 years old -- and there is a reason. You do what you can. That is all that is required. If you fall, get up and try again. But do not ever punish yourself for what you cannot do -- just celebrate all that you can do. From position of abundance comes greater abundance. That is what yoga will bring to your life, especially in the 98-minute conclusion to The Sedona experience -- Namaste, Mark.