Sadie Nardini's Core Strength Vinyasa: A Rockstar Workout

There are a few reasons why I've come to love Sadie Nardini and her rockstar yoga teaching style:

1. She knows how to work the core from a solid, organic foundation to build strength. 

2.  Sadie is fearless. She knows how to have fun during a challenging workout, and she's not afraid to do a little lion's pose (deep exhales out the mouth) in order to mix it up on the mat. I also love moments when she encourages her yogis to "play in the waves" of their practice, cultivate freedom and energy, or simply make space for being silly and lighthearted.

3. She's well-rounded and embraces bliss where she finds it. She's written a book on cultivating wellness in all areas of life, she teaches nutrition & health workshops, and she's all about living life to the fullest. Now that's a yoga philosophy I can respect!

I've been practicing yoga for a couple years now and am so glad I found her Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga Total Body Transformation DVD on Gaiam TV.

Her approach to fully utilizing the core has started to transform my yoga, whether I'm going Hatha, vinyasa flow, or Bikram poses. Even simple warrior and sun salutation postures have been taken to a whole new level of integrity and strength.


This is because Sadie focuses on the deep core line, a whole-body muscle meridian, in all the asana she teaches. She shows you how to warm up your low back and spine, and "light up" your core before taking it to the next level with harder core postures and the energizing core plank movement. You spend a good amount of time transitioning between downward-facing dog, down-dog extensions, plank, and variations of plank that will set your abs on fire -- namely when you're invited to bring your knee to chest or knee to elbow, like in the photos below.

Photos in this post via Sadie Nardini, The Huffington Post, Yoga Journal, and Yoga Home. 

If you're like me and looking to build stamina in your inversions and flexibility in your hips, shoulders and wrists, I totally recommend this workout.

You will build core strength, and wake up the next day feeling muscles you didn't realize you had. Even within only a few weeks of practicing the routine, I can feel more strength in my core, and that I'm engaging in poses more responsibly and safely. 


And keep in mind, Sadie will lead you through the entire sequence with an inspiring smile, a focus on maintaining your breath, and the motivation to totally reshape your body.


Try this DVD if you want to lose weight and get lean, toned and strong. This cutting-edge practice gives you twice the benefits for the time you spend on the mat... because you move continuously from deep center, you’ll burn more calories (yes--it’s cardio!), spark your fat-melting metabolism and transform your whole body from the inside out.


PS I wasn't paid to write this review; I simply love Sadie's approach -- and I think you guys will too!