Inhale with Steve Ross

No, the sound on your computer isn't broken. This video clip just has the audio portion disabled for copyright purposes. I still thought I'd show it here if you wanted a sample of his class. It really isn't the same silent, but it will give you a peak.

You may have the Oxygen Network on cable or satellite and may have already seen this yoga show where the music is hip and the instructor is lively. It's called Inhale and the man is Steve Ross.

When we used to have a big variety of cable channels (now we have the basic 10), I used to see this yoga class that wore muted colored, comfy cotton clothes and that often bounced to the rhythm of the music. It didn't look like any serene yoga class I'd seen before. The instructor always seemed so happy too, smiling and laughing as he talked.

I never stopped to do Inhale because it was on at 6:00 a.m. and I was usually putting a workout dvd in at the time. I did some yoga then, but was pretty set in the groove of a few yoga instructors, not wanting to try someone new out without the comforts of rewinding or skipping back. Plus there would be commercials. I wasn't so sure I wanted commercials.  But I finally tried it and just love Inhale.

The music is original (no off-shoot bands or funky renditions of a familiar song) and very upbeat (well, until the cool-down stretch at the end). You hear many of the same songs on the different shows, but no 2 yoga practices are the same. The order of the songs changes too. So it seems like going to a familiar yoga class each time, but not the same exact class.

Inhale Yoga is an intermediate power yoga class. If you do it with commercials, it will take an hour. If you do it commercial-free, it will last about 45 minutes. Sometimes I wish I were actually getting the commercial breaks now. When he says to lean over forward and stretch and they cut to a commercial, it feels so good, but on my dvd, it only lasts a second. I could stop and pause it if I wanted, but I usually go on to another sun salutation instead.

Steve guides you through what he calls the warm-up (a standing stretch or two at the beginning, inhale up, bow forward, lift your head half-way up, bow forward again. Jump back (into plank position), slowly come down (chaturanga dandasana -- the fastest way to get sore chest muscles if you haven't done them much before), then up into updog, back into downward facing dog. Rest a bit, lift up your right leg . . . then you're off to a pose with that leg forward -- be it a crescent lunge, warrior pose, balance pose, etc. You repeat these sequences with a chair pose or side plank here and there. It is not easy. It's tough. You start to wish you could just stop warming up already. But it's all good. Steve's charming and playful personality keep you happy about going and you're getting stronger and more balanced each day.

When the cool-down portion comes, it's never long enough, but is always nice. I love when he does pigeon poses (which he loves to say with a French accent). It's not like he doesn't hold these stretch poses for long, he does. I could just do twice or triple the number and be happy. Sometimes he does partner poses and I have my youngest son push down on my back for that increased stretch. When Steve has the class switch partners, I get a free choice on a stretch. Pretty fun. Often, I continue on with more stretching poses on my own when he's finishing up in relaxation pose. I'll go another 10 or so minutes. But most of the time, I use these dvds on says when I do want a shorter yoga practice and a smile on my face as I go.

I don't know if these will ever be available retail on dvd. People have been requesting them for years. But if you have access to record them (or a friend who will), try them out. They're priceless.