Storyland Yoga DVD: Stay Playful This Summer {Review & Giveaway}

Earlier this month we found out that Greenleigh’s gym was closing for the summer.  Well, they’re not actually closed, they just have to make room for all the camps that they have running and that leaves no time (or space) for classes to take place.  I was so sad when I heard the news.  Don’t get me wrong, we have lots of birthday parties, mom’s group meetups, and summer activities to keep us busy, but I love the idea of getting up on a weekend morning and doing something as a family.  Something active.  So when I heard that Playful Planet was looking for bloggers to review their new Storyland Yoga DVD, I thought it might just be the perfect activity to fill our summer mornings.

Storyland Yoga is a kids yoga DVD containing two stories – Condor Trek and Save the Whale.  Both are led and narrated by Ahmed Fahmy, Certified Children’s Yoga Instructor, who tells a nature focused story while guiding you through various yoga poses.  In Condor Trek, you brave bears and other wildlife while trying to return some baby Condor eggs.  In Save the Whale, you are on a mission to save a beached whale on an island that you need to swim, row, and sail towards, mingling with dolphins and mermaids along the way.  Of course each of these actions and interactions is really just another yoga pose for you to try, but put in a fun and creative way.  The video shows both kids and an adult performing the poses, and intermittently an animated storybook picture is shown.

When I popped the DVD in, I automatically went to the Save the Whale portion first.  I figured at just over 18 minutes, it was shorter and would be a better fit for Greenleigh who has some problems paying attention for longs periods of time.  Little did I know what a hit this would be in our house!  Once she figured out that this was a video that she could interact with and imitate, she was hooked.  Not only did we watch Save the Whale, but we also watched Condor Trek (23 minutes) that night.  This video is intended for kids from 3-8 years old, and since Greenleigh is on the lower end of that spectrum, I was worried about her ability to perform the poses, but she did really well.  At first, I did the poses with her, but by the time we hit the end of Save the Whale, I decided to get up and sit on the couch.  But that didn’t stop Greenleigh from continuing on her own.  I was super impressed with how the video kept her attention.  The only thing that I would change about the DVDs would be to add more storybook pictures.  They seemed to be Greenleigh’s favorite part, and there weren’t a ton of them.  But regardless, she had a great time and really seemed to enjoy trying yoga.  Here are a few pictures of us doing some of the yoga poses:

Finding the baby Condor eggs, in Condor Trek

Rowing in Save the Whale

“Sailing” in Save the Whale (this was ridiculously hard to hold by the way)

After our yoga workout - Happy faces all around

As a mom, I love that this is “active” television that not only gets her to exercise, but teaches about nature too.  There are so many benefits to yoga, but I’m always nervous that I’ll have to twist myself into a pretzel and let’s face it…I just don’t bend like that.  This is easy yoga that anyone can do.  And it’s great to have on hand for those days when it’s rainy or just too hot to go outside.  We will definitely be using this DVD for years to come and I’m considering bringing it to one of my mom’s meet up groups (but definitely at someone else’s house since we obviously don’t have the room).

To learn more about Playful Planet and the Storyland Yoga DVD, check out their website or you can purchase one of their stories as a download for as little as $3.99!  You can also enter to win a DVD or download (your choice) by using the Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.