I just love Rodney Yee... he is probably one of the best yoga teachers out there. I've also been lucky enough to practice with him in person! However, I have to tell ya, this dvd is not much different than his power yoga dvd... The major difference being the inversions. As a yoga teacher myself, If I were to teach an intermediate level class I would do more inversions. Either way, this is an excellent dvd to use for any level, but if you're looking to be challenged and you have over 3 years experience you might want more...TAMARA'S YOGA FUSION

This is an excellent dvd for me, I have been doing yoga for a couple of months now, and decided that I wanted a little more challenge. The headstand and inverted poses are very safe the way they are done, and I feel so refreshed after I do this yoga dvd.

I started up the DVD to watch first, just to see what I was getting into with an intermediate level of Rodney Yee. I was pleased to see that none of the poses are unexpected or out of reach for beginning intermediates - we should all be able to do half moons, upward bows, bridges and shoulderstands, and be working on our headstands, elbowstands and handstands.

Then I tried it out for myself:

*Vinyasa*
This first section starts with sun salutes and then keeps up a very steady vinyasa clip, with jump backs from standing forward bend into plank and some harder variations on the basic yoga poses. Upward dog is featured a lot. There are some tough transitions like half moon pose to triangle. This section is both exhausting and invigorating. Even Rodney looks tired at the end - he's shaking by warrior 3 and the vein on his glistening forehead is throbbing. If he is sweating and shaking, I feel okay about taking child's pose when I need it. :)

This is the longest section on the program and it's a real kick in the pants that it's the first one.

*Inversions*
Handstand, elbow stand, headstand - all against a wall, in what looks like the outdoor lobby of a Maui resort hotel. Rodney offers some useful preps to the poses and makes coming out of them look easy. Hand, head and elbow stands are the only inversions offered - no serious strength-related arm balances, no crows, no scorpions.

This is the shortest segment on the DVD, and I think the most fun. His lead-in to elbow stand uses a brick and a strap, and the headstand uses a brick.

*Integration*
This is focused pose work - full supported bridge (leg up), camel, upward bow. Various sitting stretches and then plow to shoulderstand. Followed by some nice twisty stretches and restorative work.

This ends with a seated meditation to a gorgeous Hawaiian sunset.

The DVD plays one hour and five minutes, and it's really all about the yoga. Rodney's introduction is a few minutes and then he wastes no time hopping (literally) into the sections. The Maui setting is nice - Rodney does his work directly on the green grass of a garden setting overlooking an ocean cliff.

My advice to beginning intermediates is to start with the Integration section, then do Inversions, and lastly do the "power" section that leads off the DVD. If you enjoy yoga for the sweat, then by all means perform your practice in the order the DVD suggests. :)

The content on this DVD is only slightly better than a beginners DVD. The inverted poses were challenging, but there were no other poses performed that were unique to an "intermediate" program.

This is exactly what it says it is, an intermediate practice. It takes you that step beyond being an advanced beginner into trying more challenging poses with the support of walls, blocks and straps. His instruction is very good and helps make sure you use and maintain proper form.

I really enjoyed this workout! The hour went by very quickly--I hardly noticed the time like I do with some workouts...

If you are used to Ashtanga Yoga (which I am), you will find this a little slow and you may wonder if you got a workout--but you do! You will hold the poses much longer than you are used to and gain muscular endurance.

The workout starts with Sun Salutations, then Inversions and ends with some flexibility moves, backbends, plow and shoulder stands. The only thing I thought it was missing was abdominal work--like many of Yee's workouts.

All in all, this is a nice workout that will leave feeling really good at the end (I had that yoga glow--another reviewer said he didn't). Other nice intermediate level workouts are Yogatopia, Yoga Radiance (my favorite), and Rainbeau Mars Pure Power.