I've done some karate and used to love yoga so this fusion workout sounded like something interesting to try. I was expecting a program that combined the two into some new form of exercise but that's not really what it is. There's a yoga section, a martial arts section and then a qigong section. It's made me want to get back into yoga and learn more about qigong. My flexibility needs some work before I can get the full benefit from this yoga section. Overall, I like the idea of this program.

I bought this for my boyfrient who is into MMA. He has used it several times and already has increased his flexibility and balance. This is a great buy!

This DVD presents an accessible version of Budokon, a truly exhilarating practice. For those new to both martial arts and yoga, this will probably be challenging. For those new to just one of the two arts, it's a pleasurable and "doable" challenge. If you are experienced in both, you might find this DVD boring or easy; I suggest one of his non-beginner tapes (in which the yoga and martial arts are actually fused.)

As someone in the second category (early intermediate yogi with no martial arts experience), I found the workout intense, fun, and addictive. The yoga sequence was pleasing, creating some heat but no pain. The martial arts segment unleashed explosive power I never knew I had. Together, they created a workout rush like I haven't felt in ages, and certainly not after just 40 minutes. I was on top of the world after finishing this DVD.

There are some problems, though. It isn't smart to go straight from full-on punch-and-kick sweat into meditation; you need a cooldown of slower-paced movement in between. This is an egregious omission from someone who seems to know a lot about exercise. If you do this DVD, I *highly* recommend inserting your own cooldown. It almost hurt to enter meditation with my heart pounding so hard, and because of it I had chest pains the next day. That shouldn't happen.

Also, the chaptering of this DVD is crummy. What is worse, every time you have to restart the DVD due to screensaver interventions, etc., it takes you back to the beginning and Gaiam's horrible introductory advertisement.

To those who say this isn't really fusion, you're right when it comes to this DVD but wrong when it comes to Budokon. I did a 3-hour Budokon workshop with live senseis, and they taught advanced techniques that were indeed karate/yoga fusion. The content of this DVD is more like pre-Budokon. It builds a good yoga/martial arts foundation for real Budokon, but it doesn't include any of real Budokon's highly original poses and combinations.

Still, it's powerful, compelling exercise that makes you feel strong and energized, and could spark what might later become an authentic Budokon practice.

I had great expectations for this, however I cannot work with his incessant instructions and pauses. If you want a good yoga flow, look elsewhere. For martial arts, go to a martial arts class, or learn a few katas and get your dynamic tension that way. One last word, avoid kicking in the air!

The DVD came without a jacket and the seal seemed like it was ripped. The DVD was OK.