Duncan Wong Yogic Arts Awakening Level
Celebrities train with him and take him on tour. Now you can experience Duncan Wongs exhilarating mind-body workout no matter what your fitness level. Yogic Arts blends science, spirit, and artcelebrating tenets of the ancient systems of Korean Buddhist Gung Fu, Ashtanga yoga, and Thai bodywork. Yogic Arts is high-intensity, flow-based yoga that focuses on core conditioning. It is yoga at its most athletic and artistic, with the power to transform you. Born and raised in northern California, Duncan Wong is a martial arts champion and talented massage therapist known as one of the worlds best yoga teachers. His instructional style emphasizes precise body alignment and energetic flow. This beginner to intermediate practice includes wrist and shoulder sections, warrior salutations, and hip openers. You can do the full practice, choose from one of two shorter preset sequences, or choose individual segments from the menu. Dramatically filmed in high-definition black and white, this st
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great for this novice with joint issues
I’ve got a few health issues that limit the types of exercise I can perform while at the same time require me to be sure I stretch well on an almost daily basis. Given that, I’m so grateful to have stumbled upon this DVD.
When I’ve tried yoga in the past, too much strain was placed on my wrists and other joints. I like Pilates, but my neck takes a beating. Wong has ordered and styled his moves with such wisdom that I can follow them with ease (even though I’m a beginner) and, best of all, wake in the morning without groaning. I appreciate the Thai massage thrown in–it feels better than any massage I’ve ever paid for!
This video cannot replace cardio exercise, but it provides for a very thorough stretching that I can’t seem to duplicate in any other way. I’m so very grateful that Yogic Arts exists!
3 Stars Only a glimpse of what Duncan has to offer
The Good: A fresh perspective on yoga with some unique segments and alterations. Wrist therapy section was inventive. Subtle integration of yoga with martial arts and thai massage.
The Bad: Pacing is pretty fast. Only two segments are challenging for intermediates (EG: lots of downward kneeling dog, no downward facing dog). Sections are broken up a bit, disrupting the flow.
The Verdict: This is a fresh take on yoga, unlike anything else I’ve seen on the market right now. If nothing else, I’d encourage you to borrow this from the local library to see if it surprises you in the ways that yoga can be explored. I found the practice to be a refreshing eye-opener, albeit one that wasn’t quite challenging enough. (See Yogic Arts-Source Power for a much fuller workout)
Full Review: As I explored yoga, I practiced along with a number of commercial DVDs. I quickly noted that most of the yoga practices on DVD (circa 2007) were very similar - with some minor tweaks in poses, pacing, and more noticeable differences in instructional style. I chose an instructor that I liked (Rodney Yee) and went with that. However, when I stumbled across Duncan Wong-I knew I had found something totally different than the rest.
Upon first reviewing the session, I noticed that the “style” of yoga was a bit different than a standard yoga class. For instance, Duncan demonstrates “pulsing” within some poses like the lunge or warrior 2, so that the practitioner can deepen the stance. The flow feels good, though fast at times. You’ll be doing things with your hands and arms that you weren’t asked to do during your normal yoga routine. Go with it, as it’s all part of the experience.
As a whole, only two sections provided limited challenge. While the individual sections were paced well, the transitions between sections were stunted with a “black screen, then title screen” intruding on what was a fast, but enjoyable pace. Speaking of the fast pace, my body was screaming at Duncan… “SLOW DOWN!” It seems that while he employs gentle explosiveness with his movements, he also robs the practitioner of enjoying any depth within a pose. By the time you’ve hit one pose-your already moving onto the next… one of my least favorite features of this workout.
One thing to note is that while Duncan promises to integrate Thai Massage, Martial Arts, and Yoga-you’ll really only see the integration subtly, though the overall practice is definitely quite unique. Yoga makes up the main staple - with martial arts and thai massage gently interwoven into the experience. You’ll find interesting arm movements, as well as leg and finger stances that are drawn from the martial arts. You’ll also see some subdued pressure point manipulation, and pose modification taking advantage of Thai massage.
If you’ve been practicing Yoga for any length of time, try out Duncan Wong’s fresh ideas-I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
5 Stars Impeccable
I’m glad I purchased this DVD! I have been frustrated with ongoing debilitation from an upper arm injury with limited range of motion (from work? another DVD?). After I did this DVD today I am amazed and encouraged that for the first time in weeks my arm has more range of motion without pain. Could it be the Thai massage that Duncan has incorporated into the workout? Aside from my healing testimonial, I found the instruction easy to follow and the pace is good and this DVD is beautifully produced. Thank you for this production!
1 Star Sub-Par
This was interesting. I really wish it had a money back waranty or something. Well, I’ve done some yoga DVD’s and the power yoga is a lot better. This yogic arts was dissapointing because I was really excited to get it. Then I did it and when it was over I was wondering when the workout was going to start. He has some relly weird hand things that he does that have nothing to do with yoga. I have been a martial artist for many years and thought this alleged blending of yoga and martial arts would be great. But it wasn’t. Okay as far as details goes. He only holds a pose for a split second then moves to the next. Each series of poses lasts mabey 5 minutes then you go to the next segment. They are separat sections. So the two alternate routines are not actually alternate routines but just the main one cut up into two. The sections don’t flow into each other, they just kinda stop and then open to a different one. At one point you fade out while on the floor then fade in and he is magically in the standing position. Thanks for the warning. I wouldn’t recoment this to anyone unless you just need something different to spice it up for a week. Could have been really cool if he actually would have put some martial arts stuff in here like kicks or strikes or anything. Sorry but just not that great. Go get Power Yoga, that is fun!
5 Stars I loved it!
I am a total believer of the synthesis of Martial Arts, Yoga, Meditation, and Massage! I think he did go a little fast with the energy work and could be explained more in detail…but you will catch on after viewing it a few times. Beautifully done too.