A 58-minute routine that's a blend of Yoga, martial arts and cardio, with affirmations for a full body-mind-spirit workout. Patricia Moreno instructs.

Intermediate exercisers and advanced beginners with lots of energy. Those who are familiar with Yoga and enjoy fast-paced cardio will like this the best, especially if they are open to a bit of New Age philosophizing. You will need a Yoga mat for the ending stretch and meditation. Unlike most mind-body-spirit workouts, you will be wearing your athletic shoes for this, except for the stretch and meditation, which you do barefoot.

Even though I'm from California, not all New Age-y concepts resonate with me, especially when I'm trying to fit in a workout. Take the Yoga Booty Ballet series, for example — I can't make my way through any of those DVDs without feeling a tad foolish. And while I appreciate Rodney Yee's poetic and powerful approach to Yoga, there are days when I'm just not in the mood for that type of lyrical serenity. What's a type A personality to do for a mind-body-spirit workout? Patricia Moreno gave me the answer with her Inten-Sati program. It takes Yoga and dance-like moves and revs them up, while you set your intention with simple positive affirmations — nothing religious, but more along the lines of creating your own destiny and reaching your goals. The great thing is that your body is so engaged (and releasing endorphins like mad), that it's easy to allow the uplifting words through to your subconscious. Plus, of course, you're burning calories and lightly toning your body. After a 5-minute warm-up you begin with 15 minutes of mainly upper body moves, then the next 25 minutes concentrate primarily on your lower body, with some balance challenges. All this is done at a heart-pumping pace. You end with a Yoga-based stretch and meditation so your body and mind can absorb everything you just did. This is one mind-body-spirit workout that doesn't go easy on your body — unless you are an intermediate level exerciser, or close to it, you will find it challenging to make it all the way through this disc without pausing or slowing down at some point. And with all the lunges and squats you are doing during the lower body section, chances are you will feel a bit of DOMS the next day the first few times you do this workout. While the routine is nearly an hour, it's still quite time efficient because you are changing both your body and your mind concurrently. Bet you never looked at exercise that way before!

 

 

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