Yoga Divas

These days, everyone's a diva: stage, screen, World Wrestling Entertainment; entire books are devoted to getting in touch with your inner diva, or learning how to cook like a diva (even my 3-year-old neighbor, Melody Skye, who I'm sure has no concept of the meaning of the word, has informed me she's a diva). Developed especially for kids, Yoga Divas promises “a cool blend of yoga and dance moves, all set to jammin' songs and the latest hip hop sounds.” To those of us whose image of yoga videos runs more along the lines of tropical settings, new age music, and lots of meditation, this sounds a bit dubious, but at 34, I'm not the target audience for this tape. Here, the yoga “instructors” (three grade school age girls) jump right into the routines, flexing and stretching quickly through the positions--much faster than in traditional yoga, so I'm not sure of the actual effectiveness--but while their enthusiasm and range of motion is impressive, fun is emphasized over safety (the girls exit one pose by doing a front handstand--a move better suited to an intermediate gymnastics class than a yoga class--and one that should require a spotter). The DVD includes a “bonus footage” section with explanations and demonstrations of the postures, but who looks there first? Overall, the program boasts solid production values and earns bonus points for using real kids, but the lackadaisical approach to safety makes this an optional purchase, at best. Aud: P. (J. Asala)