Kari Anderson : Angles, Lines and Curves – Review

One of the most elegant workouts in my collection, Angles, Lines and Curves is also one of my absolute favorites. Taught by Kari Anderson, who also has other videos similar to this one, it look me quite a while to learn. In fact, I’d say I haven’t quite finished.

Moving from standing to mat and back to standing, the exercises are based on Pilates, ballet and yoga principles and movements. The whole mix is dynamic and flowing and is meant to make you strong, flexible and balanced.

Kari starts by reminding you of the six Pilates principles and the way she does this has sort of drummed them into my head for quick recall when I’m exercising and dancing. Very useful too, even when it’s not Pilates. Any Pilates-friendly person will know these: Breathe correctly in the specific Pilates way, let every move come from the center or powerhouse, let everything be precise, let it flow, etc.

We move into a short and effective warm up though if you’re prone to sprains and twists you might like to do another more active warm up ap to get the muscles ready for the intense stretches which follow in this workout.

Ah, I don’t know… there’s just something beautiful about the workout that makes you feel good as you progress through it. It isn’t all that easy, if you want each move to look as streamlined her Kari’s – and I do. But it feels fantastic. For one thing, Kari and the other women with her, execute each move with perfection and have clean, elongated bodylines that are a joy to see. The minute you get any of your moves looking like that, you feel a thrill.

But more about the workout. It’s divided into segments. Each segment fades out and fades into the next so you can do the whole lot together in one flow. The moves involve deep stretches for which form is everything. As you can see from the pictures, each move is a pose. It takes strength to do that and this is what we practice here.

Some moves are traditional and unchanged but most have a beautiful twist to them and I have not come across them anywhere but on Kari’s own DVDs. Some segments have a greater ballet emphasis – specially the beginning and end – and others a more Pilates focus. Some involve deep deep stretches and others are predominantly yoga based.

It took me a while getting around to this video because you could tell at one glance that it would take expertise to do them. But because I’ve done a bit of Pilates, ballet and yoga separately, I finally decided I was ready to tackle it. And I’m glad I did. The whole workout is like a slow dance going from one exercise to the next and it’s set to music that exactly matches the pace.

For those who want to ease into this, there are modifications mentioned at times, but I’ve always thought modifications are obvious enough (if you’ve done a little bit of dance and exercise and are body-aware) and you can easily do them yourself. For example, I’m a little careful about the exercises you have to do on one knee because my knees are back in not-so-good shape these days. I’m also careful about the side plant because my shoulder and wrists don’t support my weight that well. Gradually though, you develop the strength and I have held that side plank now for a moment of two.

I also ease into the workout by not attempting the whole thing at one go. When I feel like doing this workout, I do a few segments and stop. I think it’s nicer to perfect one chunk at a time.

Overall, really recommended for someone who’s been into dance and exercise and wants to get these clean lines, flexibility and control. Kari says you should think of yourself as “art in space”. And I agree!