Barbara Currie's Power of Yoga

Barbara Currie's Power of Yoga DVD has been out for nearly a decade now, but when those warnings about mid-life weight gain started to become a reality, it was this particular exercise regime that several friends recommended.

Fitness DVDs serve the same purpose for celebrities as children's books: a way of making a quick buck when bank accounts need replenishing.

Until then, exercise or Yoga DVDs hadn't appealed. The thought of watching a svelte starlet twisting their body into unlikely shapes by a swimming pool is enough to make many, myself included, reach for a consolatory tube of Pringles. Likewise, the cult of celebrity fitness has always seemed suspect – why would you put your health in the hands of Denise Van Outen? Fitness DVDs serve the same purpose for celebrities as children's books: a way of making a quick buck when bank accounts need replenishing.

One reason Barbara Currie's DVDs have stayed popular over the years could be because she's not a pretty young thing likely to cause fits of insecurity: she's in her sixties – and it would take a very messed-up thirty-year-old to feel outdone by the looks of a sexagenarian. Likewise, she's not made her DVDs on the back of appearances on Strictly Come Dancing or a footballer's arm. She's a trained nurse and has been practising yoga since the 1970s, so when she talks about how to look after your health and keep your body flexible, you're inclined to listen.

The DVD starts with Barbara promising that The Power of Yoga is the way to a “fabulous new you” in “just ten easy minutes a day”. With lines like this, she should have worked in advertising in the 1950s, or as a writer of spam emails for weight-loss supplements. But as she introduces the many benefits of yoga – it releases tension, makes you feel refreshed and relaxed, gives you a “fabulous” new shape, and makes you more flexible – the sales patter starts to work. Yes, you think, I want a fabulous new me, and I only want to spend ten minutes a day getting it.

The ten minute thing is actually one of the DVD's biggest strengths. The first two routines are short enough to allow even the busiest person to slot them into their day. Routine number one, the Ten Minute Tone Up is a lot of stretches, or “lovely stretches” as Barbara hopefully describes them. They're done with the aim of “tightening that tum” and “toning those thighs”, and one is a “wonderful waistline whittler”. If you're new to yoga, your first few attempts at this will leave you completely cream-crackered.

The Power of Yoga is designed to suit all levels of experience from beginner to advanced, so the next session, the 10 Minute Power Workout, is more taxing. It includes moves such as The Warrior Posture and Salute to the Sun: you can feel long-neglected muscles exclaiming in surprise as you assume the positions. But the effort is outbalanced by the knowledge that it's doing “wonderful” things for your figure. Barbara explains why each position is worth persevering with, which helps you stick with it.

The action takes place indoors in a studio that looks like the type of place where you'd have hypnotherapy – all muted lighting, relaxing music, and neutral colours. Barbara and her assistants, however, look like they'd be more at home on the Starship Enterprise with their matching two-tone leotards and leggings. Barbara sports a special belt with a silver buckle to mark her status as Yoga Queen.

The main routine, 35 Minute Power Toning, focuses on particular problem areas – the upper body, arms and chest; the stomach and midriff; and bums and legs. This is where the advanced yoga really kicks in, but Barbara's encouraging instructions differentiate between those who regularly stick their feet behind their ears and those with the flexibility of an iron bar. And watching the experts gives you something to aim for – though some of the moves, such as Pose of a Monkey (aka 'the splits') take “several years of practice” rather than just ten minutes.

The final routine, 20 Minute Power Stretching, firms arms, thighs and abdominal muscles and releases tension from the neck, back and spine. Whereas the first two sessions are recommended as a pre-breakfast workout, this is a pre-bedtime routine, designed to chill you out before sleep. It ends on a relaxation session – the yoga studio fades out into a shot of the ocean with gently lapping waves, with Barbara's voice lolling you into a state deep tranquillity and contentment.

Like a lot of the DVD, it's very corny. But like a lot of the DVD, it's also very addictive and spirit-lifting. People who could never imagine themselves committing to a daily exercise routine could easily get into the habit of these ten minute workouts. And when they do, they'll probably become happier, slimmer, and more fabulous. Either that or I've been brainwashed by Barbara's sparkly belt buckle and calming voice.

Barbara Currie's Power of Yoga is available from amazon.co.uk.