The Final Challenge: Yoga

It's time to choose the best of the best!  In this final set of figure comparisons, our finalists really show you what they can do in this series of Yoga poses.  From left to right, they are:  LIV Alexis body with Hadley head, Triad Alpha African, action figure body similar to Takara with Opal head, Monsieur Z Wild, Dragon Jennifer (Special Version), and Alvin Ailey Barbie.

Seated & Twist:
Hero - Jennifer does this the best, followed closely by Hadley.


Cow Face - both Jennifer and Alpha can do this pose, but Jennifer does it best and is able to clasp her hands behind her back.  To be fair, Alpha and Opal would probably be able to clasp their hands also if I had put their alternate hands on.


Standing:
Tree - Wow.  How about a round of applause for Jennifer for balancing on one foot unassisted!  I was able to get Alpha and Opal to balance on one foot for a few seconds, but not long enough to snap the photo.  Jennifer was steady on that one foot and stayed that way until I moved her again.


Downward-Facing Dog - Jennifer does this the best.  Hadley also does this really well.  I like Barbie's form, and if she had been able to do this pose with flat feet, I probably would have felt that she did this the best.


Arm Balance:
Side Plank - there's not a clear winner for me here.  Hadley, Alpha, Opal, and Jennifer all do this pose well.  Who do you think looks the best?  Neither Monsieur Z Wild nor Barbie could hold their weight on one arm.


Wild Thing - the dolls with double torso articulation really excel in this pose, which requires a torso twist as well as a backwards arch (not to mention arms strong enough to support the weight of the doll).  I had a hard time deciding who does this pose the best between Alpha and Jennifer.  I think that the Alpha looks more natural in her execution of this pose, but Jennifer just nails it.  Jennifer does this the best.


Core:
Cat - this pose requires arching the back upwards.  Opal does this the best.  Alpha gets a pretty good back arch, but it looks like she has a hump on her back when she does it.


Side-Reclining Leg Lift - I have a tough time deciding between Jennifer and Barbie here.  Jennifer arguably has the best form, but Barbie is able to lift her leg the highest.  Who do you think does this the best?  I'm going to go with Barbie here.


Backbend:
Bow - Jennifer does this the best. Perhaps if I had used the alternate hands for Alpha and Opal and they had been able to grab their ankles, they would have done better here.  The Alpha has a good back arch.


Cobra - all of the dolls do this well except for Monsieur Z Wild.  This is a tough decision, but I think that Barbie does this the best.  What do you think?


Inversions:
Supported Headstand - I should have probably gone with just a plain headstand here and the dolls would have had more success.  Since the supported headstand requires elbows down, Opal does this the best.


Plow - Opal does this the best, and also looks the most natural.


That does it for the Yoga poses.  Here is one more bonus pose.  The ladies were asked to do one final pose that displays their strongest abilities and sets them apart from the others, and this is what they came up with.

So there you have it.  Who do you think is the best?  Please vote on the poll.  Does the doll that you consider to be the best differ from the one that is your favorite?  If so, why?

I have to say that I highly recommend Yoga as great exercise and a great way to relax and relieve stress also.  It builds strength, balance, flexibility, and can be a great aerobic activity (sun salutations anyone?).  For more information about Yoga, check out http://www.yogajournal.com/.