Product Details

• Actors: Richard Freeman
• Directors: Oliver Henry
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sounds True
• DVD Release Date: December 1, 2004
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NIVNKK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,756 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESENT MOMENT. "Ashtanga Yoga allows the body itself to become the ground for enlightenment," teaches Richard Freeman. With Ashtanga Yoga, The Primary Series, you will learn the core practices of this challenging, fulfilling path - a precise union of breath, alignment, and flowing sequence of postures. On this acclaimed DVD, named by Yoga Journal as one of the top Yoga instructional programs available, Richard Freeman offers in-depth training on the potent Primary Series, a classical sequence of postures as taught by renowned teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Join him to: ·Follow a meditative thread through a specially designed sequence of postures ·Melt away knots and blocks so that your mind and breath can flow easily together in meditation. ·Learn ujjayi breathing, the Mula and Uddiyana Bandhas (the Root and the Flying Up Energy Seals, that form the foundation for both alignment and deeper states of awareness) ·Systematically increase strength and flexibility ·Learn proper and continuous alignment for healing injuries and strengthening joints. ·Learn how to proceed through both difficulty and success with intelligence. ·Work from your present condition while on your practice mat - and while off the mat in daily life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real thing, June 21, 2008

By 

foolish bibliophile ";)" (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ashtanga Yoga: The Primary Series (DVD)

Wow! I'll never bother with a yoga instructor after this gem. Richard's words perfectly instruct your progress - as if he were there in the room - to assure that you learn the primary series correctly. He must be a very experienced teacher as his analogies and what he says keep you focused on the breathing and exploring all parts of the posture(s) together. I really learned a lot from what he said, discovering more and more each time (which is good because you don't look at the screen much while you're doing it!).

One especially high-quality feature of this DVD is the variety of starting points. You can start with 1. a poetic opening chant, 2. an informative introduction, 3. a discussion of breathing, 4. Sun Salutation instruction, 5. The complete 90 minute primary series, 6. Standing postures, 7. Seated postures, 8. Finishing postures and 9. contact information.

This DVD will last me several years, as I can only follow him for the first half hour so far. But if you want to see the absolute limits of the human body, watch through to the end of the 90 minutes. He's not a circus freak - it's way beyond that, stuff that will really take a good sense of humor to even approach. But he makes it look effortless.

I also tried Baron Baptist and while Baron is sincere, Richard is the real thing. My body has changed internally, with the proper form from practicing this regularly. I can't express the relief I feel now with a liberated lower spine, neck, legs, abdomen, breath, etc - except to say that everyone should do the work it takes to feel this way. It takes time but then it lasts.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being an Indian and a yoga practitioner...., March 28, 2009

By 

Raghuram Krishnaswamy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ashtanga Yoga: The Primary Series (DVD)

I must say that Freeman touches the stars with his knowledge and practice of Yoga. He does it like a Yogi should. His props are simple (there appear to be some snow peaks on the sky blue prop which tells me that he believes himself a yogi seeking to be in tune with the greatest yogi who permeates the pulse of the universe, Shiva, and whose abode is the Himalayas :-) ). Is this a DVD for beginners, probably not if you have never ever had any exposure to yoga or if you have some physical symptoms that require the hand and guidance of a teacher, but I cannot see why a beginner would not aspire to learn and practice yoga as he does. Watching it certainly propels you to inspiration. He has three DVD's and one of them is for beginners. But they are all EXCELLENT

There are a lot of yoga DVD's (not to mention programs) out there that profess to sweat your "fat" and "power" your system...sweating was not an intention of the Yoga asanas (although it is a result of it)...as yoga is union of the mind and body and only should be practiced as such, and not as a power tool for egotistical ends. It is a powerful tool no doubt but it should be practiced in accordance to the philosophy it seeks to convey, namely understand who you are relative to your environment, how best to live in it and how to lead a life where positive action leads to positive reaction (Karma Yoga)

There may at best two or three people that have put out DVD's of value for the money. This is definitely one of them to learn from.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unparalleled instruction in Asthanga yoga at home, August 31, 2009

By 

Alex Grayson (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ashtanga Yoga: The Primary Series (DVD)

Ok, I will freely admit that I get a little caught up in the external aspects of most yoga DVDs, relishing in the trippy music and gorgeous locations almost as much as the yoga and instruction, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one. The production value is very pared-down compared with many of the other oyga DVDs out there, with just Richard solo amidst a lovely but simple background and there is no background music at all. What you DO get is a level of teaching and serenity that astounded me. You also get the absolute purity of the Primary Asthanga Series as it was taught by Pattabhi Jois. It took me a few minutes to adjust to Richard's energy, it's different, but he's very sweet, very grounded and with a very soft and soothing presence. This is someone who has been doing Asthanga for decades and still loves it so much, he's still very connected to the subtleties and magic of it all.

I've heard so many teachers working with the same exact postures and somehow he managed to gives cues, instructions and beautiful metaphors that enabled me to find a new depth and power in every single posture I did, opening to them in completely new ways. The magic is in the details, I often find, whether it's a film, a song or a good yoga class, and the way Richard can guide you through a very daunting series with such tranquility, encouragement, patience and meticulous detail without ever taking away from your own experience or where you are in your practice...well, it's stunning.

Personally, while I have done Hatha and Kundalini for over 15 years I'd found Asthanga series to be too intimidating and assumed I had to be in athletic condition to even begin to attempt this. The Primary Series is about 2 hours long in its entirety, and I'd say I can do about half right now on a good energy day. Then it gets into a level of stamina, flexibility and balance I have yet to experience, but with this DVD and his teaching I now have no doubt that daily practice will get me there, in my own time. And instead of the last hour seeming like an impossible dream, it inspires me. That's the magic of a truly great teacher.

The series itself is a wonderful combination of Sun Salutations (A & B), standing poses to stretch, open and build stamina and strength, and then the second hour is where the nitty gritty Asthanga kicks in with incredibly deep stretches, arm balances, a lengthy and lovely shoulder stand sequence and a few pretzel moments that I can only imagine must feel liberating and wonderful.

I've read and heard that being able to do the Primary Series and master it could take years, and I see why. But I feel even an advanced beginning yogi could benefit from this DVD. Even when I did just the first 30 minutes or so over the weekend I felt tremendous benefits and discovered new layers thanks to Richard's expertise. He glides through every movement as though he were weightless and partially made of rubber, it's really something to see. Such grace and poise can only come from dedication and absolute presence and respect for the work. I'm so glad I heeded the glowing reviews here and bought this DVD. This will be an instrumental tool in my growth as a yogi for years to come.