Customer Reviews

Ashtanga yoga short forms

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a beginner to ashtanga and purchased this video for occasional practice sessions. I love Davids' voice, his attention to the breath and the way he makes the time fly by--I find myself completely engrossed. It seems accessable and challenging at the same time. I am now hooked on ashtanga and am going to purchase the 1st series. I have tried Brian Kest's videos and like them fine, they are a nice, challenging workout, but I feel much more drawn to David Swensons' style, it is challenging as well, but his attention to the breath, which I love and his style and voice really help me stay really focused inside the body, which to me is what yoga is ultimately all about--heightened awareness, being present in the body and mind. I highly recommend this video.

Nicely produced video with three segments (15, 30 or 45 minutes) depending on level of training and ability and time commitment. This is the "real"/classic ashtanga yoga, not the mishmosh derivative known as "Power Yoga". It should go without saying that ashtanga should not be practiced without any previous hands-on instruction. That said, David Swenson is a wonderful instructor. His voice is soothing, instructions very clear, and he is inspiring to watch in the postures. His primary series video is also excellent. This video is great when you want to do some yoga practice, but just cannot fit in the full 90 minutes for primary series. I do wish he had made the 45 into 50 minutes and put in all 5 sun salutations instead of just three; I usually pause the tape to get the full warmup in. If you are a beginner, the 30 minute segment is the most basic.

I use this tape at least 3 to 4 times a week for my daily pracice, in addition to doing Ashtanga at my local Yoga Studio. It is an invaluable resource for any student of Ashtanga to fit into our hectic western schedules. With a condensed 15,30 and 45 minute session on the tape, there is really no excuse for not doing even a little Yoga everyday. I love David Swenson, he's one of the first Westerners to learn Ashtanga from J. Pattabi Jois in Mysore India and this is the "Real Deal".

Highly Recommended....

This tape is good for someone who wants to start practice ashtanga yoga, there is a 15 minute session, a 30 minute session for beginners and a 45 min for intermediate plus 10 minute of deep relaxation.

I ordered this video about a year and a half ago, and it sat on my shelf until rather recently. Now I remembered why I bought it. And boy, am I sorry that I let the thing languish on my shelf. I've been using the 30 minute workout in the morning, and the 45 minute session when I get home from work, and I don't think I can get sick of it.
David Swenson's voice is so calming, and he provides just the right encouragement. I really like the breath cues, and the emphasis on "it's YOUR practice, do only what you can do, but don't be afraid to challenge yourself". I find myself losing all sense of time and easily moving into a meditative state when I do this tape. Which is basically the point of yoga. The tape is that good.
I prefer Swenson's presentation over Richard Freeman's. While Freeman has his strengths as a teacher, something about Swenson just clicks with me. Maybe it's because he lets you stay in the pose a bit longer, to really feel it.
Although the tape is great for those beginning to study Ashtanga and for people who consider themselves "advanced" when it comes to flexibility, I would not recommend this tape to the beginning yogi/yogini, unless you have a lot of natural pretzel in you.

I have been taking Ashtanga for a few months. I have been unable to go everyday, or even sometimes every week! This tape is a great way to keep up with practice. David's breathing cues are perfect. A really great complement to Ashtanga classes (primary series) It has a 15 min, 30min, and 45min session, plus a deep relaxation at the end. All of the sessions are a good workout. A must for Ashtanga beginners.

And many thanks also to those who had already reviewed Short Forms...I based my purchase on your opinions.

I've flirted with yoga in an irregular manner for the past few years, knowing that it is right for me, but never finding the correct focus until now. Ashtanga yoga as presented by David Swenson in a calm (not boring), caring and genuinely enthusiatic manner has truly caught me. The movement and breathing, unifying body, mind and environment seemed to have been the magic key.

I would rank myself an intermediate beginner in things yoga and find the 30 minute workout approachable, yet challenging enough to take me down the road awhile. I also have Rodney Yee's Power Yoga DVD which although beautifully filmed, I found the pace too quick and poses too difficult. The lack of guidance was also disturbing.

In contrast, David Swenson provides significant guidance for each pose, including breathing, physical warnings, attitude orientation and genuine encouragement without being "icky", as well as providing alternatives for beginner to advanced practitioners. The instruction is very clear which is especially important to those who have never had formal yoga instruction. Short Forms is beautifully filmed (although I actually swatted my tv a couple of times only to find it was one of many bees on David's side of the video) including superior tonal quality.

I am very happy with my purchase and expect to use this video for a very long time. With enough practice and self-discipline I can finally move out of the beginner's ranks and perhaps even approach the full primary series. And hey, I just found out there's an Ashtanga class in English right here in Tokyo that I'm going to look into.

I have studied yoga for 2 years, but when my instructor moved away I stopped practicing. I was giving the tape as a gift so I could continue my practice at home. I was suprised how soothing and calming David Swenson is. I like how he focuses on doing only what your body can handle. He also is constantly pointing out the fact that yoga is all about your body, how good it can feel and not trying to "push it" too far. The only slight downfall is that if you are a total beginner you might be a bit lost until you learn to recognize the positions. If you are a beginner, I would recommend just watching the tape first so you reckognize the positions before trying them out.

I'm a beginner to yoga, particularly to ashtanga yoga, but I've taken a few classes, and have been taking pilates for a few months, which develops some of the same skills. This tape is great in breaking down Ashtanga yoga into easily-learned chunks. While David does offer several different positions for beginners, I don't think the tape is suitable for total yoga beginners who have little other workout experience. (That, however, was something I liked about the tape!) The "do-what-you-can" attitude that is central to yoga in general seems, to me, to be less prevalent in ashtanga classes and books, but David mantains that beautifully.

This video is certainly as good as it gets. David Swenson is a true master at ashtanga yoga and is an amazing teacher. His instruction is crystal clear and his demonstrations are awe inspiring. There was a negative comment made in a previous review (in fact the only negative review) about there being "too much chatter". I must disagree completely with this statement because I find the instructions very useful throughout the tape. When doing a practice like this it is very helpful to have constant reminders of what to focus on because there is so much to be aware of at the same time. Also, often when you're in certain postures it is impossible to be "looking" at the screen so those verbal instructions are invaluable to help you stay aware of all the subtle things you must be mindful of as well as to help with the pacing of the practice.

I'd like to use a musical analogy to describe how good this tape is. Imagine if you could have a great virtuoso like Vladimir Horowitz or Alfred Brendel somehow guiding you along as you practiced the piano. Mr. Swenson is a true world class "virtuoso" at ashtanga yoga, and more than in just the physical part of it, he always trys to make you aware of the spiritual side of the practice as you go along.