Customer Reviews

Gaiam Yoga For Beginners Kit

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This Living Arts Yoga Kit is great! You get everything you need to get started at a great price! If you bought all of the pieces seperately it would cost much more. The mat is very high quality, as are the yoga strap and blocks. You will get years of use from this set. The video will go through the use of props with you and help you understand their uses better. We reccomend this to everyone!

This is a good introductory kit. The video shows proper use of the props. The video is not intended as a workout. You'll need a beginner's tape. I would like the kit better if it had a bag to hold everything.

This product was not at all what I expected.
-The blocks are fine. No problems there.

-The mat is very thin. It's made out of that same non-slip stuff they sell at Wal-mart for putting under rugs. I've been looking at Yoga kits in nearby stores that cost within [the price] of this one and they had higher quality mats at nearly 1.5 inches thick. This mat is about 1/4 inches thick.

-The tape is geared more toward stretching than to Yoga. If you're interested in learning Yoga, this tape is not for you.

It's all about expectations and given that, I'm seriously considering sending this product back...

The instructor is obviously an experienced yogi, i.e. someone who has studied and taught yoga for a long time. I find this generally preferable to an aerobics instructor who has recently jumped onto the yoga bandwagon. This tape is great for the novice, and a wonderful intro to yoga.

I bought this for my girlfriend who was wanting to get into Yoga - this kit is pretty crappy for beginners. The instructor just goes from pose to pose, without giving you really any instruction on what you should be focusing on as far as your form (very important in yoga), goes through everything really, really fast; the mat is pretty thin - overall I would not buy another product from Gaiam - it seems slapped together without much thought.

The value of purchasing the kit over purchasing individual pieces of equipment was about $2 when I made the purchase, and on top of that there is a bonus DVD included in the kit with 2 workouts.

The equipment: 5 stars. For my level of use (fairly average -- nothing too rigorous), this equipment is more than satisfactory. I haven't experienced any problems with it. The mat has box-shaped graphics that look nice but also provide a point of reference for your feet and hands when getting into the yoga positions. I find them helpful and discrete. I don't use the hand block or the strap much, but in my experience, they are sturdy and well made.

The workouts: 3 stars. I would say that there is really only one workout on the DVD. The first workout is more like a 12-minute series of stretches. It is nice as a warmup or cooldown, but it is not what I would consider a workout. The second workout is more intense, and it certainly qualifies as a workout for beginners. I purchased this kit as a way to start working back into yoga. I'm no expert by any means, but I have in the past had an intermediate skill level. The second workout definitely feels to me like it straddles the beginner/intermediate level, but there is really nothing advanced about it. It's good for working into yoga, but it will not interest the more advanced user. And I was disappointed that I really only got one real workout instead of the advertised two.

Bottom line: 4 stars. If you're just starting yoga and don't have any equipment, this is a good kit to get you started. It really includes everything you might need as a beginner, and it will save you a few dollars to purchase everything together. If you already have some of the equipment, it may be worth your while to buy individual pieces you want/need and look for a different workout DVD.

for beginners this dvd is great. Rodney Yee speaks very coherent and explains the moves in a way that one does not have to look at the video this is very important. This is much better then other yoga dvds I have started and it is not hard to keep up with. Note, the beginners, other yogis may find this more stretch then yoga but Yee is obviously prepping a novice for yoga, which I was. The training is very easy to master and is meant to regain flexibility before you put it to yoga. Yoga is hard if never done some instructors scare off newbies, Yee gradually gets you into Yogi condition.
DVD 5 Stars
Block 5 Stars
Belt 5 Stars
Mat 2 Stars

I used to practice yoga a lot in college, but I have taken a few years off. I wanted to get back into it, so I decided to spend the money on the Gaiam kit. I was pleasantly surprised, everything in this kit is perfect for me! I love the mat, the block, and the belt. Other reviews stated that the mat was too thin, but I disagree. I found it to be perfect, and I liked the design :) If you are just starting yoga, or want to invest in an all-in-one type product, this is perfect, and the price it reasonable.

While the DVD is definitely NOT made for beginning yoga practitioners, the fact that you get a strap, mat and block for less than $30 makes this product worth it. If you're starting out and the cost of getting everything you need to successfully start practicing yoga seems daunting, you should get this kit and a different Yoga for Beginners DVD (personally, I recommend Suzanne Deason's Yoga for Weight Loss because it offers modifications for all skill levels and you can use it throughout your practice) and it will be worth the price. Once you know the poses used in the included DVD, are comfortable moving through them quickly and can make your own modifications for your skill level, then pull out this DVD for a quick morning workout when you're running late.

I haven't watched the DVD, but the block/mat are good quality, although this is an extra mat for me and a bit thinner than my other one. Works well on carpets but I am afraid to try it on a wood floor.