Customer Reviews

Jennifer Kries, Yin Yoga

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

NOTE. The yoga sequences on this DVD contain footage which has previously appeared on Jennifer Kries' Hot Body Cool Mind series DVDs.

In this DVD, instructor Jennifer Kries presents Yin Yoga, a style of yoga in which the postures are held at length, usually up to 10-15 minutes. However, Jennifer and her two background exercises do NOT hold the postures for the recommended length; instead, they hold each pose for approximately 10 breaths, with Jennifer encouraging you to hold the poses longer on your own. In her Introduction to this DVD, Jennifer calls Yin Yoga the "un-workout," noting that it is cooling, calming, and restoring; she also refers to the practice as "needle-less acupuncture." All postures are performed entirely on the floor.

The Main Menu offers the following selections: Introduction, Workouts (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced), Yin Yoga and Meridian Theory Interview, Credits, and About Jennifer. The three workouts contain very similar postures and footage, but additional poses are added as the difficultly level increases. However, the workouts would more appropriately be called "Short, Medium, Long," as it is mainly the length rather than the difficultly level which increases; furthermore, Jennifer has her background exercisers display various levels of difficulty in all three workouts. Throughout each practice, Jennifer talks about the meridian pairs addressed by each posture, noting some of the benefits/effects that you might experience.

The Beginner workout is about 20 minutes long and includes butterfly, full seated forward bend, child's pose (Jennifer recommends performing this pose between all of the postures but only shows it only the one time), dragonfly (wide-leg seated forward bend), thread the needle, reclined twist (aka revolved stomach pose), savasana (relaxation), and final meditation. The Intermediate practice comes in around 23 minutes and includes full forward bend, child's pose, saddle (similar to 1-leg reclined hero), choice of shoelace (bull seat or the legs from cow-face pose) or ankle to knee (double pigeon), pigeon, quarter dog, reclined twist, and relaxation/final meditation. Finally, the Advanced workout is 33 minutes long; the postures include include butterfly, a choice of seal (similar to cobra) or saddle, seated forward bend, dragon, a choice of shoelace or eye of the needle or ankle to knee, pigeon, wide-legged child's pose, dragonfly, quarter dog, reclined twist, dead bug, cross-legged seated forward bend with crossed arms, and relaxation/final meditation.

In the Yin Yoga and Meridian Theory Interview, Jennifer interviews a friend of hers who is a shiatsu practitioner. The interview begins with an explanation of "yin" and continues with talking about Chinese element theory and how this impacts emotions. The conversation then moves into a discussion of exactly how the "Makko-Ho's" (exercises to address meridian pairs) target various meridians in the body. At this point, Jennifer calls upon a male and female dancer to demonstrate some of the Yin yoga postures while she and her friend point out the affected areas of the body. This segment is 9 minutes long.

Overall, I really liked the Yin sequences on this DVD; I find the soothing effects of Yin Yoga to be a nice alternative to my usual hatha yoga practice. However, the one thing I didn't like is that Jennifer does not allow enough time in each pose. In order to do the Yin practices the way she recommends (ie, holding each posture 10-15 minutes), you would need to pause the DVD and keep track of the elapsed time on your own, which I find to be awkward. Still, this is a very good introduction to Yin Yoga which provides a nice variety of options for all levels of yoga practitioners.

After studying different vigorous types of yoga and gaining stregth and balance from them, I was looking forward to something that would still challenge me, but offer more in depth time with each posture. As a recovering back injury prevents me from doing certain active postures in my classes, I find the Yin approach very helpful at opening up deep tissue and allowing my surrender to gravity to be very comforting and awakening. The teaching is clear and easy to follow. Sometimes the voice of a teacher on a instructional DVD can be distracting, but I don't find this one to be so. She doesn't waste time with unwelcome talk, but offers encouragement as well as valuable information to each posture and one feels as if they are in a clas setting that is structured without being cloying.
The idea of slowing a movement down to stillness for an extended period of time is almost alien to us in the West. Allowing the body to be supported in the posture while allowing the muscles and tissues to take time to really open and give way to gravity is something I think is quite needed in private and class settings.
Each posture is allowed to be held for a 10 breath cycle. This doesn't seem like much at first glance, but with the good cues on alignment given, this is very beneficial to the new student as well as the more expeirienced pratitioner. With practice, the posture can be held for longer periods of time and the bodies somatic memory becomes more at ease within the stillness and opening of the body.
It has hleped with my old injuries as well as new aches that crop up due to life and more active yoga practices. I use it as a tool to help me really reach subtle points within the postures offered, letting my breath create a large realm of awareness and self exploration.
I would definatly like to study more of this type of Yoga and offer it's benefits to my students.

First, this DVD is really just a hurried intro to various poses. (Get it from your local library first, if you can). The poses aren't even held for the same amount of time on each side. If you want to learn some poses you can then do on your own, then this should work fine for you, but I like to practice along with a real workout sequence.

Second, Jennifer never misses a chance to plug her other DVD's throughout. She does this at least half a dozen times, and I find it extremely tacky and irritating.

Third, if you use this regularly, you will get really tired of her not only plugging her other DVD's, but also of her saying things like "....and you've been lying around like a lox, as my grandmother used to say". Then she laughs. Or "....and now I'm going to use my towel for another purpose.." and she dabs her face with it while smiling.

Maybe I'm just too picky, but I want a real workout, without a lot of pointless chatter, and without continual shameless plugs for other merchandise.

I am a kundalini yogi and have used Ravi Singh and Ana Brett dvds for my personal use and my health has really benefited. I got this dvd for the holidays and this yoga really compliments with my personal yoga discipline - it is great for days when you have your period (for women) and when you want a gentle relaxation at the end of a very hectic day. mind you I am loving this dvd so much I am also doing this in the morning. I have noticed health benefits within one week of using the dvd. I highly recommend this form of restorative yoga for those who wants to balance their life. We all spend too much time racing around and then spend more energy going to the gym ... there needs to be a balance and as much as sitting to read or watch telly is relaxing - this is not the same!

the tape covers both theories and practice, The practice is split into three levels from beginner to advance. Each has its own poses and variation and I would say there is little difference with the exception of some more advance variations in the advance piece. Note that you should sit in the pose for at least 5 minutes, this dvd covers it in 10 breathes, which is great for newbies, but I just had the remote to pause that allowed me the amount of time to sit in the pose... this morning doing the advance level (33 minutes on the DVD) with numerous pauses, it took me over 90 minutes and the time just flew by! I could have been quite happy to sit longer in some of the poses!

I received this DVD by mistake - I had ordered something entirely different; but, I really like where it has led me. As an introduction it is great.

As a yoga newbie I am often disappointed when a DVD instructor whips through a practice. I am not very flexible yet and my balance skills need some real work. Sometimes I can't get anywhere close to a certain pose. If I can take a second and hold it, I can feel myself start to open up - but then the instructor is on to something else before I can further explore what is happening with my body.

Then this DVD showed up and I learned about a whole new world of slow-moving yoga and holding poses for minutes instead of seconds. It has changed my focus and how I do yoga. Now I do a regular routine every other day and Yin on the in-between days.

Why only 3 stars? Well, for starters her voice is very irritating! And She never shuts-up! And she comes across as a little arrogant or something. The other reason is that she doesn't hold the positions for as long as she recommends. I hate having to stop and start the DVD when I am trying to be fully present in my practice.

All that being said, it is a good place to start if you are interested.

Beth Cholette wrote a great review, I agree with 100%.
Jennifer still over talks at pretty quick speed, the music is nice, but too light which doesn't help overcome Jennifer's stiff, but earnest teaching. Jennifer gives great info about meridians & how the poses help the body which I wish ALL dvds did, even as an alternate narration choice.
For all she teaches, she could have spoke more slowly and made the poses actually last the 5-10 min they should be. Even to save money, she could have only said how to do the pose while she was there, then had an alternate workout choice w/her narration spoken more calmly while only having the backup students hold the pose.
As another said, Jennifer still comes off as arrogant but I think it's more that she is an overachiever or a perfectionist. Her energy in these dvds don't induce calm or positiveness it should, especially for yoga, though I am grateful she has brought the mind/body workout with such great production quality to mainstream. If anyone is sensitive to to stiff, tight, negative energy, keep this in mind, but the knowledge found in it may compensate for that.

This video taught the poses, but you can't follow along and do the workout with her, because it is merely instructional. I like to put in the video and do my workout with the tape. I learned the poses and do them in my own time. It was only ok.

I have tried other Yoga DVD's before and they usually are too advanced or take too little time in each pose.... moving quickly from one pose to another leaving the student to develop their own work out.

Not the case here.

There are complete workouts for three different levels introducing more difficult poses with each workout.

I have a bad right hip due to an automobile accident, and in being in my 50's had lost much of my flexibility. This video has helped me get some back using the basic workout. I can see eventually moving up to more advanced levels.

I also appreciate her discussion of WHY one is doing each exercise in terms of meridians and Chi Gung.

I really liked her style and would recommend this as a beginning Yoga instruction or as a means of getting one's flexibility back.

i'm finding that i'm adding more yin into my practice. i consider it "active/restorative" yoga. i love the paul grilley dvd but find i can't always take an hour for the practice. this kinda solves that. some poses don't feel like their are held for equal time on both sides. there's a tad too much talking. overall, a dvd i think i'll keep.

This video is a great intro to the stretches of yin yoga, discussing the why's and how's, but it is not really a workout. She tells you the stretches you have to do and why, but then says "and you should do this for 5 minutes" but then shows you the next exercise. So basically, I feel like I either have to write the exercises down and then do them myself or I have to hit the pause button after she shows an exercise and set a timer for 3 or 5 minutes and then look at the next one (either is inconvenient if you think you are going to do a workout). It would be much better if she just held the poses and actually did the workout.