Customer Reviews

LifeForce Yoga to Beat the Blues - Level One

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3 star:		(3)
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This is set in a beautiful park-like of wide open grass/trees, cacti & mountain in the back in Tucson, AZ. Amy Weintraub alone demonstrating & using voice over. The production quality is well done for all aspects. Amy has a very non self-conscious, new age style that demands you be open, silly (non one's watching) & relax. Amy has great body awareness, great energy that you want to learn from.
Here is the breakdown of the dvd with poses/stretches she spends most on listed. This isn't about working out or sweating, but about being more aware of your body & letting go. The pace is very relaxed & she gives modifications by words & also flashes in/out of video of her doing them.

Menu: play & chapter choices
Intro: 5 min
Joint warm-up - 5 min
opening up joints, kinda dancing
Centering Mediation - 5 min
seated breathing & chanting
Breathing Exercises - 8 min
seated breathing, easy kunalini movements, chanting & easy standing kunalini movements,
Warm-up Poses - 18 min
a few very modified standing fwd bed, chair, mountain pose & down dogs, relined leg stretches, knee to chest stretches, sphinx, shoulder stretch, more basic modified sun salutations, cat/cow & few other her own style linked stretches
Cultivating Will: Standing Postures - 13 min
standing fwd bend, lunge, warrior 1 very modified arms, pyramid
Will & Willingness: Back bend postures - 6 min
locust or she calls bow, full bow, child's, & roll to lean on crown a little she calls rabbit.
Will & Surrender: Fwd Bend & Twist - 10 min
simple spine stretches, sitting fwd bend, reverse plank, reclined spinal twist, reclined butterfly, raise & lower legs slowly & hold for slight ab work
Yoga Nidra: Surrender - 10 min
Ends w/Amy in Savasana reclined guiding you in meditation & then just music.

More about her at her site yogafordepression com

LifeForce Yoga to Beat the Blues is beautifully done and uplifting. The practice is easy to follow, and it really improves one's mood, energy level and sense of being "in balance." The opening joint warm-up dance is so much fun and uses great sanskrit music. Amy Weintraub's descriptions of the breathing practices, yoga poses and yoga flows are excellent. She also weaves mantra throughout the practice, which adds another dimension. I would recommend this to anyone, at any level, who wants to improve their sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being.

I enjoyed Amy Weintraub's book and I love yoga, so I purchased this DVD. I really like the Joint Opening part, and the seated meditation. Once the yoga started with the chanting, I just couldn't get into it. Chanting is not the style of yoga that I enjoy - although others may. It is a well quality made DVD. So if you don't mind chanting throughout your yoga, it's for you. If chanting is not your style, then I would not recommend it. It's a nice gentle practice.

I loved this DVD. I was suffering from very severe depression/anxiety, and was put on medication. But, until the meds started to work, this DVD got me through. I still do it, as I feel that my mental health is important to maintain on as many levels as possible, and thus I don't leave it up to the meds alone. Again, I can't recommend this highly enough. Thank God for it!!!

Life Force Yoga to Beat the Blues is an all around fabulous yoga DVD whether you suffer from the blues or not. Amy Weintraub is a fabulous teacher and her instructions are clear and concise. The magnificent scenery and soothing music make it a feast for the senses. I own many yoga DVDs but this is an all time favorite!!
Trudy Haas
Yoga Teacher

I found this video very comforting and a great yoga practice as all of the poses and breathing exercises are aimed at helping depression and anxiety. Amy is a lovely teacher! I especially like the joint warm up at the beginning!

NOTE: I received a free copy of this DVD to review for Metapsychology Online Review; you can find a more complete version of my review on that web site.

This DVD is led by Amy Weintraub, who discovered that the practice of Kripalu yoga alleviated her own depression. Although it is a fairly gentle practice that is appropriate for beginning level students (although some prior familiarity with the poses would be helpful), Weintraub combines the postures with sounds, a style which may not appeal to everyone.

The entire practice is 75 minutes long. The chapter points are listed on the DVD case as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Joint Warm-Ups (4.5 minutes)
3. Centering Meditation (6 minutes)
4. Breathing Exercises (7.5 minutes)
5. Warm-Up Poses (19 minutes)
6. Cultivating Will: Standing Poses (12.5 minutes)
7. Will and Willingness: Backbending Poses (6 minutes)
8. Will and Surrender: Forward Bends and Twists (8 minutes)
9. Surrender: Yoga Nidra (11.5 minutes)

Weintraub practices alone outdoors in a bright, grassy, park-like setting. She teaches via voiceover and does not mirror-cue. For the Joint Warm-Ups, which are set against Krishna Das music, Weintraub loosens up the entire body, circling the ankles, knees, and the hips, and ending with a bit of a free-flowing "dance," encouraging you not to worry exactly how you're moving or what you look like. She offers the option of seated or lying for the Centering Meditation (6 minutes), during which she instructs you to focus on your breath as she leads you through the yogic 3-point breath. Weintraub first introduces chanting here, repeating "ohm" with the hands together and "yam" with the hands over the heart. The Breathing Exercises chapter reviews each of breath kriyas. Weintraub performs a few quick rounds of bellows breath (bhastrika) and skull shining breath (kapalabhati) in a seated position, then moves to standing for the breath of joy; she adds breath retention in-between each of these moves. Weintraub stresses the importance of reading the DVD insert before attempting to perform any of the pranayama.

In the Warm-Up Poses, Weintraub continues to combine mantras with movement, with the opening mountain pose sequence utilizing a bold "maha ra!" Coming to the floor, Weintraub moves through a reclined leg series plus thread the needle, and then from an all fours position, she performs a twist and a cat/cow variation that she calls "flying cow." This segment concludes with sphinx pose, down dog, and skull shining breath in chair pose. For the Standing Poses, Weintraub begins with a low lunge a chant of mahaha, which is intended to stimulate the heart chakra. This section also includes pyramid pose with the crown chakra sound and a warrior pose variation repeating the maha ra sound. The Backbending Poses consist of a gentle flow with boat (locust), bow, and rabbit postures. The Forward Bends and Twists begin with a full seated forward bend. Next comes one of the most challenging postures of this practice, a reverse plank with skull shining breath. Weintraub finishes this segment with a final round of skull shining breath in a lying twist. The practice concludes with Yoga Nidra, a lengthy, guided deep relaxation.

Weintraub's joy in filming this DVD is obvious and somewhat infectious. If you open both your heart and mind to practicing in this manner, it is likely that it will boost your mood and your spirit. Even though I consider myself a more intermediate yoga student, I really enjoyed the sequence of postures in this practice; the routine left me feeling stretched and refreshed. One final note, however: Weintraub cautions that the breathwork is not appropriate for those with Bipolar disorder/mania and should also be avoided by those who are pregnant, menstruating, or suffering from high blood pressure or an inflammatory condition.

I was somewhat disappointed with this DVD. When I received it, I discovered that many of the exercises are not for people with bipolar disorder (or inflammatory conditions such as IBD)...which would have been good to know before I bought the DVD. Also, I found the Sanskrit music rather annoying. However, the yoga teacher does seem to know about yoga and depression.

I began taking an anti-depressant last summer, and purchased this DVD about a month later. I did read her book, Yoga for Depression, first and loved it. At her suggestion, I committed to a daily yoga practice and use this DVD on the weekends when I have more time. I've now been off my medication for 5 months and am fine. GREAT TOOL!!!

I came across the book first, and before I could finish it I knew I wanted to try the DVD. I'm so glad that I did!

I am a yoga instructor and long-time yoga practitioner. An unfortunate trend in the Americanization of Hatha yoga is that the subtle energy aspects of the practice often fall by the wayside. Amy uses all of yoga's power in balancing the subtle energies that can have such an impact on mood "disorders". The use of the chakra seed sounds is refreshing and uplifting. This practice is easily accessible to those newer to yoga, and a delight to practice with as someone who practices daily.

If you are someone who is uncomfortable with the Sanskrit syllables, you can easily drop them out, but you'll miss out on the benefit that those lovely vibrations bring.

And, as someone who is recovering from a recent major depressive episode, I can say that I'll be practicing with this DVD often. Amy has reminded me that yoga is good medicine!

For those of you who haven't read Amy's book "Yoga for Depression", I highly recommend it as well! Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga