Customer Reviews

Living Yoga - Power Stamina Yoga for Beginners [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been practicing yoga on and off for five years and am just coming back after several months off. I had practiced power yoga for two years but needed a shorter workout to fit into my schedule and to help reorient my body after a long lapse from yoga practice. This tape scores on both counts: it's short enough to squeeze into my morning schedule, and it covers the basics of a power yoga workout without being as challenging as my hour-long tapes. I highly recommend this tape for anyone with a little yoga experience who is looking for an introduction to power yoga or a condensed power yoga workout to supplement their existing practice. If you're completely new to yoga, I would recommend you start with a more basic tape before attempting this tape. I particularly recommend Living Arts' Yoga Practice for Beginners with Patricia Walden. It is designed to teach beginners not just the how to do the basic poses, but the underlying principles of each pose and the fundamentals of good yoga technique.

Enthusiastic about exercise, I sought a diploma in Fitness and Nutrition, and have on occasion been an aerobic instructor. After bearing two children, my lifestyle changed and I slumped into a sea of nonactivity. Recently, I decided that it was time to "get back my majorette body", but I was tired of all the bouncing, stepping and kicking. That's when I discovered Power Yoga for Beginners by Rodney Yee. I immediately became interested and purchased the video. I've used it for two weeks, looked forward to each session, and I feel great! The length of the tape isn't so long that I tire, but it is full of movements which challenge my body. The scenery itself is motivating, and Yee's voice is so relaxed that I actually seem at one with him during the effort. My intention is to master this introduction and then purchase the other videos in the series. Rachel Hudnall

I bought this tape because I'd heard about all the movie stars being oh-so-fit just doing Yoga. I have to say, I was pretty skeptical that what I considered "stretches" could actually be effective. After all, I've done high-impact aerobics most of my adult life to stay in shape.

I strictly watched this tape the first time so I'd know what to expect. Then I rewound it and I've been using it on a daily basis ever since!

As I mentioned before, I used to do high-impact aerobics. It was the only way I knew how to stay in shape but it was very hard on my bad knees.

Rodney Yee's Yoga tape really challenges your strength and stretches your muscles without jarring your joints like aerobics does. I do Yoga in combination with a light walking program on my treadmill. After I walk, I use the tape and get some good solid stretches in.

I am so much stronger and before I started the walking program, I used this tape alone. I noticed a difference almost immediately. Even now, my muscles still ache a bit because this tape is so good.

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga for Beginners is challenging for those who are already strong and in shape but also easy on those who are trying to get in shape. My mom has arthritis and she can make it through this workout!

Let me start this off w/ I've taken a few "health club" Power Yoga classes to see what it's about. I loved the slight raising of the heart rate w/ the flexibility & stretching in a calming format. So, when I no longer had a schedule to enable me to attend the classes, I bought this tape on recommendation from my instructor. I found it to be an EXCELLENT beginning Power Yoga tape. But I do recommend watching it first if you've never tried Yoga before - to get down the basics of poses and the "flow." It is not, however, a tape for the more spiritual/metaphysical practices of yoga for those that are serious in that aspect. There are other "styles" of yoga more suited for this. Power Yoga is DEFINITELY the "trendy, health club" style (of Yoga), but great for those of us that want slight aerobic benefit from flowing quickly from pose to pose while increasing flexibility & strength in one! Rodney Yee's directions are clear and the scenery beautiful!

I was really looking forward to a nice basic yoga video for beginners. This was not it. Beautiful scenery and relaxing sounds, but the movements/positions and Rodney Yee were too fast for me.

Although this video--and the rest of the power yoga for beginners series--has many great attributes (flow, music, Rodney Yee's excellent style), I wouldn't consider it a truly beginner-level video.

I bought this video for my 56-year old mother, who is brand new to yoga and who brings to her yoga practice some arthritis and back pain. As I followed this course in the living room with my mother, I found the pace and approach of these particular videos somewhat inappropriate or intimidating to someone who isn't already something of an athlete or a yoga practitioner. Keep in mind that this is coming from a student of Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga of over a year.

There is little to no introduction from which the beginner student could glean the basics of breathing, flow, and the philosophy of yoga. Likewise, I felt that the flow moved a bit quickly for a beginner tape, making it difficult for the less-limber or slightly-out-of-breath to easily and confidently enter into a Yoga practice of his or her own.

While Rodney is an excellent and respected teacher, and although this tape is otherwise very well done, I would hesitate to recommend it to a very "green" student of yoga.

This tape really gives solid workout. Me and my wife first bought the AM/PM yoga series about a year ago. I quickly got bored with those tapes since they were not particularly challenging to me after a while.

I decided to move on to the Power Yoga series, expecting to further improve my yoga techniques while getting a great upper body workout with improved flexibility. I first bought this "Power Yoga for Stamina" video and enjoyed it very much. For more variety, I bought the next video "Power Yoga for Strength", which is more intense (see my review). I bought the third volume, "Flexibility" (another review) at a later time.

This video familiarizes you with the upward AND downward facing dog poses. These are part of the sun salutions which open the video and are done in series with the mountain pose (standing straight up, arms in air). You'll also do several lunges and warrior poses which will burn your legs and definitely make you sweat. The workout ends with cooldown stretches and "mindful" relaxation (aka lying on the ground asleep!). This video can be used an effective warmup to a much more intense workout you might perform such as biking, running, basketball, etc.

If you're new to yoga, I highly recommend that you try the AM/PM yoga first. Then buy this video followed by the others in the series. This video is an excellent introduction to Power yoga and is a summation of all three videos.

If you're advanced: get all three videos and practice all three in a row(never tried). The series seems to be designed to work this way. This video (Stamina) is essentially a warmup with the middle video (Strength) as an intense workout with the final volume (Flexibility) to cool down your muscles.

Yes, it is fast pace, but you need to watch at least once without exercising to observe and then practice the tape a couple times before you get familiar with the poses. An excellent buy!

This is a very nicely produced video, shot on a beautiful back drop. A very professional job was done. As for being a yoga program for beginners, it's just weak. Why? This is watered down ashtanga, without the most important element: breath. There's no attention to breath, no explanation of how to breath, and no association between breath and moving in and out of each posture. Without the breath, this is just stretching. And you will not be able to develop or maintain the internal heat that is characteristic of ashtanga practice.

There is no introduction to the postures or the basics of the sun salutation, which makes this unsuitable for beginners without a supplementary text. I doubt you'll find a text on Rodney Yee yoga.

And since this whole thing was slapped together as a custom program by Rodney Yee, it's not really useful without being in front of the screen unless your interested in memorizing Rodney Yee's basic yoga. Finally, this tape has a useful lifespan of maybe 2 months. After that, any reasonably fit person should have mastered the series and have nothing to move on to.

In general, you'd be much better off learning the primary series in ashtanga or if that's too much, look at the short forms tape by David Swensen, which is an excellent starting point with 15 and 30 minute workouts.

BTW: I'm not an ashtanga purest or fanatic. I think that the living arts series that focus on yoga for toning specific areas are great. For example, I really like Rodney Yee's Yoga for Abs tape. It's just this Power Yoga series that's a bit weak.

After learning the basics with Living Yoga - Yoga Practice for Beginners (I had no classes before), I was able to follow this tape easily (I mean I understood it easily, the poses aren't easy for me yet). I think it is somewhat short (only 20 min.) but, on the other hand, I can't say I don't have time to do it daily. Rodney Yee is really a great teacher, it is a wonderful experience to try to follow his instructions. I feel really good after doing it and it is sure a complete exercise for the body, much better and balanced than the previous sports I tried.

When I was in Maui last year, I took my first yoga class at the resort we stayed in. I enjoyed it so much. I have not been able to set a regular exercise program in my life for years. I am usually too tired, too stressed or don't have the time or energy after working many hours. If you fit into the same category, Power Yoga for beginners is the perfect solution. The 20 minutes is easier to fit in than a trip to the gym and not as demanding on your body as aerobics. When I am too tired or stressed, I look forward to this workout. It relaxes me and rejuvenates me. I started using it every day. I feel much better about my body and my health. I have been able to tone up considerably. (I've even gotten several compliments on my figure.) To add variety, I worked in other Rodney Yee tapes to help me work on specific areas, the dreaded abs and the back. Best of all, it brings me back to the beautiful island of Maui. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED