Customer Reviews

Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga: Primary Series with Melanie Fawer Certified by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

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

 

 

This DVD is a lot more expensive than most Ashtanga DVDs on the market. With that said it also one of the best DVDs on the market as well. There are two DVDs the first is the Primary Series from start to finish uninterupted (approximately 90 minutes). The second is a 3 hr step-by-step of how to do the primary series. It is broken down into lessons. Each proceeding lesson includes another pose. The first lesson demonstrates Sun Salutation A, the second Sun Salutation B. The ashtanga newbie can start with a 20 minute session which includes Sun Salutation A & B and modified closing sequence. The more experienced and comfortable you become, the more lessons you add, until you get to the point where you can do the entire 90 minute session.

This DVD is a great way for any new ashtanga practioner to learn ashtanga in a safe way. Going to an experienced and if possible certified/authorized ashtanga teacher while using this DVD to supplement your experience is best, but if that is not possible, this DVD will still help you along.

For the experienced Primary Series practioner, the instructor (Melaine Fawer) provides easy to follow prompts and does a very clean, basic version of the Primary Series (e.g. she does not do hand stands between navasanas, and does basic jump back/jump throughs on the marchiasanas). Her pacing is less rushed than the David Swenson Primary Series DVD (I've heard people complain about having too fast of pace), but is faster than Richard Freeman's Primary Series DVD (Some complain about holding poses too long). The entire practice takes about 85 minutes and she does a very traditional practice. Overall, this an excellent DVD if you are new to ashtanga or want a moderate pace to follow along with for your Primary series practice.

I would not suggest this DVD for a very advanced Primary Series practitioner other than for reference only.

I totally love this DVD. Melanie Fawer teaches the sequence of the ashtanga yoga practice with care and patience. Here, the student can move on it's own pace and slowly advance through the sequence with no rush. Most importantly Fawer maintains the traditional method of ashtanga yoga as taught by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Master. This DVD offers a very solid introduction to ashtanga yoga Mysore style practice. In the beginning of this DVD, Fawer takes you on an short journey to Mysore, India, allowing the viewer a glimpse of India and it's yoga tradition on it's purest form; simple and direct.

I agree with the positive statements of the other reviewers. However, I wonder why Ms. Fawer has omitted instruction on the breathing and the bandhas. This should have been covered in the first chapter prior to Surya Namaskara A.
Apart from this I like the very traditional and pure Mysore style approach that makes it possible for the new practitioner to build the practice pose after pose.

I was fortunate enough to attend a weekend workshop several years ago taught by Melanie. I had already been using this fantastic DVD for some time, knowing that Melanie is certified by Sri. K. Pattahbi Jois. (I also had the supreme pleasure of attending a workshop with him several years ago, here in Austin). David Swenson, while also one of the best instructors of Ashtanga, (who's workshop I also attended and thoroughly enjoyed) is not actually certified by the master.

I am very surprised that this DVD is only available through Amazon Marketplace now, because it is, in my humble opinion, the best Ashtanga DVD on the market. I own David Swenson's, (and he has the best book on the market for learning Ashtanga), which, unfortunately, has poor aesthetic/sound quality. Melanie's aesthetics, sound quality, and step-by-step instructions are immaculate. The DVD contains one 90-minute practice DVD, and one that is approximately three hours, which is the learning DVD for all the asanas and for putting your Mysore practice together in the correct manner--always ending with the finishing sequence, even before you have mastered the standing and sitting asanas.

I do not recommend learning Ashtanga only through DVD instruction. I began learning Ashtanga after several months of hatha yoga classes, and proceeded to take a workshop with Sri K Pattahbi Jois. Once I was on my own at home, I wanted to have some support, and a DVD to help slow me down (I tended to finish in 75 minutes) and keep me at an even pace. Even now I will occasionally do my daily practice with her DVD, to keep me paced.

Melanie Fawer filmed this in her shala in New Orleans. Besides a beautiful and graceful form, Melanie possesses an intention that is palpable through watching her Mysore practice. Her voice is lovely, and she conveys warmth and closeness as if she is in the room with you giving you one-on-one instruction, despite the voice-over style. I did see one odd "error" in her practice video--she does six Surya Namaskara B vinyasas instead of five.

I tried to find the music that she uses for savasana, the only music on the DVD other than in the intro sequence (Ashtanaga should not be done with music except for savasana), but was unable to find it. Sometimes I will cue it just at that point, and press play right as I am going into savasana.

Anyone seeking Ashtanga instruction should first attend classes with a certified instructor. This DVD is meant to support and enhance your practice. However, once you have been guided in classes, you can use Melanie's DVD to further your practice and help keep you paced. Mysore, of course, should be a solo experience and a individual one. What Melanie's DVD does is remind me gently of focused alignment and the bandhas (staying locked).

Additionally, Melanie's mindful instruction reflects the ancient principles of Ashtanga and emphasizes the breath--Ujjayi breathing--and the balance of breathing and postures, which is the heart of any yoga experience.

Namaste

This dvd is great. I have a bunch of other ashtanga videos. I like them but this feels very authentic. Has great direction and though I am just a beginner, it gives me the feeling that one day I might be able to complete the entire first series (one day). I'm in love with this practice.

I have done other styles of yoga for years and after practicing Vinyasa Yoga for a while I became interested in the source - Ashtanga Yoga. I can't say enough good things about Melanie Fawer's DVD's. There is enough to keep me going for years here. All material is presented clearly and the dual formats (on two DVD's)are a great idea. Ms. Fawer is extraordinary, a joy to learn from. I feel that I have found a great source, not only for insights into Ashtanga Yoga, which takes years to learn, but for elements I can use in my current practice immediately. One small improvement might be more angles to view the asanas, but really, this series is so good, and Melanie Fawer so great to watch, that it is easily overlooked. I only wish I lived in New Orleans, to study with her directly!

This a great but pricey DVD but I feel it is worth it. I will be working with this one for some time it challenges you but not to the point you feel like giving up. F.Y.I. I own Richard Freemans and Doug Swenson's DVD but I'm reaching for this one a whole lot more I appreciate her thoroughness. I would recommend this DVD to anyone looking for a great but not overwhelming Ashtanga DVD provided you're not an absolute beginner, I mean buy it if you really want to but she doesn't use props or hold poses long enough to accommodate a real inflexible beginner. I feel like you should stay in a pose that challenges you for at least five minutes so you can master it and one day go on with the flow. Here is something to think about:

Manju Jois Interview New York 2000:

Well for us it was fun to see my father doing yoga, putting himself in all these postures. You know it was really amazing. He used to pick a posture sometimes and he would like to stay in that posture for a long time. And that's how he used to practice. And that's how he started telling us to do that. There's no need to do millions of postures, just try to master one at a time then you can go to the next one. I really enjoyed watching my father doing yoga. Sometimes we all used do it together too: me and my sister and my father.


Namaste

I really wanted to love this video, but I don't. I am new to astanga and really wanted to learn from this video. I am very frustrated that I can't get to the finishing sequences in any way on the practice video (or the instructional video either, for that matter), aside from fast forwarding to the very end (which would take a very long time.) I can't find any way to add the finishing sequences to my practice without memorizing them and "doing them on your own", as suggested within the video. Without being able to skip to the finishing sequences on the instructional video, I can't easily memorize them.

In my opinion, the lack of any menu at all on the practice video makes it unusable. I have owned this for a few years. I keep trying again, and keep giving up. I will finally buy a video with a more useful menu.