Customer Reviews

Total Yoga - The Flow Series, Earth [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished this video, and I am in complete
bliss body state! Ganga White and Tracy Rich have
done a terrific job with this video. It's a solid,
thorough introduction to their vinyasa flow style,
with a very balanced selection of postures and
beautifully clear instruction.

Modifications are cued and demonstrated
throughout the session, and make the tape a
progressive practice suitable for both
mid/advanced beginners and more experienced
practitioners.

The tape begins with breathwork, teaching Ujayi
and 3-part breathing. This is done very well, and
thoroughly, from a seated position. Next, they
move to the vinyasa sequence, which teaches two
different Surya Namascara (sun salutation) series
as well as several standing postures, standing and
seated twists, and preliminary backbends and
inversions. The practice ends with a wonderful
relaxation in savasana (corpse pose).

Postures are taught using both traditional and
English naming, and is suitable for all but the
very newest of beginners. If you are a novice,
try watching it through once or twice first, and
pay attention to the modifications.

I have around 100 yoga videos, and this will be
one of my favorites. Now I can't wait to try the
other two in this series! All in all, a terrific
experience, and highly recommended.

I have had the original Total Yoga tape for a while and really love it! Still, I thought that it was a tape that might be difficult for someone new to yoga.

This tape is definitely the answer!

It is very nicely paced, has simpler variations of the Sun Salutations that I feel anyone can pick up quite easily and it is beautifully done in every respect.

They have taken the wonderful qualities of the original tape and improved the presentation in every way. This tape has 360 degree camera angles of the poses which is really helpful, a much nicer set and the overall production qualities in general make for a really beautiful video. Of course, these things aren't what makes it a great yoga tape, but all the other things being equal I'll take the nicer production:)

Anyway, this is a very easy yet thorough routine to do to open up the body, even good for someone like myself who has been doing yoga for about 5 years but likes to alternate more intense practice days with gentler days. This way you can do Yoga every day without overdoing it. There is an explanation of ujayi breathing in the beginning and a full guided relaxation sequence at the end which rounds the tape off beautifully.

Tracey and Ganja as usual do a great job with their explanations and demonstrations throughout the tape. One thing I particularly like better about this tape (and the others in the "flow series" set) than the original "Total Yoga" tape, is that Tracey and Ganja are demonstrating side by side doing slightly different variations of the poses.

I would highly recommend this tape to anyone interested in trying a flow style of yoga but who wants something on the gentle side.

Another set that you might want to look into is the "Sacred Yoga" set by Rainbeau Mars. It's also a Vinyasa flow type of yoga but done with a different approach. There are four tapes in the series that move from more of a beginner/gentle level (For Beginners and Pure Tranquility) and to a very challenging level when you get to the 3rd and 4th tapes (Pure Power/Pure Sweat).

Namaste.

This is an excellent yoga tape once you get into it...my first try was frustrating, because there is a lot of instruction on it, and I kept raising my head to see what I was supposed to do. Perhaps watching this through once before trying it would be a good idea. Because of the detailed directions, much can be learned from this, no matter what one's level of expertise is.

The poses are very simple, and it starts with the ujjai breathing method. There are approximately 40 minutes of exercise (you will need a flat, bare wall to place your legs up against for one portion), and then it ends with several minutes of repose in the "corpse" position, and though your eyes are supposed be closed for this, there are some magnificent still panoramic photos in this section by Wayne Williams.

Set in a clean studio with a sky backdrop, it's demonstrated by Ganga White, who was the innovator of this yoga method, and Tracey Rich, who does the narration as well. She is a slender woman of steel, with the flexibility of a rubber band...and is certainly an expert teacher.

You won't get any warmth and encouragement from this tape, it's very clinical, and to the point. I may not be "fun", but you'll feel great afterwards.
Other than the "lotus" sitting pose, which I'm unable to do because of knee problems, there is nothing in this tape to stress the body. It's a very low impact set of exercises, which will strengthen and stretch, and relax the body as well as the mind.

After practicing with other 'so called' beginning yoga videos, I would highly recommend this "Earth" tape as the best of them all by far. To me, it was #1 in instruction, #1 in detail, #1 in visual coverage of each pose, and #1 in beautiful production quality that leave all the others washed up on the beach. But most important, as reviewed in Yoga Journal, you "know you are in the hands of EXPERTS!" Ganga and Tracey truely present the confidence that anyone can do this practice and do it well. I'm only sorry I can only give this 5 stars, it's the best start to anyone thinking about getting going with yoga.

I have purchased many yoga videos in the past but the new Flow Series/Earth Video is perfectly instructed and easy to follow. It is refreshing to see a video that focuses on yoga without unecessary talking and distracting outdoor scenes. As it is instructive and beautiful, each time I use the tape (which is often)I enjoy it more.

Finally, I am now able to have excellent yoga instruction without having to leave home for expensive lessons which are beyond my budget.

This is my second review of this program. I've had it for quite a while now and it's among my favorites in my collection (over 70 videos).

I practice vinyasa style yoga (flow) every day, but there are some days when my energy level is low or I'm just not feeling 100 percent. This is the sort of day when I use this video.

It give you the benefits of a vinyasa flow style yoga while still being gentle enough not to over tax you. It is very thorough in terms of it's sequence of postures and really puts your body through a very complete range of motion.

Tracy and Ganga demonstrate the poses beautifully, and while it's true that Tracy uses a more monotone delivery, I actually find it works for this video because her voice never becomes a distraction by drawing attention to itself. I find this helps to enhance the meditative quality of this practice.

I would recommend this video for intermediate and advanced practitioners as a gentle practice for those days when you just can't push too hard and also for beginners as an excellent introduction to vinyasa flow style yoga.

Here is the layout of the sequence.

Total Yoga: Earth Ganga White and Tracey Rich (White Lotus)

Preparation:
1. Ujayi Breathing 2. Three-Part Breath

Earth Series:

Tadasana

"A" Series Salutation with Modifications (4 x's) :

Sweep arms outward and overhead / Uttanasana / Standing Arch / (step back to) Down Dog / (step forward to) Standing Arch / Standing Fold / Arms Overhead / Tadasana

"C" Series Salutation (12 Position Sun Salutation) (4 x's)

Hands in Namaste / Arms Overhead ( palms facing) w/ slight arch / Uttanasana / Lunge w/ Right Leg back-knee to ground / Plank / (lower to) Ashtanga Pranam (knees-chest-chin) Sweep into Cobra / Down Dog / Right foot forward to Lunge with left knee to ground / (step to) Uttanasana / Arms overhead w/ slight arch / Close pose to tadasana

Triangle pose/Warrior 2 (Hero) pose/ Standing straddle fold twist

"A" Series Salutation (partial): Arms overhead / Uttanasana / Standing Arch / Down Dog

move thru table-top and lower to floor to:

Lying boat position (2 x's)/Embryo pose / Gentle neck release (rolling over the crown of the head, hands by shoulders-2'xs)

Transition to Bridge Position w/ three variations

1. Tuck Tailbone 2. Lift Hips (hands face down, roll shoulders under) 3. Full bridge (with hands clasped-arms straight)

Knees to chest, rotate knees counter clock wise then clock wise three times in each direction) then roll forward to :

Janu Sirsasana / Paschimottanasana (Seated forward fold)

Bent leg spinal twist/ Lying spinal twist

Legs up wall (inversions)/Straddle split position against wall/
Cobbler against wall

Savasana/Seated Meditation

Also recommended for a gentle vinyasa flow is the excellent program by Seane Corn "Vinyasa Flow Yoga" and Rainbeau Mars excellent series "Sacred Yoga".

Rodney Yee's excellent Power Yoga For Beginners series is also quite excellent as well.

Namaste

I live in Chattanooga, TN and take a yoga class at The Sports Barn. I have been actively participating since this summer and have really enjoyed the class and its benefits. My yoga instructor, Margaret Green, gave me the "Total Yoga - The Flow Series, Earth" video to take home. I really enjoyed the video. The poses are shown in an easy to follow manner and are shown at multiple angles. There are two instructors on the tape and I noticed each one does the poses a little different, which shows you a little variation that can exist for each person. It was nice to see the poses from an outside view and compare them to the way I do them myself. The series of poses shown was very thorough ending with a nice long version of the corpse pose. The video itself was shot very nicely with great narration and scenery...very well done. I truely enjoyed this video.

Contrary to what some others say, I find Tracey's voice very quiet and soothing, and not at all monotone. Depressing? No way. This is a very basic tape that flows smoothly from one pose to another, and gives me a good stretch. For all those people who buy tapes that say "beginner" and then are disappointed that there isn't enough basic instruction, you might want to consider taking live classes to learn the poses. Having someone there to explain and correct in detail is invaluable. That's what I did and then I was able to go on to using various tapes as opposed to paying for several classes a week (too expensive). You have to realize there is no way that every video that says "beginner" on it can get into all the nuances of each pose. I still consider myself a beginner and I've been practicing yoga for about 7 years. At any rate, I've been using this video several times a week for nearly a year and haven't tired of it yet.

This nicely done video is extremely basic and can be easily modified for almost anyone. It was not monotonous; however, I can see why some students would quickly want to move on to the next level.

Total Yoga, Earth is a flowing yoga practice led by two instructors, Tracey Rich and Ganga White. Tracey provides voiceover instruction, while Ganga displays more advanced variations of all poses.

The workout begins with a 5 minute breathing practice followed by approximately 13 minutes of sun salutations. Tracey introduces each salutation series, and although several different series are done for variation, by halfway through, I was getting bored. Next was 6 minutes of standing poses performed first on one side, then on the other. Another sun salutation series was used as a transition to the floor for 10 minutes of seated poses. Following this was a 6 minute section of simple inversions performed against a wall for support.

The final section of this practice contained a 10-minute guided relaxation. It begins with 2 minutes of instruction by Tracey; this is followed by 6 minutes of soft music during a photographic slide show (a little odd since your eyes are supposed to be closed). Finally, there are two more minutes of instruction to end the practice, which I clocked at 50 minutes total.

Although many people seem to like this workout, I didn't find it to be particularly enjoyable. Both Tracey's voice and the setting of a plain white room seemed antiseptic to me--I found the effect to be boring rather than soothing. Furthermore, although I am an intermediate yoga practitioner, I found it difficult to follow along due to inadequate cuing; for this reason, I definitely would not recommend this video to beginners. If you are looking for a calming, relaxing yoga practice, I would recommend either Crunch Candlelight Yoga or Kripalu Yoga, Gentle, both of which are excellent for beginners.