Customer Reviews

Yin Yoga: The Foundations of a Quiet Practice

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This may seem like a lot to spend on a yoga DVD, but you get so much for your money. It's well worth it.

It's a 2-set DVD.

The first DVD is lecture on theory on Yin Yoga, learning the yang sequences, and special features including biographies, demonstration performances, and more. Paul Grilley is an excellent presenter. He explains in a very clear, complete, and sometimes humorous way the theory behind Yin Yoga. Yin yoga works on your connective tissue and not so much muscular stretching like other yogas.

The second DVD includes the practice and has three one-hour Yin practices: hip series, spine series, and infanct series. All practice is done on the floor and you hold the postures for up to five minutes to work on your connective tissues. It is a much different practice than traditional yoga. You will feel your body and bones open up. I love these practices and Yin yoga is a great way to balance out vinyasa or bikram yoga practices (Yang). For each of these 3 practices you have two choices of audio: either indepth instruction or just queues. What a great idea! Once you know the practices you won't normally want to listen over and over to the detailed instructions and this option allows you to do that. Paul leads the instruction in a very pleasant and complete manner.

Also included on the practice DVD are three Yang practices running about 2 minutes each. These are a beautifual mix on vinyasa style yoga and tai chi. You have the options to loop each one individually or sequence-repeat in any order you like. This is a lovely way to customize your workout to whatever your energy level is for any given day.

The final practice on the DVD is four routines with still photos and queues. Again you can mix and match how you want. This is lovely way to make your own practice without distraction of a class room setting.

My acupuncturist recommended this style of yoga and I was so happy to find this DVD. It has balanced out my home practice and my Bikram yoga practice. The producers of this DVD have done a fabulous job of designing the interactive screens. I only wish they would have added some light music in the background, but you can always have a CD player at hand to add your own. Paul Grilley instructions are very clear and soothing and his students demonstrate for both beginning, intermediate, and advanced practice. Suzee Grilley demonstrates the advanced postures and she radiates them beautifully.

I highly recommend this DVD for everyone. Please, also see my other yoga DVD reviews on Amazon.

I wrote a review of this DVD about a month ago and now am revising it because:

I cannot say enough good things about it! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

What's so great?

1. There are hundreds of yoga dvds out there and almost all of them teach a variation of the sun salutation. Thank you, Pranamaya and Paul Grilley, for breaking that mold! Just for the refreshing change, I rate the DVD highly.

2. There is a lot of information on these DVDs. The first in the set has "Theory" (which I haven't even viewed yet, because I have his book) and the other has three hour hour long Yin practices and 3 Yang (flow) looping sequences. You can also create your own series and have the choice of doing the full hours with either instruction and talking or cues and music.

One reviewer said that this DVD is not for beginners. I disagree. As an intermediate yoga student, I've inadvertantly hurt myself doing so-called beginner practices from other DVDs that were for beginners on account of how fast they were moving; my brain and body did not hve time to adjust to the new posture, let alone breath into it.

Yes, the holds are somewhat long (4-5 minutes) but these are not difficult poses. Anyway, the point is not to force your body into doing anything it absoutely cannot do. Grilley offers suggestions for alternative poses and explains how and why one would hold their body a certain way based on both your flexibility and your bone structure.

I wrote this a month ago:

I find the Yin practice to be wonderful. I can feel my body fighting it's "need" to hold onto tension. Most days, it melts away and I end this practice feeling like I've done a long meditation and had an invigorating massage at the same time. What could be better?

Now: after only one month, I am feeling and seeing the results of this practice. It enables me to work harder in my other, more strenuous practices, and I'm having almost no chronic back pain after a day of work.

This is the best Yoga DVD I have, hands down.

Paul Grilley has made a name for himself as one of the most vocal proponents of correctly understanding the role of Anatomy in a yoga practice. Now, in Yin Yoga, he blows the roof off some cherished concepts in exercise science in a lucid exposition that is dead on, charismatically delivered, and utterly fascinating. And that's not even getting into the practice part of things!

Pranayama and Paul appear to have formed a partnership where the major winner is the Yoga practitioner. This 2 DVD set is split into two foci: Theory and Practice. The theory section deals primarily with expounding the logic behind the Yin Yoga approach. "Yin" Yoga focuses on long holds with relaxed muscles; the focus is to stretch ligament and fascia while providing gentle pressure on the joints. Again, one can hear the tortured cried of the exericse physiologists and kinesiologists: how can you honestly say it's alright to stress the joints? What unfolds in a roughly hour and 3/4 lecture is the most lucid and accurate explanation of why this is the best idea ever. And without giving too much away, the whammy at the end is well set-up, and an utterly new way of seeing into the role of ligament and fascia in keeping the body physically and energetically well.

The lecture CD also contains a demontration of Yang forms -- those that work the muscles. These are complemented by the Yin forms demonstrated on Disc 2. There is approximately 5 hours of practice material, between master classes and slideshow presentations of practices. The Yin practices are a little bizarre when approached from the standard, Krisnamacharya vinyasa perspective. The first shot in the first practice is of Paul sitting like an ancient Kung Fu master with a stopwatch. But, from there, the practice unfolds with a Zen like elegance. It is certainly true that not everyone will find success with this practice on the first try. As Paul explains on the first DVD, the very fact that we struggle with practice is indicative of the fact that we MUST continue to do it! Yin Yoga is a practice of patience, and it will resonate well with some, and as antithetical to others.

As always, Pranamaya's DVDs will first appeal to those who are fascinates with theory-in-practice, and may already be "into" the larger picture of Yoga beyond the physical aspects of asana. But there is much here that can be appreciated by a wide range of practitioners and backgrounds -- not the least are exercise scientists and physiologists who may need to cast off the shackles of early 20th century thinking. In summary, a superlative effort that royally pays off on many levels.

I am a certified yoga teacher, have taught yin yoga for two years, and been familiar with Paul Grilley's work for quite some time. Allow me to let you in a secret - yin yoga is simply holding standard yoga postures longer (2-5 minutes) and trying to relax the muscles during the poses. There is nothing complicated about a yin practice, and it is particularly useful for beginners, the chronically ill, seniors, and anyone wanting or needing to have the time during a yoga practice to go deeply inward. Grilley has renamed traditional hatha yoga postures (for example he calls pigeon "swan pose") so there aren't any new postures to learn. It is the way of practicing these postures that is unique.

I tend to dislike the packaging and branding of yoga "styles" as a commercial endeavor, however Yin Yoga: The Foundations of a Quiet Practice is extremely well done and worth owning. One strength of the DVD is Grilley's detailed explanation of anatomy and theory. He explains how yin yoga affects fascia and connective tissue and why practicing yoga this way can be so transformative to the body and mind. The DVD serves not only as a practice tool, but as a source of education about the role of connective tissue and fascia in the body. Grilley has brought the philosophy behind cranial sacral massage to yoga. The results are transformative.

The second strength of the DVD is the well thought out organizational format. The DVD contains a stand alone lecture for background information. The individual yin practices are broken into categories, such as hip openers, and there are also three yang sequences. What is particularly ingenious is that the viewer has two narration choices for the sequences. You can choose detailed narration with explanations and anatomical cues, or you can choose to have a more quiet practice with minimal narration. Grilley is very skilled at narrating, and his cues and explanations are informative without being distracting. I appreciate his emphasis on the individuality of a person's practice and that yoga is about making a pose your own. Viewers learn that yoga is not about exactly imitating the teacher or following some preconceived notion of what a posture should look like. With that approach towards yoga, he uses the models in the DVD to show how people experience poses differently. For example he compares a very flexible model to a stiffer one, showing how in pigeon the very limber person achieves a spine stretch, while the stiffer person experiences primarily a hip stretch. Do not heed other reviewers' criticism of this DVD as being inappropriate for beginners or seniors. Grilley uses models with a range of flexibility, however the DVD could have been stronger if he used one model that needed the aid of props for certain poses. His overall message of making a yoga pose work for your individual body will make even a stiff beginner feel comfortable trying a yin yoga practice. Lastly, there are several bonus routines that feature only a still picture of the pose, and timed prompts to move onto the next posture. This section is great for someone who knows the postures already, and is seeking minimal guidance through a routine. This section really allows you to go deeply inward in silence. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this DVD. Grilley's lecture is similar to the $150-200 he charges for a workshop, and the multitude of practice choices on the DVD will keep you challenged for a long time.

Paul Grilley's discussion of the meridian theory and it's application to holding poses is very intriguing and worth listening to. He is very good presenter and elucidates his ideas and those of his teacher's very well. Yin Yoga, as Grilley works with it is not the same as the restorative Yoga of the Inyengar style, although it has things in common with that practise.

The practise parts on the second DVD have in my opinion many good and some negatives.

Good: Yin sequences that are related in many ways to classical Hatha Yoga and also modern Pilates with models demonstrating varying flexibility capacities with Grilley's verbage emphasizing the result instead of "aesthetics" of asana practise. He emphasizes the truth that each body will experience an asana differently depending on muscular and sketetal structure. The 3 short additional Yin practises with cues only is very helpful. Option for music only is also a nice feature.
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Negatives: Yang section is not Hatha Yoga, so the practisioner has to learn something new to use that part of the practise. This may be a positive for some people, but was not for me. Grilley is slowly but surely conceding to popular taste by using models in the Infant Series and the 3 short Yin practices with only the hyperflexible slender and attractive women (Yoga Journal perfect) doing the poses beyond the capacities of most practisioners with no model demonstrating options for the rest of us. So Grilley is not totally "walking his talk" about results over aesthetic.

For those yogi's and yogini's who like to stay on top of current trends in American Yoga will want to give Grilley a hearing.

I have studied fascial anatomy and was well aware of the importance of connective tissue releasing the skeletal structure. I was excited to learn about this form of yoga from a close friend. She praised it so much that I had to experience it for myself. I am grateful for the tip. The lecture portion is so important to have full understanding of the long holding of the asanas. It is amazing to feel the fascia melt and the body release into the posture. For me the time moves quickly. The more I do this practice I can feel my body holding the joint mobility longer and longer throughout the day.
I saw a review that stated it hurt the back. This person must not have been listening to their own body or to Paul's specific advice of moving slowly into the practice, following the cues of your body. Some days I can sink right in, other days I have to hold back, wait and breathe. As long as I listen to my own level of discomfort in each session I end up feeling lighter in body and mind by the end of the series, both the hip and spine series.

Before I saw this dvd, or got to know Paul Grilley's work, I had an established dynamic (or Yang) practice. As Paul repeatedly mentions, a quiet (or Yin) practice is highly beneficial and complimentary to my existing vinyasa practice.

Watching, doing, and enjoying, the material on this dvd is like finding a hidden key and I recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in exploring the hidden depths of true yoga.

It is truly rich resource for any student or teacher of yoga.

I have been practicing yoga for many years now. I recently tore a ligament in my back while running. I was a regular practictioner of "astanga" yoga, but have since had to reluctantly give it up. When I tried to return to practice, and my instructor recommended this DVD. After doing the spinal series, I was able to enjoy a few hours without ANY pain. I have not been without pain in months! As with anything, it may not be for everyone, but it fills me with hope and a positive outlook upon returning to an active lifestyle.

This two DVD set is a real investment.
You may only watch the educational DVD once, but the actual practice DVD you will probably use hundreds of times. That assumes you like yin yoga.
I had not done any before buying this set. Since then, I have become a real devotee.
In addition to this DVD, I use the Sarah Powers Yin Practice, I think its title is Insight Yoga, and Erin Flemming's CD.
All are wonderful in their own ways.
Paul's is a great place to start as he gives excellent instruction in the actual poses. He also shows people with different types of flexibility,
and ways to adapt the practice to your own unique body. He offers a variety of yin practices as well as some very creative and fluid yang options.
Sarah's has a Buddhist slant that appeals to me. She has two yin practices: one for the kidneys and one for the liver. She also includes hatha vinyasa, savasana, and meditation.
Erin's is only a one hour practice, but it's very well rounded and a delight to do.

I have studied many styles of yoga, and Yin is one of my favorites, but you need to have this master DVD to really understand the full implications of the practice and how to do it. Yin gets to the core of connective tissue and holds each stretch for several minutes, allowing full stretching and relaxation of the muscles and tissue. It works along various meridians, and I could not live without doing this at least twice a week. This DVD is great because one disk is a full explanation of the practice and the other is a series of one hour, 30 minute, and even shorter practices, with and without verbal instruction and music, so you can choose what you want to do, and it provides options for stretches that are too challenging or too simple. A wonderful DVD.