Customer Reviews

The Yoga Deck II

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

 

 

I had a very introductory exposure to yoga when I purchased the Prenatal Yoga Deck. I liked it so much, I thought I'd check out the regular yoga decks after my baby was born.

I really like the packaging of this item. It's sturdy, small, and can go anywhere with you. The line drawings of the poses give enough of a picture without getting too complex. For the most part, the directions for each pose are easy to follow. I like the ease the deck format allows in developing my own routines. You can use the poses you like and skip the ones you don't (or the poses you can't do), better still it's easy to flip through and find cards that feel appropriate at the time (more soothing or relaxing poses at bed time or times of stress and energizing poses in the morning when I'm trying to wake up). As a new and working mom I don't always have the time for an extensive routine. Getting 20 minutes to myself is a rare thing. I bought _Yoga Mom, Buddah Baby_ by Jyothi Larson, and while I think it's full of great photos and information, I generally don't have time to do the routines. I hate to start a routine if I can't finish it. With the deck, I feel okay just grabbing the cards I have time for.

My only complaint is that this is a bit of an odd mix of poses. As this is the Yoga Deck II, I'd expect more complicated poses, which there are. There are also some very easy, very beginner poses but no real intermediate poses. I'm not saying that you shouldn't combine the complexity in your routines, just that as a set the easy poses seem out of place. I also found a couple of the descriptions inconsistent and difficult to follow, which means you may have trouble figuring a pose out if you are completely unfamiliar it. The pigeon was particularly bad in this regard.

The Yoga Deck is really great for a number of reasons...
- Unlike a clunky book, the cards are easy to handle and refer to during yoga practice.
- Unlike a yoga video/DVD, the cards allow one to go at one's own pace.
- It's easy to create a yoga routine tailored to one's particular needs at the moment.
- If one only has a few minutes to devote to yoga, it's easy to simply pull one card, or maybe two, and really focus on those specific poses.
- The Yoga Deck is compact and easy to transport, and since yoga requires no more than a little space it's excellent for travel.

I own both the original Yoga Deck and Yoga Deck II and absolutely love them!

I had the first yoga deck and thought I would expand and buy this one, for some more positions. I was quite disappointed when I found that a lot of the cards where actually the same as the first deck.
(and a few names that were the same that didn't match up with the position and vis versa, which when trying to combine positions from both is also confusing and a bit annoying.)

I am currently in a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program and Olivia Miller's Yoga Deck and Yoga Deck II are fantastic resources for both students and teachers. With the deck you can very quickly pick out a yoga routine to meet the needs of your students or for yourself and vary the routine from day to day very easily to meet changing needs. Each asana is clearly explained and illustrated and the benefits derived from each posture is explained. There are even cards for pranyama (breathing exercises) and meditation. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND these products. By the way, you really don't need both decks if you are just beginning yoga. But I recommend both decks for those who are beginning teachers are more yoga practioners who may want to expand their practice.

I use these cards to do yoga routines at home -- they are very good. They have an illustration on the front and instructions on the back. They also have the associated Sanskrit names. I recommend them.

I love this product as well as I do the 1st deck. I keep them both on my desk at work. I can take out a card and learn a new pose in a matter of seconds. It has greatly helped me in my Yoga class.

I bought the Yoga Deck, Yoga Deck II, Pilates Deck, and Pregnancy Yoga Deck at once thinking these were the perfect solution to create personalized programs for whatever small increments of time i had on a given day. When I got them, I spent a lot of time picking out cards and putting them in an order that I would want to follow. But i only used them a few times and my personalized program was about 90 minutes long. I think these cards are good for people who will pull out any 5 cards at random and practice those poses and keep going with your life. I am too particular about which poses to do in my short amount of time, and it takes me too long to sort through the cards and choose, so I never do it. Know yourself and be realistic about whether you'll take the time to pick out cards for a short program if time is an issue for you!
Also, my toddler loves playing with the cards so it's no less of a hassle using these cards than a tape or book.
i like the body shop's yoga book and use that much more.