Product Details

• Actors: Zyrka Landwijt
• Directors: Real Bodywork
• Format: Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Real Bodywork
• DVD Release Date: May 11, 2009
• Run Time: 215 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0029KMDXG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,985 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Explore the power and fluidity of yoga with this inspiring practice. This DVD features 8 yoga routines, ranging from 24 minutes to 75 minutes, each with a varying degree of difficulty. Unite breath and movement as Zyrka leads you through the sequences with her clear and soothing guidance. This intermediate practice introduces both dynamic flowing yoga sequences, plus the option to explore more traditional yoga practices such as yogic breathing (pranayama), using toning during practice (suyra yoga), and guided meditation (yoga nidra). These optional practices are part of what define the Saraswati River Yoga tradition, and can help to deepen your practice and bring a new level of stillness and awareness. This comprehensive program includes 3½ hours of footage filmed in high definition with stunning beach sequences and serene riverside routines. This DVD also includes a rich sound-track of traditional Indian grooves and modern ambient tones.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Sweet!, July 27, 2009

By 

YogaGirl (san francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga Flow (DVD)

Many years ago, I started my yoga practice at Integral Hatha yoga Institute in the West Village, NYC. The classes were traditional hatha yoga, that started with chanting and breathing practices and proceeded with simple but effective yoga asanas. Afterwards, I felt calm and peaceful. This dvd reminds of those classes. Here is what you can expect.

Setting: Beach in Southern CA, with waves rushing in. Very tranquil.
Music: It has the best new age Indian music I have heard on a dvd. Not intrusive but you know it's there.
Teacher: Very soothing and direct voice. Her cuing is excellent.
Format: This dvd has 2 levels, A & B. Each level has 3 classes of varying length. If memory serves me
Level A - 24 min, 50 min, 60 min Beginning - Advanced beginning level
Level b - 30 min 60 min, 75 min. Advanced beginning level to intermediate

In each level, each class builds on the previous class. I think that this is a great format as one now has no excuse not to do yoga every day, as time permits. I did the 24 minute class one day; and the 75 minute class on another day.

In level A, the basic poses are covered and held with long holds and lots of detail. The classes start with a very soothing moving cobra - cobra to sphinx to child's pose and back. In Level B, the classes start with a mantra that the teacher sings as the words run across the screen. (An english translation is not given) She then leads you in 3 rounds of kabbalapti (sp) breath. You have the option of skipping this section if chanting is not your thing. The poses are linked with vinyasa and move faster. The box says that this is an intermediate dvd. There are 2 ways to look at this. The poses themselves are not that hard or intermediate, but the long holds may make it difficult for true beginners. I sweated quite a bit when I did the 75 min, level b class.

Poses covered are triangle, bound triangle, warrior 1, 2, bound warrior, crescent lunge variations, pyramid pose variation, standing wide angle, reverse warrior, half moon, standing split, side plank, bridge, bow pose, upward bow, shoulder stand, plow variations, seated wide angle, one legged seated forward bend, seated twist, reclining twist, side stretch, butterfly, fish pose and savasana. I may have missed a pose or two but the classes are very well organized. You will get a full body workout.

There are two treats on this dvd. The first one is a separate 37 minute section of sun salutation c with mantras to activate the chakras. It starts with pranayama, then simple spine stretches then proceeds to 34 minutes of sun salutes. You have the option to listen to her call each step in the salute along with the corresponding chakra or do it with the mantras only. Very nice. The second treat is a 15+ yoga nidra, guided relaxation. If you are having a high energy day, you can do the salutes and then chose an asana class followed by yoga nidra. I have only done the salute section alone, and believe me 35 minutes of sun salutes is a workout.

All in all, I liked this dvd a lot and I think it would fit into anyones hectic schedule. The Saraswati River tradition is an ancient Yoga tradition that reminds us that yoga is much more than just poses. It is about calming one's mind and it reminds me that the asanas are just a preparation to train the body to sit in meditation. As I said in the beginning it brought back to my days at IYI. Thank you. Get this dvd if you want a gentle yet somewhat challenging simple yet calming flow. Namaste.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, July 28, 2009

By 

H. Lyons (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yoga Flow (DVD)

I love this dvd. I won't go into great detail since others have already done so. However, I will say that I'm fairly new to Yoga. Not a beginner but hovering around intermediate and this is a wonderful practice to start easing into the more challenging poses. I already own Zyrka's other two dvds which are gentler and it was a no-brainer to go back to her teaching for the third time.
Here's what I like so much about this one:

-Zyrka Landwijt is a pleasure to workout with. She has a calming presence and moves with grace and purpose.

-She verbally guides you through it the whole way so you don't have to keep looking up at the tv to see what you are supposed to be doing.

-She offers constant guidance on how to hold the poses correctly. This is really important for those of us who are still pretty new and learning.

-The scenery is beautiful and the music lovely but more importantly; not distracting

-She's added a 25 minute session of Yoga Nidra. It is deep and relaxing guided meditation. I'd never tried that before and have since become a devotee of that as well.

-There are eight sessions to choose from. Although, in the Yoga Nidra you will not be doing any poses except corpse pose.

There's no need to list the things I don't like because there aren't any. I'm consistently impressed with her teaching and the extras that she provides on her dvds. I very much recommend it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful practice and guidance, November 24, 2009

By 

Nom de plume "rawpetmom" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yoga Flow (DVD)

I have about 20 yoga DVDs that I thoroughly enjoy, and I practice with probably six or so of those regularly. This DVD is one of two favorites. Here's why:

You can tell when an instructor wants to be a good guide, not just the star of a yoga DVD. Zyrka Landwijt is an excellent teacher. Not only is her cuing for posture changes spot on, she also provides suggestions that help you think about getting into correct position, often emphasizing connection to the earth and/or the sky to quickly and clearly communicate proper alignment. It's inspiring to think about making the best contact with the ground beneath your feet instead of just making sure all of the corners of your feet are down.

The range of practice times and level of challenge is perfect. I'm at an advanced beginner to intermediate level, but this is one of those DVDs I know I will return to, even as a (hopefully) more advanced student, because the practices are an ideal combination of energizing and relaxing and fit into my schedule.

The Surya Yoga and Yoga Nidra are wonderful. It's difficult to find separate sun salutation and relaxation practices on yoga DVDs. These are both excellent. I'm surprised by how often I choose to do the Surya Yoga followed by a longer asana practice and then Yoga Nidra. Zyrka also provides some background on each practice in separate DVD sections.

There is some clear spiritual content, too, and I like that. For me, yoga is much more than a physical practice, so I am drawn to those practices that emphasize mind-body-spirit, particularly when the spiritual aspects are gentle for the practitioner to incorporate as s/he wishes. That's what you'll find here. And if you choose not to participate (in chanting, for instance), in many cases you can simply use the skip button on your remote/DVD player to go to the next section.

As others have written, the settings are beautiful and serene, and the music is peaceful yet flows with the practices. Zyrka's voice is clear yet calming. The asana sequences work up to challenging without being intimidating, and it is quite easy to modify them on your own (in addition to modifications and alternatives Zyrka offers) to suit your proficiency and how you're feeling on any given day. Others have given lots of good detail about the sequences themselves, but as I recall sequence A emphasizes strength while sequence B emphasizes endurance and includes more sun salutations. The emphasis is moderate, though, as both are well balanced.

If I had to come up with one disappointment, it would be that the Savasana for both sets of practices is quite short. I'm sure that's because there's the separate Yoga Nidra section, but when I don't have an extra 25 minutes I miss a moderate length closing relaxation or guided meditation. It would also be nice to be able to "program" a practice so the relaxation immediately follows the asana or Surya Yoga practices. But these are such minor negatives.

This is a truly wonderful DVD. You will enjoy it and practice with it often. I hope Zyrka plans to continue teaching us by video!