Customer Reviews

Yoga Flow

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This is the third DVD featuring the graceful yet powerful yoga instructor, Zyrka Landjwit. I would highly recommend purchasing this DVD, if you enjoy vinyasa or Flow style of yoga where asana is linked with breath, and appreciate fluid slower movement. That said, moving slower requires more strength, control, and focused intention which is what I love about this practice.

Similar to her other DVDs, Zyrka's verbal instructions or cu-ing are impeccable which allows the viewer to be mindful of the poses without having to constantly look at the TV screen.

Unlike her other DVD's this is an intermediate level vinyasa practice in the Saraswati River Yoga tradition. This DVD contains 6 yoga workouts of varying lengths. Series A is slightly slower (not to be confused with Ashtanga Series A) with yoga routines of varying length - 24, 45, and 60min. Series B is slightly more challenging and include mantra and pranyama with yoga routines 30, 50, and 75min in length. The DVD includes separate yoga nidra and yoga surya practices.

All her DVDs are filmed against the beauty and serenity common to Santa Barbara, CA area.

I would consider myself an "intermediate" practitioner of yoga, but my husband is new to practice. We ordered this so we could do yoga together at home. I can't remember what made me finally choose this DVD over some of the others (Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, etc.) but I'm SO glad I did. I am SO impressed Zyrka's teaching and her video. She provides 6 different sessions. 3 are a bit easier, and 3 are more challenging. They are of varying lengths so you can tailor your yoga session to your time or energy level. My husband and I have been doing the 45 minute session from the easier group. It is a little challenging for him, but not so much so that he gets discouraged. The poses are less challenging for me, which is nice too because I can refine the subtleties of my practice that way. (square the shoulders or hips a bit more, breathe more deeply into the pose, release more slowly from plank, release more deeply in any of the poses). So it is a great DVD for both of us. We have been using the video every day for a week now (since we received it) and already are noticing improvements in our bodies.

She flows so smoothly from pose to pose and gives a nice amount of time to "be" in a pose. Her sequences just make sense. There is a distinct pattern to the way she guides you through the poses that is reassuring. I've taken many classes from many teachers throughout the years and Zyrka is right up there with the best of them.

I AM SO GLAD I DISCOVERED ZYRKA AND BOUGHT HER VIDEO.

If you are looking for an Intermediate Yoga DVD for your home practice, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than "Yoga: Flow" with Zyrka Landwijt. The series is wonderfully designed to increase your practice as you feel prepared to do so. The instructor, Zyrka, has such a calming voice as she gently reminds you on proper positioning for each posture you'll feel like your melting into your pose. She is a beautiful spirit. Clearly, Zyrka takes this practice to some space higher because of her presence.

I'm still working my way through the various series. But, this is a flow series... so, you can expect to be moving most of the time: Sun Salutations to Warrior to Triangle (holding some poses for a few breathes as pertinent).

After trying dozens of Yoga DVDS, this is my favorite series thus far.

Thank you.

I really like this instuctor. At this point it is a little beyond my capabilities but I got it for the Yoga Nidra in which she allows for a sankalpa to be made. This is a separate selection from the exercise program which makes it perfect. She gives the surya yoga separately with the mantras which eliminates toxins and purifies the pingala nadi.

Great for intermediate levels. Great voice and music with a variety of sessions to choose. Great breathing mediation and range of yoga poses. Love it!

I have all of Zyrka's DVD and this one is my favorite. The cueing is excellent. I can follow along without having to look at the video the whole time... this really helps me get into the flow and focus on my own practice. I like the tempo and the poses a lot and the music is good, too.

Lots of options - - I am not bothered by her looping segments especially since I should be concentrating on my workout and not watching her bend and flex unless I want to check my posture. That said, 2 sets of three different lengths plus a surya yoga (harder than you'd think for a half hour) and a yoga nidra session makes for variety. Right up there with Patricia Walden and some of the Paul Grilley Yin Yoga DVDs. Buy this one and get into it.