Customer Reviews

Yoga for a Healthy Back

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

 

 

I had a slip disc of my back a year ago (in Jan'07). I hope none of you ever experience the pain and the frustration of being put on bed rest for extended period of time. I had to wear a belt for 6 months. Anyway, my body healed with physical therapy exercises (I spent a lot of $$ with a professional physical therapist). But I wanted a life long cure, and since I am from India and I know the miracles that yoga can provide, so I wanted to find a good yoga DVD for my back. So I enrolled into Netflix to check out the yoga dvds! And I tried many dvd's (including Rodney Yee) but I just fell in love with Marlon Braccia's DVD.

At first glance her DVD looks very amateurish, its not classy, it doesn't have a beautiful background etc, but the yoga postures are very effective. Also, she is not annoying (besides the long lecture she gives in beginning which can be easily forwarded).

I forget that I have slip disc when I do Marlon Braccia's yoga for a few days in a row. Best part is that she divides the DVD into 2 parts (relaxing back and strengthen back). The `relax back' section is approx 20 minutes and `strengthen back' section is approx 25 minutes (if you forward her talk). So on days I wake up late, I just do the 20 minute `relax back' section.

Last month I went back to my home country for a wedding and danced like everyone else and I have Marlon Braccia to thank for it. Just after doing yoga I have a feeling of well being which lasts me the entire day.
The DVD is wonderful, if you have back pain I would highly recommend it (of course check with your doctor first)

Manasi
Feb'2008

I have had bad problems for years and bought other Yoga videos that moved too quickly and made me feel inflexible and inadequate. I brought a copy of Yoga For A Healthy Back home and was thrilled! The Relax the Back section is incredible and made a big difference in how I feel. I got my oldest son doing it with me and he's a college football player who needed more flexiblity- he's 6'7" and it made a difference in his season. Yogi Marlon is an excellent, patient teacher and whenever I complete one of her sessions, I tell my family "I'm in Spinal Wellness!" It's like a tranquilizer for the spine. Highly recommended for anyone with bad issues.

I agree with the other favorable reviews here. This is the first yoga video I've owned, and I keep coming back to it for its simplicity and effectiveness.

Not high in production value (filmed with a couple cameras in a small, simple studio), it is raw and unpolished, complete with production errors, a few misspoken words and clipping audio as the instructor's arm brushes against the microphone. Nevertheless, the material presented is very effective.

It starts with 6 modules on the Main DVD Screen: "Meet Yogi Marlon," "Ideas on Practice," "Ujjayi Pranayama," "Relax the Back," "Strengthen Your Back," and "Strong Back." I find "Relax the Back" to be the simplest and most enjoyable. I usually perform that section when I don't have time for a full routine.

The presentation is simple, warm and inviting. I've watched other videos filmed at exotic outdoor venues with fancy camera work and expensive budgets. This is not one of them. Yogi Marlon provides kind, patient explanations and you can feel her warmth and caring through the screen. Unlike the other videos where I usually end up just watching, this one is so simply produced, so basic, that you'll want to get down on the floor and begin following along. And you will definitely feel the pain-relieving effects almost immediately.

First things first: I've been doing this program (more or less) for about half a year and I like the results. I didn't have any persistent back problems, but my sedentary lifestyle did start catching up with me, and I'd end up with a stiff back now and then, and sometimes (not often, thankfully) I'd pull it and become basically bedridden for a day or two. So I decided to do something specifically about my back to counteract the effects of my routine. This video... um, I can't even remember why I got it. Perhaps it was available in the library? Can't remember. But the thing is, when I watched it, it all made sense, and in addition, some exercises were what I had already been doing (w/o knowing it's "yoga") and thus I knew this works. I did it exactly as the trainer here suggests, about half an hour every day in the morning (after a general warmup). It worked. I no longer have any trouble with my back, none at all (of course, you have to remember that I, again, didn't have anything major to begin with, and got into this chiefly to pre-empt future rather than alleviate existing back problems).

Now, as other posters on this page mention, "production values" of this DVD are low. The whole thing feels like some 70s video, started as a VHS tape and then converted to DVD. So what? My main criterion is effectiveness. Can I understand what is said there? Yes. Are the moves demonstrated well? Yes. Did the thing serve the purpose I hoped it would? Yes. So OK, so the backdrop is cheesy, sound uneven, and (very soft) music goofy. I don't find these little flaws value-destroying in this case. I got what I wanted out of this thing and thus my rating is five stars.

A cute woman too!

I have a fair amount of experience with yoga so this dvd is a little elementary. I do, however, have quite a few back problems and when my back is acting up I often don't feel up to a studio class and this provides a perfect substitute. It is definitely not a high budget production, but this is not something that I find to be very important. All I care about is that when I am done with the three simple series, my back feels a lot better!

My back felt great until I bought this tape. Now I am seeing a chiropractor.