Customer Reviews

Yoga Journal Presents: Iyengar Intensive at Estes Park DVD Set

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

 

 

I was so excited to get this DVD set! I wanted to learn directly from Iyengar in his own words, to be able to replay his magical wisdom and see him in action. There is much of that - if you can HEAR him. The audio and video are very BAD. The reason the set is 5 DVD's is that there is no editing. You have to sit through various instructors often reminding the mass of students to get out of the way of the camera that is often situated in the back of the room apparently on someone's tripod. In some parts you have to wait until the instructors converse with the cameraperson until they realize they are ready or are already rolling film before they can begin their session...watch as they fidget with their clip-on microphones...listen to the crew or teachers talking amongst each other...Iyengar kept loosing his clip-on microphone as he was in the middle of a lengthy, interesting (from what I could make out) monologue, someone had to keep adjusting it for him, clipping it back on, it was distracting to me, and I think he even became a little annoyed. This video does not seem to have been professionally done. As I said the audio is very bad. Since, I'm sure they aren't going to do this again with Iyengar; YogaJournal could have spent the few extra dollars to get it closed captioned. I feel that YogaJournal should have had more respect for Mr. Iyengar in making this commemorative DVD set by making it the best it could have been. Someone said it is boring - I agree, most of it is, but not so much when Mr. Iyengar is on. It is certainly NOT 25 hours of Iyengar, it is 25 hours of DVD with his name on it - There's a big difference. It could have been streamlined for efficiency. YJ advertises it as "live and uncut" - Is that always a good thing? In this case, no. But Sri B.K.S. Iyengar is still loveable in any setting! :)

I am a student as well as a new teacher of yoga and I really liked this DVD. Once you get past his interruptions --which he does a lot, but who cares that's his style and he is there to teach the students/yoga teachers how to do things correctly-- you will enjoy this. I guess he is also teaching the way it's done in India with the interruptions and at the end of every instruction or wisdom he says "follow?" I just loved it.

Anyway, I actually took my notebook out and started taking notes rewinding and forwarding all the time (since it's a bit difficult to understand him sometimes). I am referring to the notes ALL the time. His little words of wisdom on a pose or in correcting a student are super. For example in Adho-mukha Svanasana he says the "patella should kiss the knee", when you picture this is makes so much sense and he also emphasizes constantly "broadening" the heel and the knee. Other gems are "grip the knee on all four sides" or for example in warrior 2 he emphasizes that one should extend from the armpit not your arms and that you stretch the little finger further and further. These tips and words if wisdom are sprinkled all over the place.

I wathced it in segments and when I had seen each DVD, I'd re-watch it and take extensive notes.

Who am I to "review" the work of the "guruchi"?
So, let me make it clear that what I am about to say, is no way a review of "him" per se; it is a review of the contents of these particular DVDs. In other words, it is a review of the information that is intented to be given in this set of DVDs. Having made that clear: in my opinion, this is a very good set of CDs for "the yoga teacher" only.
Which means: although a very valuable set for a teacher, especially for those who are short on either money and/or time to go and get the information and the experience "live" - on the spot; I would not recommend this for a novice student. Maybe OK for a seasoned student, just maybe...
Very valuable tips for teachers, about teaching methodology, also. No matter what kind of yoga you are teaching, the info in these DVDs provide a valuable insight to everything that you don't know; or thought that you already knew!!...
Nevertheless, it is only "a glimpse" of the guruchi's wisdom and intelligence. As he himself also keeps repeating in the DVD, it would have been impossible for him to transfer all his knowledge in such a short amount of time, and setting.

This video is frustrating to watch because its basically a camera on a tripod of a conference. If you weren't able to go to the conference or are so gungho about Iyengar yoga that you can't get enough information, then this video won't disapoint you because getting to see BKS Iyengar actually teach a class is invaluable. I liked the chanting and the uncut quality of the video because I didn't want to miss anything. The fact that it is on DVD makes the uncut nature tolerable because fast forwarding is an option. I viewed this DVD set before I started Yoga teacher training and I'm glad that I saw it because I was terribly uninformed about what yoga really was. This DVD helped me have a jump start to what teacher training might be about.

It was good for me to see that even the masters were corrected by Mr. Iyengar. I just wish I could see everything better. So for the quality of the filming I would have given it a 2 star, but to have a DVD of the master sharing his wisdom in his later years is what makes me give it a 5 stars. Less expensive then going to Estes Park myself and I probably wouldn't be able to see any better anyway. It is nice to have instant replay anyway.

If you are looking for a highly polished, movie documentary on Yoga, your barking up the wrong tree. But if you are a Yoga practitioner, and are wanting to develop your practice, than I've never come across any resource that could possible top this DVD set. As the title suggests, this is INTENSIVE!! SO SO much detail and information. It's 25 hours of intimate, humorous, intricate Yoga GOLD! This is definitely got to be the next best thing to actually going to a three day intensive workshop with BKS Iyengar himself. I couldn't recommend this DVD set enough. INCREDIBLE! INTENSIVE! IYENGAR!

Those DVDs are gold worth for the Iyengar yoga students.I read some negative rewies and it made me sad. Please, read the description before you get this item. Those are not regular yoga DVDs, this is yogaseminar for serious Iyengar yoga students only. By the way the filming are också god.
To meet Guruji on the screen and listen to Him is a blessing.
I was supprise to find out that Annette Bening is a Iyengar yoga student.
This is long conversation with her and Guruji in the DVD 5.
I will love Annette much more for this!

How could anyone give B.K.S. Iyengar any rating but the highest. It is always a treat to watch him in action; plus see his top students being the student, still learning and being corrected. It goes to show that yoga is an on-going process; there is always something to learn, something to tweek a little further towards perfection. Even though perfection does not exist. I love these DVD's and will always cherish them and watch many times over.

I wanted a DVD that would be a yoga workout video. This is the filming of the yoga conference and is long and boring. You listen to Iyengar teach the students harshly and then watch the mobs at the conference file into positions. It was not helpful for my intentions.

I received a damaged 5 DVD set due to poor shipping. It was shipped in plain cardboard through media mail with no bubble wrap protection. No wonder it was damaged. Who would send a fragile DVD set through the mail in thin cardboard. OVERMAN 2000 would! When I returned it in manner requested, I never received my promised replacement despite 3 further emails through overman2000 and 1 through amazon email contact. Overman2000 never responded to my emails. I had to create a charge dispute with my credit card company. I have the same complaint about no response by overman2000 as the buyer axisman54. His review was on December 30, 2009.

If you are a yogi, I would not recommend this book. Has information you already know. Waste of money!