Customer Reviews

Yoga Journal's Yoga for Relaxation and Meditation

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

 

 

I bought the DVD so I could click right to the part I wanted. It isn't set up that way. GAIAM merely transferred the VHS tape to DVD without putting in any chapters so I have to fast forward to get to the part I want, just like in the VHS version. In addition, the quality of the picture is not as crisp as DVD movies I watch. Great scenery of Yosemite (the other reason I bought it), but otherwise if you have the VHS version, don't get this one.

This is the yoga session that they always recommend women who are menstruating should use whenever you turn on any living arts tape, but it's dreadful for any time of the month. Patricia Walden's session gave me the worst back ache in the world, because the session is out of balance ... to many postures bending in one direction and none in the opposite direction.

The 1 star is for the Rodney Yee session which isn't as bad as the first one, but it is so advanced you won't believe they put it on there.

I don't understand why these two sessions are sold together, or why they are being sold at all. Don't waste your money on a tape you may never use again.

Instead of this one, I would highly recommend "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss" with Suzanne Deason, "Yoga Conditioning for Athletes" with Rodney Yee, "Back Care Yoga for Beginners" with Rodney Yee, "A.M Yoga for Beginners" with Rodney Yee, P.M. Yoga for Beginners" with Suzanne Deason, "Stress Relief Yoga for Beginners" with Patricia Walden & "Yoga Journal's Yoga for Meditation" with Rodney Yee which has 5 beautiful sessions with him all one tape which are filmed at the foot of a snow peaked mountain top.

This DVD is essentially a combo pack of two previously existing Living Arts programs, "Yoga for Strength" and "Yoga for Energy", bundled with an interview with Rodney Yee.

The content of both programs is quite solid, as can be seen in other reviews here for the VHS versions of the individual "Strength" and "Energy" components. While I love the convenience of having this as a DVD that I can play anywhere on a laptop computer, someone needs to clue in the folks at Living Arts/Gaiam about how to produce DVDs and take advantage of the DVD format. My gripes:

(1) Lack of logical chapter selections
Two examples: (a) The "Yoga for Energy" component is comprised of five separate segments, each shot against a different natural backdrop. Rodney himself is shown on elsewhere on this disc saying that practitioners may wish to choose a particular vinyasa, or pose sequence, to correspond to a time of day or a specific need (focus, calming, etc.). Are the vinyasas encoded as separate chapters that a user can jump to? Nope. Same problem with the separate vinyasas in "Yoga for Strength". (b) There is no option to chapter-forward directly to first exercise portion of the "Strength" program. While I (thoroughly!) enjoy watching Rodney's "pose ballet" at the beginning of the program, it's really inconvenient and silly to have to fast-forward past it every time I'm actually ready to start doing yoga myself -- after all, this is not VHS.

(2) Tape-to-digital transfer
If a producer is going to go the the trouble of creating a DVD, then they ought to go back to the original hi-resolution, broadcast-quality source material. While fast-forwarding through this DVD (see above), I'm repeatedly seeing interlacing lines. What this tells me is that the DVD is essentially a next-generation copy of the VHS tape, rather than a new, "remastered" production.

Rodney Yee is a really outstanding instructor, and doing good yoga is hard work. I only wish the production values on this DVD reflected the thought, care, and expertise that went into the high-quality content. Let's hope for better on upcoming Rodney Yee DVDs.

If you are deepening your meditation, and longer sitting is required, then try the Rodney Yee yoga techniques. They will loosen the thighs, hips and lower back considerably. A zen practioner's various lotus positions will greatly benefit from Yee's wholistic approach. He manages to stretch muscles and tendons in subtle and profound ways. Give this DVD a try when you're in need of some strengthening before sitting for the longer spells.

This dvd has been a major part of my relaxation which I desperatly need to help with my anxiety and panic attacks. love it.

I bought this DVD for the relaxation routines, but it turns out the first 2 series in Yoga for Meditation have become part of my regular routine, and I hardly ever watch the rest of it.

Mountain, the first routine, is "a quiet flow series" done on a mat. Garden, the second, is a "hip-opening series" that uses a chair. One of my complaints about this disc is that there is not a lot of time between the end of Mountain and the beginning of Garden, so if you don't stop the disc, you have to hurry to switch gears. It doesn't give you much opportunity to "sit in the stillness of the moment".

You could program the disc to go to Wind or Sky, the last 2 chapters, after finishing one of the active series. Wind takes you through a couple of poses, but mostly focuses on breathing. Sky is mostly a guided meditation. You need to quit meditating before you get to the end of the credits after Sky though, as it cuts straight to an annoying ad.

They suggest that you watch the video through once before doing the exercises. I would recommend that in this case because it was filmed in Yosemite Valley and has some really beautiful cinematography, which is pretty much wasted if you are lying on your back with your eyes closed meditating.

The first of the 2 relaxation series uses a lot of pillows and bolsters to support the poses, and I found that fussing around with the props distracted from actually relaxing. I suppose I should watch it to learn the poses, rather than trying to do the poses along with the disc. The second relaxation series uses a chair, and, for 1 pose, a folded blanket, but in general there was less fussing and I thought it worked better as a video to relax to.

I have several Gaiam yoga DVDs, and this one is the best for stress relief.
The idea of "un-doing" really appeals to me in Patricia's relaxation session. I don't have a bolster, but I use a lot of pillows to get into the positions. I like it that the video gives some time to stay in the poses and let the body relax. This session is great before going to bed, and I find that I sleep better after winding down this way.

I love this DVD! It is extremely relaxing. Patricia Walden's Yoga for Relaxation session requires many bolsters, but in my opinion they are necessary to provide support so that the body can relax more deeply in the poses. If you don't want to spend money on yoga bolsters, you can use couch cushions, pillows or rolled blankets and towels. Rodney Yee's Yoga for Meditation is also useful in preparing the body and mind for meditation. All the practices featured on this DVD are extremely helpful in transitioning into a meditative state. I would recommend this DVD for any age group and any level of ability.