Customer Reviews

Yoga to the Rescue for Neck & Shoulders

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let me just say, I've never written a review before and after watching only 15 minutes of this DVD I felt a review was necessary.

As a Yoga Therapist and Licensed Massage Therapist, with over 25 years of specialized training in injury rehabilitation and prevention, I purchased this DVD to check it out as a possible referral source for my clients. Wow was I shocked! First of all, Desiree talks alot about how Yoga can heal this and fix that (no matter what condition). That is a lot for someone to claim without backup. And with what medical degree? Second, in the tutorial she begins with radically extended poses of the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine along with massive overstretching of the anterior shoulder capsule. My clients, who are seeking pain relief with my help, would be shocked if I gave them any of these poses! Far too challenging and risky for anyone with a neck or shoulder injury or chronic pain. Especially beginners! The alignment she and the gentleman show in the tutorial is horrible and not proper bio-mechanically. My body hurt just watching! I would guess that this video causes more pain than it fixes. What do I recommend? Viniyoga Therapy with Gary Kraftsow DVD 2-Pack (Low Back, Sacrum & Hips plus Upper Back, Neck & Shoulders). Yes, his videos are a tad on the simple and repetitive side. And that is what someone in pain needs! Something simple, repeated with loads of variation, to effectively help problem areas. If you have pain, stay away from the "Yoga to the Rescue" series. Yoga is great, when appropriately applied for an individual, but it's not on these DVDs. Sorry I ever purchased it.

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this DVD from the web site Metapsychology Online.

I took a yoga workshop with Desirée Rumbaugh, the instructor of this DVD, in September 2008, and it was absolutely amazing. However, I also tried Rumbaugh's previously two DVD releases, Yoga to the Rescue and Yoga to the Rescue for Back Pain, and unfortunately found them to be be disappointing. Happily, this latest release succeeds where the prior two videos failed.

One important change which Rumbaugh made for this DVD is that there are two separate 30-minute practice segments: the "Tutorial" offers more comprehensive instruction plus a detailed review of modifications for most of the postures, whereas the "Flow Sequence" is a faster-moving, more dynamic session based on the postures introduced during the tutorial. For both segments, Rumbaugh has an assistant, Andrew Riven, who displays the modified versions of the poses. Rumbaugh instructs the Tutorial segment via voiceover, although a few of the segments are preceded by brief live introductions. The chapters of the Tutorial are listed below:

*Wall Shoulder Stretch & Chair Pose
*Neck Strengthening
*Push-Ups
*Sphinx & Cobra
*Bow Pose
*Down Dog
*Locust Pose
*Side-to-Side Leg Lifts
*Crunches
*Lunge with Twist
*Side Plank
*Shoulder Stand
*Bridge, Plow & Shoulder Stand
*Relaxation

As the title suggests, the Flow Sequence moves along at a significantly quicker pace. Rumbaugh again teaches via voiceover, but there are no chapter breakdowns and no pauses between segments. The entire practice continues in this vigorous manner before concluding with the short (approximately 4 minutes) relaxation.

Although I am very pleased with this DVD, I would offer a few cautions. The DVD case states "For Beginners & Beyond," which I think is misleading. I would recommend these practices for experienced yoga students only--i.e., advanced beginners and above. The case description also suggests that the practices will help to "alleviate pain and stiffness," and I do think the DVD would be valuable for this purpose--that is, in terms of normal, everyday aches and pains. I would be much more hesitant to recommend this DVD to someone with any type of injury or other special condition which might require a more GENTLE therapeutic approach.

I bought this dvd because I have a terribly tight, uncomfortable neck (any time I go for a massage, the therapist says 'I hope I helped you. You have A LOT of tension in your neck'), and I was hoping that this dvd would help with my neck issues. I have been to a few yoga classes and am basically a beginner. It is great that this dvd has a tutorial, because it would otherwise be way too fast paced and advanced for me. I have started with the tutorial, and I sometimes have to pause the dvd to make sure that I am doing things right. I haven't tried the flow sequence yet because I think it will be too quick. I do think that the poses are helping my neck (it is definitely going to take time and patience), and I am pretty happy that I bought the dvd. In order to get the most of of this dvd, I think that I should probably take some more yoga classes so that I am more adept at moving fluently from pose to pose and can ask questions about certain poses (which of course you can't do to a dvd). I would defintiely not buy this dvd if you have never done yoga because I think it would be challenging and frustrating.

I have tight shoulders and lack the natural curve of the cervical spine or back of the neck. As a regular practioner of yoga, I am always looking for ways to loosen up those areas. I used this video once and immediately felt more flexible. I love the detail of the instruction in the tutorial. Although, the flow moves a little faster than I like, after a few more times, I should be accustomed to the sequence and be able to flow with it. So this video is broken into a tutorial and a 30 minute flow sequence using the poses explained in the tutorial. I love this video and will be using it daily!

Desiree is awesome, let's face it. Acacia has done an excellent job at showcasing her. I love how they have the tutorial section to get details on the poses in the flow section (and a few extras), as well as an index of poses so that practitioners can focus on poses that feel good. The music is great and inobtrusive, and I like the option to be able to turn it off and just have instruction. The demonstrations are great, showing Andrew with a little less mobility and Desiree showing more advanced options.
This video will work for beginners and even more advanced practitioners. For beginners I would say, watch the video at least once without doing anything. Go slow at first. Skip anything that feels too hard and come out early if you need to. Let your body adjust by focusing on the poses that are easier and then you can start trying poses that were harder over time.
It's hard to know if you're doing the poses properly, and if you're feeling pain, please consult with a professional teacher. Don't give up. You can find a local teacher in your area who teaches the same therapeutic alignment as Desiree at [...]
As Desiree says, "Yoga shouldn't hurt!"
Personally, I will use this video often - it's a great home practice I can do before work (30 min). I will definitely get her other videos too, so I can mix it up. Thanks Desiree!

I would have given this 4 to 5 stars had it not been promoted as therapy for injuries. It would be excellent for someone building strength with few/no restrictions. With my condition, I need more stretches and fewer or shorter strength moves. In the flow sequence, nearly every move emphasizes strength, so I have to sit out most of the routine.

I do like strength moves; I just have to dole them out very carefully or I get terrible pain from overdoing it. If you are looking for a routine that has a better balance, I recommend Yoga Zone's: http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Zone-Strong-Healthy-Back/dp/B00005K9PO/ref=sr_1_10?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1282551690&sr=1-10

...first, I was looking for a DVD that would give me helpful instruction in how to perform particular poses to ultimately decrease my neck/shoulder pain. I don't find language such as "ground your body in the Earth" and "pull your shoulder blades into your heart" very helpful in making sure I am doing the poses correctly. Perhaps this DVD is meant for those with a background in yoga (in which case I probably would've chosen a slightly different title, as the current one has a good chance of drawing in anyone who is searching Amazon for solutions to neck/shoulder pain). Second--and this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for me--the instructor and her pretty male companion both went into deep squats...and anyone who has been instructed in doing squats knows what the following means: the male's knees were hovering over the floor in *front* of his toes. After watching him in that position for 10-15 seconds, my own knees insisted I turn the DVD off and thank my lucky stars I'd gotten it from the library. My quest continues!

I was pleasantly surprised with this dvd. i was afraid it would be all stretching poses and not enough "workout" strengthening poses. boy was I wrong! I felt refreshed and energized afterwards, but also like I had been throug a grueling workout.

I personally think just about anyone can do this DVD, they show you modified versions of each pose, but gives you the chance to move more if you can. I am actually back now to see what other DVD's Desiree has!

I love yoga and I love going it at home, when I can, a few minutes here and a few minutes there. I like Desiree and think that she knows her yoga, but I found this DVD a bit hard to follow. I would have liked more routines because developing my own is more work... but probably better for me. Her stretches are great.

Desiree and Andrew offer some essential stretches for anyone and everyone. You don't need to practice yoga to benefit from these simple exercises to reduce neck and shoulder tension, and avoid serious injuries. As a yoga teacher, I recommend this DVD to my students of all levels!