Customer Reviews

Yoga for Runners

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Length:: 2:02 Mins

I LOVE this DVD! I have been a big fan of the MommYoga series, and this one is probably one of my favorites, as well as Yoga for Yourself. I am fairly new to running, and I have experienced a lot of pain and re-starts. Already, I can feel this DVD helping me tremendously. The pain in my heels is rapidly diminishing. My knees are feeling much stronger and better, and my hamstrings are not nearly so tight. It has been completely worth it to me to buy this DVD.

This DVD has three parts: a warm-up, the main practice, and a cool down. The warm up is 15 minutes long (which I love, because it helps me actually stretch for long enough that I don't injure myself or pull anything while running), and the cool down is 10 minutes.

What I have done is use the warm up and cool down on the days that I run, and I do the entire DVD (about 1 hour) on my days off. It's been perfect for me, because that's about the amount of time I spend on running anyway. I am really happy with the results! I highly recommend this DVD!

(A couple of side notes:
1) I have done yoga for a while, and I enjoyed the flow of the poses. They were just challenging enough to be enjoyable, but not overkill. They were just the right level for me. I can see some of them possibly being a bit more difficult for someone who is newer to yoga, but with the instructor's pleasant and gentle encouragement and instruction, I can see new and old yogis alike really enjoying this sequence!
2) I got this video clip from her website.)

I have been teaching yoga for a few years and recently started to teach at a running club. I decided to purchase a few dvds tailored to runners to expand my knowledge in this area. The students in my class have none or little yoga experience and are very stiff. I was less than satisfied with this dvd. While I appreciate Ann's reference to the benefits of specific poses, in some cases the information was simply wrong - for example, the back muscles do not stretch in backbends, they contract. Unfortunately such an error put the dvd content, and expertise of the instructor, into question for me. In some cases the instructor demonstrated poses that many people, runner or not, would have difficulty with and offered unsatisfactory modifications, with words rather than visual. In the forward bends the action simply rounded the back and caved in the chest, which is typically the opposite of what a forward bend should be. There should have been more attention to form by the instructor and it would have been helpful to have the modifications demonstrated, either by the instructors or with another participant in the dvd. While having the mountains in the background created an interesting effect, having the yoga mat on the grass caused the yoga mat to buckle, which creates a less than ideal surface for practicing. Further, the surface was on a slant which was troubling to watch and would make for a less than balancing yoga practice.

I was looking for a program to improve my flexibility and yoga does just that. This DVD is about 55 minutes long and simple enough to do for a yoga novice like me, but challenging enough to stay interesting. I've done the program 5 times or so and the warmup/cooldown sections 15-20 times (12 min. each); I can't definitively say it is helping my running times, but I have improved balance and am getting better at the poses. I have not had difficulty navigating the DVD.

My only issues are 1)it seems a bit pricey for a 57 minute DVD that is copied as people buy it and 2) the guilt trip at the end about starving children in Africa. I too care about the poverty there, but at the end of my relaxing cooldown is not the best time to be reminded. Still, I give it 5 stars as the nuts and bolts of the exercises are what I was looking for.

I really liked this dvd for it's specificity on the usefulness to runners however on a technical note I didn't care for the music overpowering the voice. I wish the music was more in the background.

I received this DVD as a Christmas present last year, and had no idea how useful it would ultimately become after I was diagnosed with a pelvic stress fracture...likely caused to the total omission of any kind of stretching from my running program. After six months, I feel great...and I truly believe this DVD can take a lot of the credit!

Back then, I was a yoga newbie - but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to do the poses (with some modifications, if need be) and get the desired benefits. Ann isn't joking when she says that eventually you'll be able to get into some of the more complicated poses...I'm getting there, but it does take time. "Be patient with yourself, your body knows what it is ready to do". Indeed!

I have a few other yoga/pilates DVDs which move SO fast and are SO confusing and because of that, they sit in a cabinet...unused. I use this DVD every time I go for a run (the warm-up and cool-down sections), and twice a week I do the entire program. I love it. I've been particularly attuned to noticing that the parts that should be stretched are actually being stretched...which does help with form.

Like others have mentioned, there's nothing quite as jarring as being blown out of relaxation pose at the end by earnest pleas to help women in the Congo, and that we should all be grateful for what we have. I just now know to have the remote control nearby towards the end of the program. :)

I like this DVD because it is split into three sections. The first is a warmup followed by a main session and finishing with a cool down. This format allows individuals to use the warmup and cool down before and after a run, or the individual can do the entire session as a crosstraining workout.

The program also gives several variations for the same move, which allows beginners and advanced students to enjoy this program. It also targets areas of the body that are of particular interest to runners. Nice program!

I've been a MommYoga fan for awhile now, and was excited when this new DVD came out. I used to run often, but have had too much trouble with pain in my knees to want to pick it up again. This DVD has changed all that.

Since I started using the DVD, I am beginning to feel more strength in my knees, and less pain. I think with a little more time, I will be able to pick up a regular running regiment again! Until then, I am very pleased with the results--more flexibility, less knee pain, and also that great peacefulness that I feel while doing yoga. I feel like I will be able to tackle anything!

There are three parts to the DVD, making it an hour long. I love that if I don't feel like I have time for a full hour, I can just do the warm up or main session, and still feel like I have done something wonderful for myself.

Richmond has a soothing, encouraging voice, that helps you through the various poses. If you aren't able to do the full stretch, she shows you alternate ways do achieve the same results, while helping to build your flexibility at the same time. The music is stimulating without being overwhelming, and the scenery is breathtaking.

All in all, a highly recommended product! Great for runners, newbies, or those that want to pick it up again.

I really enjoyed practing with this DVD. It was wonderful for my legs after running on the treadmill. However after all was said and done and lying in corpse pose all relaxed here comes this segment on how women of the Conga are being raped and murdered and suffering could I please help. Well there goes all my relaxation and feeling good. I found it in poor taste to put that at the end of practice. I guess I will have to shorten my corpse pose in order NOT to hear it again. I think she should have written something on paper and then insert THAT in the package NOT at the end of the DVD where you have to hear it over and over!That's why I am giving it 3 stars!

A friend of mine was really struggling with back pain, and a yoga instructor recommended this dvd to him as a means to help. Many of the poses that stretch the muscles used for running (hamstrings, etc.) can help with back pain. If the hamstrings and calves are too tight, they can pull on the back muscles and really cause pain. The dvd helped him a great deal. Each pose is described in detail, with the muscles and joints that get stretched and strengthened.

Also, upon exploring this DVD, I am not quite sure about some of the less positive reviews. I guess it shows there is a yoga for everyone. A back actually should not be completely straight in forward bends. It is unsafe, and should have some rounding. It is true that if completely rounded, it could cause injury to the spinal discs. But if completely flat, it could cause torn hamstring tendons, among other problems. A combination of the two is the safest option, according to R. Cole, PHD (YJ, Sept. 2009). It appeared to me that the instructor demonstrated this in her form. Also, many many people, myself included, enjoy an outdoor practice. I enjoyed the outdoor scenery. Yes, your mat may not be as flat as it would be in a studio, but that is part of the challenge and the excitement...adapting and finding the energy around you that comes from being out in the elements as you practice. I found that an invigorating feature of the dvd.

Also, I found that the instructor clearly described and demonstrated alternatives to tricky poses. She cuts out from the normal pose to show her using a block or a strap to modify. I felt that the instruction was clear. There can never be a guarantee that each pose is suitable for every person, whether in a class or on a dvd. I felt that the modifications were easy for me to follow, and I felt the dvd truly helps the muscles and joints I use in running!

I was particularly surprised when reading some of the negativity in the reviews that there is a brief "commercial" at the end, asking for consideration for help with Run for Congo Women. I am amazed that so many people would feel so upset and being asked to consider another person's suffering. Upon going to the instructor's website, I am touched by her passion for the issue, and her lack of "guilt-tripping." Every yoga DVD I have ever owned has advertisements included, but always advertisements for products or companies. (And no one seems to mind those.) This is an advertisement purely designed to help someone else, and it isn't offensive in any way. In fact, I found it uplifting: instead of the typical "starving children" images, there was a clear statement of the problem, then a clear way that help could be given. I am amazed people complained about it. It didn't bother me, and did make me think. It doesn't really belong in a review, but as it had been addressed in other reviews, I wanted to mention it.

I feel the dvd offers excellent instruction, whether you are a runner or not! I recommend it!

Update, a year later:

a. I saw notable improvement in my flexibility six months after starting to use this DVD, and I continue to benefit from regular use of this DVD, which I alternate with Zyrka Landwijt's DVDs for beginners and intermediate practitioners of yoga. (I haven't tried other DVDs specifically for runners, but Ester Eckhardt and Sadie Nardini have fabulous short "yoga for runners" clips on YouTube.)

Some other reviewers have expressed dismay about a claim or two in this DVD, the uneven surface on which Ann demonstrates poses, and the plea at the end of the practice to help women in the Congo. I don't know enough to evaluate what information might be incorrect, or what poses could be done more effectively. But I do know that I'm stronger and more flexible than before, that I'm too focused on breathing and maintaining my balance to be distracted by Ann, and that I know to turn the volume down in the final resting pose.

b. My technical issue with the scene selections has (for whatever reason) been resolved by playing the DVD on my laptop instead of a DVD player.

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Ann's delivery is a little too gentle and New Age-y for my spouse, who prefers Sadie Nardini's more forthright style, but this DVD has been great for me, a beginning runner and absolute neophyte when it comes to yoga (though I've done several other forms of body movement).

Ann's very helpful with guidance about breathing and safe posture, what muscles are being stretched or strengthened, and what kinds of modifications/props will make poses easier or more challenging.

I have two insignificant reservations, the second of which I may need to update once I've practiced another few months:

1. The DVD is supposedly set up to allow a runner either to practice the entire sequence of poses, or to do the warm-up, go run (skipping the main workout), and finish up with the cool-down. But visually, it's very hard to tell from the menu which button to select to get to Scene Selections, so I always spend a minute or two fumbling with the remote.

2. I've only used the DVD twice a week for a month, so I haven't yet seen improvement in my flexibility. But I'm getting better at keeping my balance during some of the trickier poses, so I'll trust that Ann's right when she says to be patient and not force things.