Customer Reviews

Yoga for Tennis Elbow & Bad Knees with Anastasia

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

 

 

This video is instructed by Anastasia, Jivamukti-certified yoga teacher and avid tennis player/consultant. She explains that the practice is designed to help strengthen your elbows and knees as a means to both prevent injury and improve your tennis game. I'm not a tennis player, but I have dealt with ongoing tendonitis in both of my elbows, so I decided to give this video a try. Throughout the practice, Anastasia makes frequent references to how specific poses might help your tennis game; this didn't both me, but it might bother other non-tennis players. Also, ads for Anastasia's web site, Steady Bliss, occasionally appear on screen. The DVD is chaptered only to allow you to skip the introduction; the practice itself is not broken up.

The practice, which is performed outdoors in a scenic ocean-side setting, begins seated with several chants of OM (Anastasia instructs via voiceover throughout). Anastasia then moves into Pranayama (breathwork) and some simple stretches for the shoulders, including child's pose and cow-face arms. Moving to standing, Anastasia performs a side stretch before beginning several series of sun salutations. She moves fairly quickly through the poses but pauses for a few longer holds (e.g., holding upward dog and downward dog for five breaths each). She also adds some non-traditional postures into the classic sun salutation A series, including cobra, half locust, and full locust. After performing several squats on the toes (meant to strengthen the knees), Anastasia moves into several rounds of sun salutation B, adding on warrior 1, warrior 2, triangle, side angle, and then warrior 3 to finish.

At this point, Anastasia moves to the wall (she seems to be on an outdoor patio at this point, as you can still hear the ocean) to practice half-handstand (feet on wall parallel to the floor) and then full handstand. She offers good form pointers during these postures, but I stuck with the handstand prep work. Next comes full hero's pose (buttocks on the floor between the ankles), which Anastasia states is extremely beneficial for the knees. She continues with a twist while still seated in hero, performs a seated forward bend and table pose, and then moves into savasana. During the 5-minute savasana, the soundtrack of relaxing piano music and ocean waves continues, and then Anastasia brings the practice to a close at about 42 minutes total.

Overall, I liked this practice. Although it was a bit more vinyasa-y than I usually prefer (i.e., there were MANY chaturanga to upward dog to downward dog transitions), I could definitely see how this would work to build strength in my elbows (in general, there seemed to be more of a focus on elbows then on knees), and my tendonitis actually felt much better than usual for a day or two after using this video. This is definitely an intermediate level practice which I would recommend for those with a good deal of experience in yoga only; it would be ideally suited to those who participate in both yoga and sports activities, including tennis.

I've always loved yoga, and felt it was a physical and mental safeguard for tennis. I've been off from tennis for 6 weeks suffering from tennis elbow, and previous to that, my knees were swelling from playing on hardcourts 5-6 days a week. My injuries are from becoming obsessed with tennis and not cross training. I've learned the hard way, you must cross train. This tape I absolutely love, because it feels great, it's challenging, and it promises to make your elbows invinceable. It strengthens and stretches the muscles surrounding your knees, and strengthens your body all over. This would also be a great pre-match stretch and mental preparation. I love that someone has so brilliantly made the connection between yoga and tennis.

This DVD is labeled as for everybody, But was a little advanced for my tastes. The exercises are very good as a workout. I would have more preferred to have a little more explanation as to how to switch between the poses as I kept finding myself asking "How did she get to that pose?" I definitely will keep using it and hope to progress to this level of flexibility.

I gave this a 2 star because it is not what it says it is. The cover of the DVD says Yoga for Tennis Elbow and Bad Knees but in reality it is just a regular yoga session.
There's no specialized poses for the elbows or knees; in-fact, some of these poses won't be possible for people who are hurting from tennis elbow or bad knees.
As a long time yoga practitioner and teacher; I don't like it when someone says it is one thing and turns out not to be. Remember the integrity of yoga when you
make your DVDs.

Giving a professional massage is hard work.
Physical fitness is important, as well as,
flexibility. This one is good for bad knees.
Give it a try!