Customer Reviews

Yoga Zone - Introduction to Yoga [VHS]

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first discovered yoga in the late 70's when I had the good fortune to learn from a teacher who had studied with a bona fide yoga master from India. That was long ago and far away and soon afterwards I moved to New York City. Due to the hurly burly of trying to get established and live here, my yoga practice gradually slipped away.

I have made several attempts to rekindle my initial enthusiam by purchasing over a dozen books and videos and taking numerous classes. Up until I saw this video, I had failed to find anything that replicated the quality of the instruction I first experienced.

It is unfortunate that two prior reviewers of this tape called it "boring" and one went over the top and panned everything about it, ending the review by citing preferred videos made by people in the fitness industry.

First of all, if anyone finds this video boring, I suggest the problem may not be with the video but rather the person. Even though now there are many styles of yoga to choose from (Bikram, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Kripalu, Iyengar, and so forth)--and I have tried several of these--the fact remains that classical hatha yoga is supposed to be slow, deliberate, precise, meditative and mindful. Anything that deviates from that is usually some bastardization of it. I once took a yoga class from a local high-quality health club and the instructor never once even went over the proper way to breathe, never made reference to the mind-body discipline of it and the hour passed as nothing more than a stretching class.

Now that yoga has gone mainstream in these intervening 20 or so years since I first discovered it, there are a lot of people out there teaching it who obviously have no business doing so. It seems that every celebrity and fitness guru has a book or video out on it and there is nothing that authenticates these people as qualified to teach it other than their names.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a yoga expert, I still consider myself a beginner, but I can recognize excellent instruction when I see it. Alan Finger is all a yoga teacher should be--he teaches the proper breath and form throughout. He is gentle, slow and tells you where every every toe, arm and vertebra should be. He is thorough, exacting and precise: since yoga is not some new phenomenon of pop culture but an ancient art and science, his manner of instruction recognizes that and dignifies it as such. I am so inspired and impressed with him that I would lay out all the extra money it would take, and schlep all the way down to the other end of this city, if I thought I could study at his studio with the man himself. Trust me, this is a quality video. All the superlatives apply.

I purchased this video as the first in a set of 4 by Yoga Zone, led by yoga master Alan Finger. After 4 months of use, I'd say this video and the others in the set are an excellent choice for those new to yoga. Instructor Alan Finger's pleasant voice gives clear, encouraging, and careful direction from move to move, and the three yoga practioners with him perform at different flexibility levels, so you won't feel intimidated by advanced pretzel maneuvers. The production quality is first rate, and the accompanying music is pleasant and unobtrusive. I'm grateful for such a positive first yoga experience, and I highly recommend this video and the other 3 Yoga Zone videos in the set. Enjoy!

I have tried several beginner's yoga tapes and have been disappointed in the lack of real instruction in them. Alan Finger gently guides you through each position and gives clear, concise instructions for everything. You are never left wondering - what should I be doing now? The pace is perfect for a beginner - he moves you along slowly, lets you get the feel of the pose and has you hold it long enough to really feel what you are supposed to be accomplishing. The atmosphere and music on the tape is very soothing and Alan Finger's beautifully accented voice is just a pleasure to listen to. The yoga workout lasts for close to an hour and when I was done with it, I felt wonderful! Alan takes you through the process of relaxation so completely. On other tapes I have felt rushed - relax your neck, now your arms, now your back ...etc. Alan eases you through it gently and completely. This is a wonderful tape for beginners - it is the first tape I have found that left me feeling like I thought I should feel after a yoga workout - stretched and relaxed. Alan also relies much less on props than other videos I have tried - all you need is a mat and a strap. Having people of various flexibilty levels demonstrating the poses in another unusual feature of this tape - you can view a modified approach to each postion, as well as the ideal. This way you can see what to do now, as well as what to aim for, at your own pace. This tape is perfect.

This was the first yoga video I purchased when I began yoga a few months ago. Compared to other books and videos I have used since, this tape was by far the most comprehensive and complete introduction to yoga I've seen. I had never done yoga before this and found that it gave an excellent introduction to many of the basic poses used in other programs. It also moved slowly enough that I could learn the poses properly. Other videos I've used (like Suzanne Deason's Gentle Yoga for Beginners) move too quickly for a beginner like me to follow and don't provide enough time to really feel and practice poses. I didn't have this problem with the Yoga Zone tape.

I also liked Alan Finger's instruction. His voice is very calming and he spends a lot of time describing how poses should feel and encouraging students not to strain themselves. I like that he emphasizes that not everyone's going to be perfect at first and to just do your best. I especially liked when one of the students in the video fell over during stork pose! Made me feel a lot better. I also liked that there were four models/students, each showing different variations of the poses, from beginner to advanced.

The only drawback I've found to this video is that as I learned the poses, I started to feel that the video moved a little slowly as the instructor spent a lot of time introducing and explaining each pose. However, that's why I'm now looking for a more intermediate video. I still love this video and highly recommend it to all beginners in yoga.

I took a yoga class many years ago. I still remember how delightfully flexible I was and how peaceful I felt. Now a working mother with all the challenges and stresses we all feel from day to day, I yearned to recapture that feeling.

Though I walk on a treadmill for 30-45 minutes every day, I knew that my muscles weren't what they were in my twenties so I thought it best to start with a beginning video. I am happy with my decision to do so.

This video is an excellent starting point for someone beginning yoga, or someone like me who yearned to return to it. The instructor's voice is soothing and guides you through each posture coaching the location and tension of each muscle through entire postures - a very important key to yoga.

Though the video is 55 minutes long, it most definitely doesn't feel so long. There were no tedious moments. My mind didn't wander from what I was doing to the inevitable stresses of work and daily life - your mind and body really do become one. At the end of the session there is a calming relaxation portion - the hallmark of any good yoga program.

One more thing I liked about this video - there were four individuals doing poses at alternating levels. If you are still not as flexible as you would like to be, you can follow the lesser version of the posture demonstrated by one person on the screen. As you attain greater flexibility you can pose with the member demonstrating the most complex version of the pose. In short, you can individualize this yoga session to suit your own fitness level.

I highly recommend this video for all of the reasons stated above. You can learn and grow with it and attain tighter muscles and a more peaceful mind.

I've been looking for some time for videos/books to learn yoga. I wish I had found this video and the yoga zone set for beginners earlier. It would have saved me a lot of money and frustration. I recommend this!

I recently purchased the four VHS version of Yoga Zone's Beginner Series. Just moments ago I finished doing this introductory program for the first time. While I am far from being a beginner and have been practicing daily for 9 years (w/ over 90 Yoga programs and years of instruction w/ a great teacher,) I still enjoy doing programs like this now and then. Today I was looking to do a gentle practice on the longer side so it was a perfect program.

I have many other Yoga Zone programs and really enjoy Alan Finger's teaching. He is a true master teacher whose father (and teacher)Mani Finger learned from a lineage of authentic Indian masters.

This program is great on so many levels. First, the detailed instruction is great for someone who is a beginner or someone who has more experience but wants to keep refining their practice. The sequence of poses work your body gently and thoroughly through a wide range of motion (I feel amazing right now having just done it). It starts seated, then moves to all fours (cat, down dog etc), to standing postures, back to seated (twists, forward bends) and finishes lying in Savasana. The length of the program (55 minutes) lets you really take your time with each posture and really breathe into all the areas of tension that need to be released.

There are four other "students" demonstrating the postures, with one showing modifications throughout.

I am a big fan of Alan Finger's teaching because I find him to be detailed enough without ever becoming tedious. Even after 9 years of daily practice I found his instructions to be helpful reminders of subtle details which one can never master too well.

Highly recommended!

Namaste

I have never done Yoga in my life. I had considered on a couple occasions joining a Yoga class, but decided I would rather learn a little in the privacy of my home first. I am so glad I bought this DVD. After the first time doing it, I already loved it! For an absolute beginner like me, some of the positions are a little difficult to hold for any amount of time. But there is no problem in following along and understanding what you should be doing. I found Alan Finger to be a wonderful instructor. He explains the positions very well and always stresses to make sure you are breathing. His voice is very calming, which helped me remain relaxed throughout the video. After doing this video, I feel completely relaxed! I really think this a great choice for a beginner! I also purchased the Yoga Zone Conditioning and Stess Relief DVD along with this one and am looking very forward to trying that one too!

I developed an interest in trying yoga about a month ago and decided to pick up this video. I'm so glad I did, because it's been such a great video that I now do yoga every single day, doing this video specifically at least 4 or 5 times a week.

The instructor's voice is very soothing and relaxing, and the poses are challenging but definitely not unattainable for the beginner. What's more, there's always room to grow. When I started to feel like I really had a pose down and might feel bored by that section of the video, instead I started really examining the pose to see how I felt, or noticing that I could be relaxing a particular part of my body more, or breathing better. Someone else in these reviews mentioned that they felt bored during the explanations if they'd done the video a while -- what I've begun to do is simply start doing the pose while he's explaining. I get more workout that way and I'm growing in my ability to do it.

I highly recommend this video for any beginner interested in yoga.

I'm pretty new to the Yoga experience. I started with a Kathy Smith DVD (hated it!) then I got a Yoga Zone Video -- the one for flexibility and toning and I found it to be very good. I then got another video -- Yoga Shakti which is excellent too and I was looking for another beginner video (the Yoga Shakti one has some advanced parts in it) so I bought Yoga Zone -- Introduction to Yoga. While some of the moves in it are on my first video, I still found this to be very good for beginners. Alan again teaches you the breathing technique -- which I often forget. I noticed on another review someone complained about the slowness of it. Yes, it does move slow HOWEVER if you're a beginner and you're just learning the poses, the last thing you would want is for it to move fast. He takes the time to explain each pose and how it should feel when you're doing it. His voice is very soothing and puts me in a calm frame of mind.

I honestly have to say that if I did NOT originally buy a yoga zone dvd, I more than likely would not have pursued the practice. I think that Yoga Zone is what has gotten me more into it and wanting to practice more and learn more.

I highly suggest this dvd to any beginner yoga-lite out there.