Product Details

• Studio: Gaiam
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (288 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004I9YV
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,345 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

263 of 272 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yoga in Nature, May 22, 2003

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss (DVD)

The stunning beauty of the red rocks and panoramas of Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona Arizona makes this video one of the most beautiful yoga workouts to date! The blue mats are just striking against the background and that makes this quite visually pleasing.

If you love exercising in the evening, this workout is perfect to promote a general feeling of well-being and relaxation. Suzanne Deason has created a calming escape you can enjoy for 45 minutes.

While I can't say for sure that you will lose weight while using this particular video, I know you can condition your body with Yoga and Pilates.

I like the combination and have many DVDs and videos. So, I recommend this in addition to all the other workouts you own. Variety seems essential in keeping us all motivated!

The theory behind this workout is that yoga can be used for therapeutic applications. Being overweight has a lot to do with an imbalance in your body's physiology and an internal disconnection between the mind and body.

If you think about when you overeat it might be when you are feeling stressed. It is much easier to keep to your healthy nutrition plan when you feel calm and in control. I also have come to believe that when we are stressed, our bodies pack on the pounds.

So, this workout gives a calmness to your being and in this way you help to control the bodies healing process.

There are four workout levels:

Complete Workout - For anyone who has experience in yoga. All you need is a yoga mat.
Slightly Modified (1/4) - To build strength and stamina.
Partially Modified (1/2) - When your flexibility improves.
Fully Modified - If you have tight hips or hamstrings, you can use a strap, bricks
and a blanket.

All the workouts contain a 10 minute "Body and Breath" warm-up section to loosen the muscles and heat the core. The breathing cues are excellent and you will find yourself enjoying the deep cleansing breaths.

This is followed by "Active Yoga Conditioning." A mirror behind you is helpful at first until you learn to moves. Or you can just do some backwards and still see the screen. Many of the poses where chosen with larger bodies in mind. This is great for people who are just starting yoga. You will notice that three of the instructors are definitely more like the "normal size" woman.

It was comforting to me to see women who modified various poses as I often have to. Instead of feeling like I could not do the poses, I felt I was reaching a level that was comfortable for me. You may also find you can do some of the poses from the advanced level and some from the modified. You feel so proud of yourself when you can finally feel comfortable doing most of the advanced poses.

Finally you enter the 14 minute cool down phase called: "Balance and Relaxation."

During the workout you might notice a Personal Instructor Icon. On my DVD control I had to select the "ok" to get this feature to work. There is also a nice way to get to various workout levels. You just press the "angle" button.

Once you watch the complete workout/combination workout, you can then figure out which level you are at. After watching the combined workout, you will more than likely enjoy just working out with one instructor. You have the choice of four instructors.

I find that my yoga and Pilates workout "moments" have become so healing and nurturing. If you wish to make your setting even more comfortable and are familiar with yoga, I would recommend a nice duvet/comforter covered in a soft fabric. Once folded in half, this gives you a nice soft padded space on which you can place your yoga mat, etc. If you need props, there is information in the pamphlet that is included with the DVD.

Think of exercise as your own private mini-vacation and suddenly exercise is something you start to look forward to. You could also walk for 30 minutes before starting these exercises or walk in the morning and do this video at night.

An exercise program for the entire mind/body/spirit connection. The 16-page full-color pamphlet also contains a mini-nutrition guide, tips on healthy eating and a weight management guide.

Develops concentration, patience, body awareness, muscle tone and a sense of emotional calm.

If you are new to Yoga, this might be the best place to start. I can also recommend "Pilates Conditioning for Weight Loss" with Suzanne Deason.

~The Rebecca Review

234 of 247 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really love this video!, February 6, 2000

By 

"cristinb" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: living arts yoga conditioning for weight loss with suzanne deason (VHS Tape)

My first experience with yoga was the Jane Fonda yoga workout. There were a lot of positions that were hurting my knees. In addition, I really was not getting anything out of it at all. Though yoga is not necessarily supposed to be aerobic exercise, if you don't have to work at all you won't get anything out of it. I recently started taking a yoga class, and when I did this video for the first time, the pace and some of the positions were similar to what was done in my class. This reassured me that the makers really knew what they were doing. It provides good deal of work in both stregnth and flexibility, but at the same time, there are four levels so that ou will never have to push yourself too far or risk injury. This video leaves me feeling great and I really recommend it!

109 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Safe, Effective, Challenging, September 23, 2001

By 

Berean "berean24" (Nowhere, Fast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss (DVD)

This is a great Yoga DVD. I would not recommend the tape as the DVD has tons of special features that allow you to not only learn each pose as you go through the workout, but also allows you to choose which level you would like to practice. Its not nearly as rigorous as Living Arts' Power Yoga series, but I like this pace a lot better because its easier for beginners to follow. "Beginner" in yoga does not necessarily mean someone who's never taken a yoga class before. Remeber, beginner in Power Yoga means someone who can balance on their hands with their feet crossed in the air!

I've been reading some of these comments that say this workout is hard to follow because Deason does not offer instructions on how to move in and out of the poses. Well, there's a little feature called "Personal Instructor" which you can turn on to interrupt the workout and show you the pose. This feature is clearly discussed in the instructions on how to use this DVD.

Give it time and learn all the cool features about this DVD. I"ve managed to lose some weight using this DVD and basically nothing else. I used to wake up and do Tae Bo or some other aerobics. Yeah, I lost weight... but I've also lost wieght doing yoga and I find that I've gained a greater focus even though I do not practice meditation.

I recommend this DVD. Its challenging, but don't let that stop you. And READ THE INSTRUCTIONS before you just press play on your DVD.