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196 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
Great Selection of Workouts, Great Value
I have a few Yoga VCR tapes. This is my first DVD. I am pleased that it makes good use of options DVD provides - the ability to provide menus and skip forwards and backward easily. There are several workouts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Within each of these categories, there are further selections for long and short workouts that are either general...
Published on March 21, 2004 by Colorado reader & parent
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Really Bad Cueing
I really like Gormley as an instructor. But I have difficulty when I try the routines on the mat. Instructors have different methods and approaches, and I like the fact that she advises to give 50% effort. I also like the matrixing idea. But this DVD is badly edited and the cueing is terrible. Gormley's instruction doesn't synch up with the flow. It's very difficult...
Published on September 6, 2008 by ~~Hummingbirder~~
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196 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
Great Selection of Workouts, Great Value, March 21, 2004
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
I have a few Yoga VCR tapes. This is my first DVD. I am pleased that it makes good use of options DVD provides - the ability to provide menus and skip forwards and backward easily.There are several workouts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Within each of these categories, there are further selections for long and short workouts that are either general practices or have specific goals (body areas, aches & pains, etc). I have not done an advanced workout yet. I was pleased that in an intermediate workout there were 2 poses I have not seen before on a tape or in a class. The poses were clearly explained and it was easy to follow the tape. The instructor, JJ, often shows or tells you about different ways you can modify poses to suit your body's ability (or inability!). I have a 2 year old. I absolutely love that there are so many workouts to choose from that I can always find one to fit in the free time I have while she naps, or early in the morning, or while she's playing with Dad. No more saying, 'Well, guess I have to do it tomorrow' just becuase I don't have an hour free to complete one of my tapes. Sure, I know, I could just make my own workout up, but it just doesn't happen. Some reviews complain about the black screen between poses - that it is disruptive and not conducive to flow. I don't have a problem with it. The first time you do a workout you will notice it. The second time through, you begin to see ways to connnect the poses on your own - for example - pose one might end in downward facing dog pose, and pose 2 begins with it - so you just hold it an extra second. In general, holding the end of a pose until the next one begins seems to work OK. It seems that on the shortest workouts this doesn't always hold true - they don't always flow well. BUT - you have plenty of time to recover and get into position. If flow is what you are after, then you will be disgruntled, but otherwise there isn't a problem. I suggest watching the brief segment on technique review. She clearly explains the different body parts and alignment cues she mentions. I found it very helpful. The teacher's style is very relaxed and straightforward. I do not like overly flowery and spiritual delivery - I always feel like that should be up to the student. I found JJ's style to be perfect for me. In all - this is a great DVD and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good variety of quality workouts. The instruction is clear enough for beginners, the workouts challenging enough for at least intermediate students. I'm not advanced, so I can't speak for them!
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128 of 130 people found the following review helpful:
A nice dvd to learn and grow with, April 21, 2003
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
I am a beginner in the wide world of yoga. I took a class this semester with an instructor who really views yoga as a way of life, and his gentle approach got me hooked. Up until now I've been sticking with supplementing the class with the Living Arts AM & PM yoga set which is fantastic, but when the class started I wanted to get something longer to sort of replace it. I chose this and could not have done better.The dvd is divided by levels and times, so there is ample oportunity for plenty of variety. I love the instructor encouraging and understanding manner "Go as far as your legs want to go today" etc. They also show modifications with props if you are less flexible. Understand that the way the variety is created is each pose or series is put on the dvd as a separate chapter and then when you chose a routine you get a preprogramed set of poses&series, so it is not a set of individually created workouts but rather different mixtures from a common bag. However there are enough poses there that it does not feel repetitive. All in all if you were to purchase one yoga dvd, I would highly recommend this one.
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86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
Variety of Yoga Flows for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced, August 9, 2004
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
Workout Description: a variety of general and focused yoga routines for almost any level of yoga student
Workout Level: beginner / intermediate / advanced
Instructor: J. J. Gormley (certified yoga instructor for 25+ years; owner of Sun & Moon Yoga Studio) via voice over. J.J. is very encouraging and explains the poses simply without too much "New Agey" stuff. She doesn't focus a lot on breath, and she is not very precise with her technique, but I find that she offers helpful pointers just when needed.
Class: J. J. Gormley only
Music / Set: The instrumental music is soft. The set is minimal, with a blue curtain on the back wall; occasionally J.J. incorporates a vase of flowers, candle, or another prop.
Equipment Needed: sticky mat (in a pinch, any mat will do), optional yoga block(s), strap (in a pinch, a belt or tie or towel), or folded blanket for some segments
Caveats: Familiarity with yoga is helpful. If you are learning yoga by video, you should attempt to take a class and / or work with someone experienced in yoga to check your form before moving on to advanced routines. There is little warm-up at the beginning of each session, so take care to warm up and/or center yourself before beginning by doing cardio, stretching, or meditation for a few minutes. Do not move onto the next level until you feel your body is ready. (I have been practicing yoga for almost two years and am just now moving to the intermediate level.)
Additional Comments: This is not an exciting or flashy DVD. Instead, it offers a wide variety of programs at three different levels so you can choose your practice based on how you feel each day and progress at your own pace. There are a total of 48 programs: seven 20-25 minute programs for beginner, nine 30-50 minute programs for beginner, seven 20-40 minute programs for intermediate, nine 45 minute programs for intermediate, and eight 25-45 minute programs for advanced and eight 45-70 minute programs for advanced. The shorter programs are generally a little easier than the longer ones. Some programs are general; some are focused on a specific area (e.g. back) or theme (e.g. Open Heart). The programs are actually made up of pre-programmed exercises routines, so there is a little pause between segments. The safety precautions appear at the beginning of every routine, but you can skip them.
Of the Body Wisdom Media yoga series, this is better produced than Yoga for Inflexible People (particularly with the coordination of the voice over and movement, which still has room for improvement) but not as well produced as Power Yoga for Every Body. All three are very different DVDs with different programs. Of the three, I use this one the most.
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
A great way to learn yoga, March 27, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
Thank you JJ Gormley for a wonderful yoga product! I can't get to classes very often and have missed the details and insight that come from a true yogi. These workouts don't just take you through a series of poses, they break it all down and explain what you're doing and should be doing. Yes, it is slower then most, but I like that. I feel like I'm really learning yoga and not just doing it. I also love the variety this dvd gives you - choose your level, choose your purpose, choose the length etc. Before you choose a yoga tape, do some homework on the different types of yoga. If you're interested in Iyengar style and really want to learn to practice yoga, not just "do" yoga, you will not be disappointed with this dvd.
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
Nobody's perfect, but this is a high quality product, November 7, 2003
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
It is interesting to read what other people have said about this DVD. I agree with some of the comments from reviewers who have given it fewer stars but I gave it five stars because I use it a lot and because I think it deserves a five star rating for being a highest quality presentation and very useful. I do not recommend it for rank beginners. Anyone interested in yoga should try to take a class or workshop from a certified instructor and not just rely on videos. If you do teach yourself from videos though, get several. Living Arts (now known as Gaiam) has some good ones. This DVD is a good supplement to a do-at-home yoga regime.
You can use this video for short or long programs. It's easy to select a program. Some of them target specific areas of the body (for example neck, arms and abs, spine, feet, hands, legs and hips). There are a lot of different postures covered in the video, some I've never seen anywhere such as hand or eye or feet exercises and, one of my favorites, the seven easy pieces. This DVD has headstands on it which none of my other ones do. There are lots of seated, stretching postures and standing postures. Sun salute, moon salute, and heroes sequence are covered, but only gone through once on each side. You can repeat them if you're quick with the remote, though, and don't mind hearing all of the same instructions over again.
There are a couple of meditation segments that she talks you through. These are kind of nice if you don't mind being talked to during meditation. Also there are special exercise sequences for "that time of the month" which is a pleasant feature.
There aren't many instructions about breathing. If you are a beginner you probably won't miss them. I may get shouted out of the yoga community for seeming to suggest that correct breathing isn't an essential part of yoga; shout away. People will breathe anyway. Anyone familiar with yoga will know how to breathe. So, this video doesn't cover breathing well.
Be warned. Some of the reviewers have said that you could hurt your back. They are telling the truth, but you can hurt your back from every single yoga video out there if you try to copy the demonstrator. The instructor on this video tells you with her voice how far to go. Maybe she could scream and shout to make it a little clearer, but we do have brains of own . . .
You don't have to watch the disclaimer that shows up after you've selected your workout. Just press the "next" button on your remote. Practice using your remote with this DVD because you will find that you can skip a posture and repeat a posture, but once it has passed to the next one you can't go back to it.
Main weaknesses as far as I'm concerned: relaxation poses at the end are too short and she talks through them. I don't like that, but when she's done there's a music loop that's fairly long (for a loop) you can use to relax in peace a little longer. I wish there was a printed copy of what's in each program because it isn't always easy to remember where some of my favorites are. You'll have the DVD a long time, though, so you will eventually become familiar with the names of your favorite programs.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Great so far (a beginner's view), February 22, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
I bought this because of a recommendation on a yoga site. I've only taken 1 class before this, so I have no knowledge of yoga. I've only tried the beginner routines, so I can't judge the whole dvd, but what I've seen so far is very good. Every movement is explained in great detail and I've had no problem following them. There are 16 different routines just in the beginning section (7 less than 30 min and 9 greater than 30 min), so there's plenty of variety.Although the titles of each routine (i.e., Standing Routine, My Aching Head, etc.) might cause you to skip a routine, IMHO you shouldn't. Every routine has common poses, but each introduces something extra, so if you want a more complete "library" of poses, you should try them all. The most demanding for beginners appears to be the Standing Routine. The down side(s): First, I agree with the reviewer who commented there's no continuity. The first pose may end seated and the next starts standing or kneeling. This was done so they could piece together routines to cover areas you want to work on (back, posture, etc.), but the result is absolutely no flow. Also, I've noticed she spends more time on one side than the other because she explains it more the first time. Finally, the dvd says there's a QuickReview feature to allow for instant replay, but there's no explanation what that is or how to use it. Bottom line: despite the minor problem areas, this is an excellent dvd and I highly recommend it.
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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
Has hooked me on Yoga, March 14, 2003
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
This DVD was a great buy. 40 workouts on ONE DVD. You will never get bored. The beginner sections are just that, and the advanced has 1 or 2 pretty tough workouts. I like the pace of this DVD,what I would describe as steady. There is a pause between each pose with the name of the pose in sanskrit, this makes it very doable even when in the midst of all the standing poses(advanced)...My husband LOVES it as well and he is a RANK beginner who easily gets discouraged. The instructor is peacful, and gives detailed instruction..Some of the poses like shoulder stand she instructs for too long after the first 1 or 2 times through the DVD, so I just fast forward to the next pose.
I wish that maybe a power yoga DVD would be put out in the same scheme as this one, with multiple workouts. If they do that I will be buying it in a hurry...This is a great workout...I will be purchasing more difficult POWER YOGA DVDS for a more aggressive cardio workout...Although this WILL get your heart pumping(the 70 min advanced workout is pretty tough) Don't expect Ashtanga practice. This is more Iyengar based yoga. All levels will be happy with this DVD, but understand that if you are a beginner and your girlfriend wants to do this workout with you and she is advanced you will have to do differnt workouts. It simply has 12 workouts for Beginner, 12 for intermediate and 12 (or 14) for advanced. No way to make the beginner sections ADVANCED, just better to do the advanced workout.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderfully beneficial and versatile!, July 23, 2003
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
I've had this DVD for about a month and have been using it two or three times a week. I've been trying tapes and about a dozen classes over 6 months but it's never really clicked for me so I'm still a yoga beginner. This program is so different from anything else I've used that it took me a few times to get use to it, but now, I won't go back to a traditional yoga video. Yoga For Every Body gives me so many options - no matter what my mood, energy level or what my body needs, I can find a workout on this disc that's appropriate and beneficial. I also love that the instructor really takes time with each and every pose. The cues to breathe deeply and the reminders to only go as far as your body wants to today, all add to the true spirit of yoga that this program embodies.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
If you buy one Yoga DVD, this is the one., August 25, 2003
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
This just offers tremendous value for the money, because it has so many workouts, and they are all good, and tailored to fit various needs: sore neck, stress, stiff back, hands and feet, etc. It also has a bunch of different levels. I thought it was much better than most Yoga tapes in terms of addressing the needs of beginners, but I haven't been a beginner in some time, so maybe I'm wrong. That issue aside, this is the best Yoga DVD to own--and beyond the variety it offers, I think JJ Gormley has a wonderful soothing voice, and gives great instruction to follow the movements--I never get confused the way I do with Quick Fix Power Yoga where I have to constantly look at the screen to figure out what they're doing.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
very versatile and more for the money, August 17, 2004
This review is from: Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines) (DVD)
i spend most of the year living in remote places, so i have fallen out of the habit of doing yoga. i bought this dvd when i got a new laptop computer with an internal dvd player. it is just great.
used to be i would go to yoga classes off and on, so i have some knowledge of the poses, but am by no means advanced. and i'm the proud owner of what appear to be the tightest, most stubborn hamstrings in the history of bipeds. this dvd was neither too challenging nor too easy. it is helping me improve in flexibility and strength. it is relaxing and ideal as a daily practice dvd, because of the variety and the calm soothing manner of the instructor.
there are over thirty different workouts, taught in iyengar style, broken down first into level of practice (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and then within each of those they are again divided into practices either shorter or longer than 45 minutes. within each of those sections, there are various routines arranged to target a particular part of the body or as a general practice routine. the great thing about the dvd is that each pose is a single chapter, prefaced by the sanskrit name of the pose spoken and written on the screen (only 1-2 seconds). each routine is a string of chapters that takes you through a set group of poses. you can forward to other chapters within a routine if you want to skip certain poses or want to shorten the routine length. you can also go to a particular pose if you want to work on it individually, as long as you note the chapter number. there is no set way to do this (which would have been a nice touch).
the one thing some folks might not like is that the routines therefore do not always flow from one pose into another like a live class. sometimes you finish sitting in one pose and have to be in on your hands and knees for the next, for example. i found this insignificant, especially given the versatility this format allows, but it may be irksome to others. another plus on this dvd is that some poses that are hard to learn are taught differently at each of the practice levels--for example, there are beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions of the sun salutation. actually, i wish they had done this with more of the poses, but whether they do or don't, the instructor always includes suggestions for modifications and use of props. there are also a handful of different versions of savasana (corpse or relaxation pose) so you don't have to hear the same spiel every time. the dvd does not include poses that can cause injury if not taught by an instructor, such as handstand and plow. there is a supported shoulderstand but no full shoulderstand and there are several routines that include headstand.
the instructor has a smooth gentle voice and explains things very well. i like the no-frills atmosphere of the dvd--simple music, simple set design, one nice lady (the instructor) doing the poses. i'd rather get more routines for the money than views of distant beaches, however beautiful.
i have since bought the pilates and power yoga dvds in this series. the pilates is not bad, very extensive in choices with detailed and easy to follow instruction, but i find the instructor's voice a bit irritating. the power yoga dvd took some getting used to for me, as it is a sloooooowwwwww flow version of power yoga, not what you would expect from the title. since learning to change gears before using it, it has grown on me. still, i use this dvd far more often and expect to continue to do so.
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