Tried beginner-rated yoga DVDs in the past. Kept injuring myself. Wake up next day with pain somewhere like the knee, back, or neck. Watching fit people go 'this move is tough' for the beginner level and thinking to myself, 'I'm not in shape enough for this ... this is for beginners?' I saw the Yoga Retreat on TV and thought, okay, I'll give it a try. Didn't look like pretzel-twisting poses. Looked like maybe focused on beginners who'd never done yoga before. Sure enough, one person shows modified poses for every workout.
Week 1 starts off with foundation exercises. Each DVD is arranged around a set of days and workouts for those days. Core was difficult for me on week 1. Some things were easy. Some had my body shaking trying to balance or hold a position. When they said feel this in your shoulders, I just felt it in my hands or some other body part. I stayed on week 1 for several weeks. Especially for my hands which seemed to feel the most tired after everything. I couldn't do day 1, then day 2, and so on. I had to do day 1, wait 2 days or 3, and try the next workout. Flow was too difficult after a couple weeks for me. My body had to build up slowly (I've got various injuries that always interfere with how progress ought to go). A couple months later, week 1 didn't leave me feeling out of breath, shaky, or like I was pushing my body too much. So I tried week 2.
I had all kinds of neck related issues with the inversions in week 2, which focuses on expansion. My neck's always been a week point. Trying to do planks or go inverted with the head ... within a day or two, I felt it in my neck. So I went back to week 1 and then did week 2 off and on when I felt up to it. Some poses I just didn't do (like upward facing dog) due to my injuries. Others, I didn't hold as long. Sometimes, I followed the modifier for a less intense pose. Other times, I kept up with the advanced poses.
You just have to take the parts that work for your body, work into the challenging stuff, and avoid stuff that messes up your body, makes you feel sick or pain, or stresses an injury. Got a broken something or other, you'll probably need to modify something (or avoid bending a certain way). So just don't do those. There is a lot of variety in just the first two weeks. And yes, your ability will vary each day. Maybe you won't stretch as far, twist as far, bend as far. Just go to where your body feels it. Don't go to pain.
Flexibility improves, strength improves, and after a couple of months, I can see I actually have shoulders. Downward dog is still challenging because I can't get the feet to go flat. All those discomfort issues with hands, shoulders, neck, etc. have faded into the past. Legs got stronger, overall got stronger. Breathe easier, sit up straighter, walk straighter, and able to relax a little better (but I'm not good at relaxing).
I was worried with myself for a while, because I couldn't do my other videos like Gilad. I couldn't do the lunges. Or the squats. Or pretty much any of the leg movements for very long. My knees kept hurting. I have chronic inflammation / swelling issues. With the movements in weeks 1 and 2, my legs got stronger. Warrior positions were difficult at first. I didn't like bend the knee, straighten, bend again for those at first. Now, I do them without my knees aching. I did a Gilad video and my knees didn't ache. My fitness level goes up and down, just like my health does. Being able to pick the workout that fits me was really nice. If I just want to stretch out, their is a workout for that on each week disc. The weekend discs have a variety of workouts as well.
The videos are about 30 mins long. The faster paced flow is about 20 mins long. And the videos build you so that as you progress, you get the foundational strength to try more advanced poses. The other videos I tried in the past were putting me in poses that I wasn't ready for. This set helped build basic foundation strength so I could try other poses. I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard until week 2 with Elise. All the inversions took a toll on me. I had strange head pains / pressure. It was something I needed to do for my body, because stuff backs up in my head. Going out of a typical position for the head ... going parallel to the ground or upside down ... got stuff moving. I actually found that my sense of smell increased after the week 2 workouts. My body seems to finally be relaxing ... and it's so used to tensing up with allergy issues.
So if you've got a lot of sinus issues, pressure, etc., be careful with week 2. You might find some strange effects as that stuff starts moving and pressing in different ways. I know I did. If it is too intense, go slower, modify a pose. Do half the workout or skip parts that are really tough. Do the parts you can. Your body and health improve in so many ways, just by moving. Do try a yoga mat if you don't have one. I can't imagine doing this on a hardwood floor with no cushion. I use the Melanno yoga mat (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GHYCH6M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It takes a few days for the new smell to go away and then my allergies are okay with it. Low flexibility? Try the Amazon Basics yoga blocks. The new smell went away within a few days for me.
This is the only yoga set that worked for me so far. It really does seem like it is for beginners. You can take your time with it, build up to more complex poses, and it doesn't feel rushed. The focus seems to be on proper form and feeling good in your own body. They are correct in the wobbliness going away over time as your body strength improves with the various balancing postures. It's such a feeling of accomplishment to be shaky in a pose and then be solid in it after doing the workouts. The time to be solid varies. I'm still shaky when I exhale on planks, but not shaky like I'm going to fall. Just my body stabilizing the pose. Just don't push too far in poses, twists, etc. Use your breathing, listen to your body, be gentle with yourself. The poses will be challenging somewhere in the set of workouts or you need one of the advanced programs out there.
After numerous injuries and attempts at fitness, this one got me mobile again in my own body. I dare not try week 3 anytime soon and I've been doing the workouts for months. That's just my pace. That's my body. That's my injuries, allergy inflammation setbacks, and other stuff.
Feeling a bit more relaxed, more comfortable, easier to move around, even a spring in the step for energy ... worth the price. I ordered one and sent it to a friend. The exercises are helping my friend too. Had to modify, skip some poses, etc. due to pains. The ones my friend can do, has helped my friend feel better.
Try it yourself. If it helps you, maybe send one to someone who could use it too. I hope it helps you feel better too. Don't overdo. Of course you can twist further if you torque it and push hard. Focus on the instructions. Length, movement, space. Be gentle. It takes a lot of strength to try and lengthen while holding other body parts stable. This works everything. But you've got to listen to your body. Find your own limits, and keep at it. If you rest for 4 days between workouts, oh well. That's where you are today. It will get easier over time.
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Currently basing on packaging only. I will review the videos when i begin the program. Mine came slightly damaged and for the price the cardboard holder, were you can't avoid scratching the discs, is disappointing . I hope they play fine. I had a spare case to put them in because I'll be throwing away the cardboard flip folder.So, my initial review is a big irritated sigh.The recipe booklet is full of 'healthy" items, if you like Kale. I will update once I start the program.Just make sure you have something alternate to put the discs in.
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