Rating: 
Summary: 57 YEAR OLD MALE YOGA STUDENT.
Review: I HAD BEEN DOING YOGA FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND HAD NOT FOUND A VIDEO I REALLY LIKED UNTIL MY SON GAVE ME THIS ONE 14 MONTHS AGO. I HAVE DONE IT ALMOST EVERYDAY SINCE AND CREDIT IT WITH MY REALLY GETTING INTO YOGA ... WHICH HAS BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL. I GUESS I WOULD SAY THIS VIDEO CHANGED MY LIFE TREMENDOUSLY AND I'M GRATEFUL TO MY SON FOR GIVING IT TO ME AND TO ALI FOR MAKING IT.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful visually, but....
Review: I ended up paying only $$$ at a New Age shop's clearance sale for this tape, so I'm not terribly upset with the quality that I got.
To start off positively, it was absolutely beautiful visually. The color combinations were a true treat for the eyes. The music in the background was good, and I even recognized some of the tunes by Dead Can Dance, so that made it fun in the beginning.
However, this is definitely a tape for people who have been practicing a while and would only need to run through the moves very quickly to keep themselves from going rusty.
Not enough time was spent demonstrating how to go in to the moves, the repetitions were too fast for someone who isn't already adept at twisting themselves, and they didn't stay in a position long enough for me to feel any true benefit from the posture.
The focus on breathing was impossible for me, as I was simply struggling to keep up with the pace and found myself huffing and puffing like I'd just run up the side of a mountain! There was no deep, meditative breathing to be found.
I -will- give it 3 stars because it would actually aid someone who had been at yoga for a long time, and who knew how to handle all the elements together. I will also give it 3 stars because I bought it to get some exercise, and that I did! However, I wanted a more gentle exercise regimen to practice, and this is simply too hectic a pace for me to follow. I ended up turning it off after 20 minutes.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite yoga video of all time!!!
Review: I do this video every single day. It is stunningly beautiful to watch, relaxing, the voice of the narrator is so soothing, it flows beautifully. The level of the class is great too because even if you are a beginner you can do it, and as you get more advanced you'll simply increase the intensity of the movement. I recommend this video to all of my friends. A perfect 10!
Rating:
Summary: Perfection
Review: This was the first yoga tape that I bought and I loved it. I found the cueing to be impeccable and very easy to understand. I am fairly flexible, but even some moves I had to be patient with and keep trying. The scenery is beautiful, the music is soothing and invigorating and the instructions given by Erich I found were extremely easy to follow. I would highly recommend this tape to anyone interested in yoga; however, I no longer have a VCR...when are they going to put this on DVD?!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great advanced beginner - early intermediate tape
Review: This is a great tape for mindful yoga work. The tape is especially good for students who have some foundation in the basics of hatha yoga who want to begin to expand their practice or supplement studio work with at-home yoga. While initially I found some of the pose flows to move too fast for me, I found that as soon as my body understood the poses, I was able to align my breath and movement and really work into the postures in the time allotted. Unlike some of the ashtanga/power yoga classes and tapes, Eric Schiffman has you breathe mindfully in each pose which I find promotes strength more effectively. The instruction on achieving alignment and working into the poses is strong. In addition, the music and scenery on the tape and the diverse group of students working with Eric are all beautiful. A few minor disadvantages are:
- there is very limited instruction on how to adapt the poses if you are not yet ready for them, such as using blocks, etc.
- there are a few instances of misalignment among the students that show up in the tape - Ali, for instance, has her knee at an acute angle rather than the perpendicular in some of the lunging poses, which can be damaging to the knee.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of my favorite Yoga tapes
Review: I'm not that flexible (Can't touch the floor while standing without bending my legs) but I love this video. I think most of the video can be done by a begginner, but there is one set of inversions that I can only do if I've been really good about keeping in shape and stick with it for about 6 months (I have been bad lately and can't do it again) I just fast forward over it, or try it the best I can. This video has very good breath prompting and the dead can dance (music) is extremely calming. It is one of the only yoga video's where I feel grounded and centered as though I have really concentrated on breathing when I get done. It took a while for me to be able to do it right, but I always wanted to put this video in becuase even though I didn't know how to do all the moves I felt so calmed energized and like I had really done something afterwards. I've watched some of the more "Fitness" style yoga tapes where it's all about telling you what and how to do it and nothing to do with relieving stress through movement, I think those video's miss the point of yoga.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT FOR BEGINNERS!
Review: This is a beautiful tape. The cinematography is breath taking. For an intermediate tape, perhaps this video may be ideal. However, this video DOES NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH INSTRUCTIONS for a beginner. Erich does not give alternatives for those who are not yet flexible enough for the poses. In addition, the beautiful sand covers the feet of the models, so one is unable to see which way to point the feet during the stretches. The shots of the clouds and the sand (albeit relaxing) detracts from the overall visual instruction of each pose within the video. Definitely not for a beginner.
Rating:
Summary: SERENE AND SPIRITUAL
Review: This was my first Yoga tape. I bought it about two years ago. It helps define what Hatha Yoga is about. This tape is so serene....the music....the White Sands of New Mexico....the variety of people Ali chose for her video. It is a must for any serious Yogi/Yogini. It will help you reconnect with your own spirit. It will also teach you how we are all supposed to be breathing daily. Get it while you can ! A must have !!
Rating: 
Summary: Instructive and relaxing.
Review: Having practiced yoga and meditation for over thirty years, I highly recommend this video. While it often takes months or years to learn the proper yoga postures, this is still helpful to show a few advanced postures. While watching these performers, I become relaxed enough to "space out," and in this day and age, anything that helps people deal with life's uncertainties is worthwhile. But let the beginner beware . . . the advanced postures need to be approached systematically and with care. (Bonnie Turner, author of THE HAUNTED IGLOO)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Workout - Ahhh
Review: When I first saw the cover of this video, I was skeptical to buy it because I was leary of purchasing a "celebrity" exercise video. What a pleasant suprise. I love practicing yoga with this video. Ali McGraw really knows her yoga. She looks great and she's such an inspiration to women who want to stay fit. The poses were very realxing and invigorating. I'm never bored and I love the music. It's so in tune with the workout. The scenery is absoblutely gorgeous. I never thought the desert could be so beautiful. I hope she makes another video soon. I'll be the first to buy it.
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