Rating: Summary: Not for everyone Review: I was hoping to get some flexablility back, but they don't start as easy as I would like (My arms don't bend that way!)
Rating: Summary: Easy to follow and reasonable length Review: This DVD is a great way to learn yoga. Without ever taking a yoga class, my husband and I were able to follow the positions in the sequence.There is a helpful position guide for those who like a text and visual walk through of the positions in the workouts. The DVD menus are easy to use but a little slow (at least on our DVD player). This is probably a beginner yoga level DVD only. We will be able to fully master the positions in several months, as we increase our flexibility and stamina.
Rating: Summary: Yoga you CAN do Review: I highly recommend this program. I've been doing it for about 3 months. Totally on for about 1.5 months.. sparastically for about 2 weeks (and I missed the calm, so) I'm back to full on. I do only 1-2 work outs per day and NONE after 8pm.. They really get your 'chi' moving. I mistakenly did the PM yoga right before bed, and I was up until 3:30am! I've recently started a nother exercise program "Power90" and this Yoga series is the perfect compliment after each day's workout.. really targets tired muscles and relaxes them with out making your body feel ready for nighty-night.
Rating: Summary: About the DVD Chapters Review: To be able to skip the introductions, you need to be able to locate the Chapters on the DVD. I am making this note because it took me a bit to figure out where the Chapters were. (Wish they were on the Main screen!) From the Main Menu, go to the Bonus section, where you'll find the Chapters area. Then you can specifically pick which part of AM/Stress/PM you wish to begin with, skipping the introduction.I am making this note after reading a comment an earlier reviewer wrote.
Rating: Summary: Nice choice. Review: I settled on this DVD after first considering Kathy Smith's Beginning Yoga (55 minutes, I think; no warm-up included on tape) and the 10-Minute Workout (sections of aerobics, kickboxing, ballet, yoga and one other that you can mix and match).Today I did the AM, Stress, and PM practices. I have been sedentary for some time, and this DVD seems a great place to begin changing that. I could definitely feel where I was quite tight and inflexible ... so I know it will help me improve that. It was clearly working parts of me that haven't been worked in some time!I found the PM practice with Patricia Walden the most difficult. I got a bit frustrated with it and quit mid-way. Perhaps over time, this will get better as I become more familiar with its routine and become more flexible. It's clearly the most challenging the 3 practices.I was able to do both the AM and Stress practices quite easily, and felt very awake and refreshed after both. Some of the camera shots are a little difficult to determine exact positioning (in all 3 practices).Matters were also more difficult for me because I have a 65" wide-screen TV, and being on the floor in the daytime makes the picture a little difficult to see easily. (These TVs are meant to be viewed from the center, not up/down or side to side from the screen.)I did not purchase a strap, blocks or a matt, planning to check out the DVD first to see if they were really needed. Although you don't have to have any of these props, I immediately regretted that I didn't have them ... at least the strap and a block or two.I did the AM practice without any strap, but before I began the Stress practice, I found a leather belt in a nearby closet. What a DIFFERENCE it made, although the softer cloth yoga belt would probably feel nicer.I think I might have enjoyed the Stress practice more, if I'd had at least one yoga block. You can use a stack of books, but I don't think they would feel as nice as a softer (but dense) yoga block, and you can't move a stack of books to a standing position to alter height like you can with a block. Books also can slide around.There were definitely positions in the PM practice that I absolutely could not do. Perhaps a block might have made a difference in modifying a pose until I become more flexible. I found that the more poses I couldn't do, the more bored I became ... which lead to my quitting half-way.I was practicing on plush, expensive freize carpet, which I found to not be that comfortable (maybe yours is better!) and made all kinds of dimpled markings on my skin. Looking at my ugly marked skin detracted from my comfort with the practices, so I think I will get a matt to improve that. They said a matt also helps with a more even temperature than floor or carpet, and aids in stability (not slipping around) in your movements. (Yoga is done barefooted.)I priced the straps and blocks yesterday at a discounted beauty supply store, Ulta (Roseville, MN). The strap cost [price] and each block is [price] (you wouldn't need more than 2). There are also kits that include a matt, 2 blocks, a strap and a video, but I don't know the cost of that (perhaps more cost effective than buying individual products?). I think these products may also be available at Target, but the above info should help you be able to price compare.The oceanside Hawaiian and dessert scenery is beautiful and was one of the reasons I selected this DVD over other studio-based versions. The short 20-minute lengths of the 3 practices also helped me make my decision. I have limited time to work on this, get bored with too lengthy of workouts, and know that I'm in tough shape.The music was soothing and fit well with the theme and purpose of the DVD. Overall, I feel I made a good choice in selecting this DVD.Note: Some public libraries carry exercise videos (DVDs?) that you can check out to see if you like them first before purchasing at a store (may not be the most current ones available?). Another option is to check your local Bockbuster or Hollywood Video to see if they rent exercise videos/DVDs.In closing, I will say that the amount of choices out there can be overwhelming, and yoga seems quite popular right now. I paid [price] for this DVD at Target. The other two exercise videos I mentioned run less, around [price]. Don't debate this too hard, or research it too much. Better to just get one and start MOVING! If you can afford it, perhaps try 2 or 3 different DVDs for variety. The DVD format is ideal for moving precisely to the section you want to do, versus having to rewind or forward videotapes. Anything that adds to ease of use = more likely to do it regularly! :)I read recently that Madonna got rid of her entire home gym exercise equipment after discovering the benefits of yoga! Of course she can afford a personal yoga master and probably doesn't use DVDs!
Rating: Summary: Save Your Money!!! Review: I just bought this yoga tape today -- and threw it away today too. I have been doing a couple of the [other] workouts (the long ones, I can't stand their short ones either) lately. I think thieir explainations are more detailed -- such as "how to breathe" and the stretch is held long enough to get a benefit. AM/PM goes way too fast and it is too short. There was hardly any coordination between breath and movement in this. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Buy first, ask questions later! Review: This DVD is a gem and since buying and using it, I'm trying to get all my friends to buy it. After 13 years of martial arts, I might have more flexibility than some people, but I probably have my fair share of sore spots and tight areas too. Doing this DVD, both in the morning (the a.m. part) and the night (the p.m. part), for only three days, made a big difference in how I feel just walking around. My back feels looser than it has in years. I have never done any type of yoga in my past, but it's making me be much more aware of my posture and how to arrange my body, just in day to day life, for more comfort and health. The a.m. segment does help to wake me up in a gentle fashion and really improves my mood for the day. My body feels lithe and limber. The p.m. segment TOTALLY helps me to put the stress of the day behind me so that I can really rest. I tend to be a night-time worrier, but the p.m. segment relaxes me and focuses me and I never lie awake and stare at the ceiling or restlessly toss and turn before finally going to sleep, if I've done the p.m. segment. This DVD will really help contribute to a more healthy life. It's not a hearty workout - it's very pleasant, and you'll WANT to do the segments. It's something you'll want to give yourself, not something you have to talk yourself into. BUY THIS DVD!!!
Rating: Summary: 2/3 of this is too difficult Review: I have a bad back (fractured my spine unknowingly when I was younger, and never had it looked at), but my spine doc said yoga in moderation would be good. Now, let me start by saying that I have had three Rodney Yee tapes or DVDs and every single one was too hard for me to do. Either he moves too fast from pose to pose, or he does poses that end up straining my back. The AM part of this is no exception. His poses are too difficult. The PM part of this is all right if I could do it more slowly but it's hard for me to keep up with the instructor. However, the DVD is worth it just for the Suzanne Deason part (Stress Relief) which is calming, easy on the body, and makes me feel good when I'm done. (The AM and PM make me feel cramped and sore right away when I finish.) So now all I do is the Stress Relief one. Worth it though!
Rating: Summary: A Great Beginning!! Review: These 3 programs are short and easy to squeeze into a busy schedule; and they all leave you feeling great. There is a slight feeling of being rushed and not really being able to sink into a pose but that's how they stay within the 20 minute time frame. Sometimes I know I need to stay in a certian pose longer so I do and then rewind and pick up where I left off. All in all this is the best DVD (also avail in video) for a beginner. I have 7 others and I like this one the best & I use it the most. Namaste.
Rating: Summary: Great! Review: This is a wonderful DVD. I've never tried Yoga before, but I'm very glad that I made this purchase. I do either the stress relief or pm yoga every evening, and it makes me feel so much better in the evening and sleep better too. I liked it so much that I'm now purchasing it for my sister.
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