Wai Lana Yoga: Beginners Workout

Rating:
Summary: Great starting point for yoga/fitness beginner...
Review: Hi. This is a great DVD for someone just starting yoga and/or getting into fitness. It's mostly stretching which is a great starting point. Once you have done this DVD and feel ready for the next level, try one of her more intense DVDs which you can see on her Web site. Google search "Wai Lana" for her site. To start using a balance ball, look at Gaiam's "BalanceBall Beginners Workout" DVD. If you are looking to purchase a ball see if you can find Gaiam's that comes with a free DVD balance ball sampler. Great starter! Also, this DVD is great to get your blood moving and get the sleep out of your body without making you all sweaty before you would need to go to work. You can also use it as a relaxing yoga DVD before bed as it does get the blood moving to your joints, but does not really elevate your heart beat. Lastly, make sure you have a yoga mat for any yoga and/or balance ball workouts. Carpet is nice, but hard on the spine and knees. You can get a cheap one at Wal-Mart or Target, but if you perspire a lot you may want to invest in one a little better that can be machine washed. Have fun!

Rating:
Summary: How Yoga is suppose to be!
Review: I am new to yoga and knew nothing when I picked Wai Lana's Beginners Workout. To my delight, this DVD provided both encouragement for the beginner and challenges to look forward to. As each week goes by, i can see improvement and am now trying some of the asanas that were too difficult for me to attempt. The "design your own work feature" allows me to customize my work outs just how I want them.
My sister,who has been doing Yoga for about 30 years, says that "This is how Yoga is suppose to be!"

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: I found this easy series just right for me as a beginner and this "Beginners Workout" DVD is my favorite in the series. I have had to do some for less time than shown and have over the last couple months strengthened incredibly. This is really the only exercise I do and my muscles are firm and movement is coming much easier for me. When finished I feel like I've had a full body workout. It is refreshing and energizing.

Wai Lana has a soothing voice that my husband calls monotone, but I find is slightly melodious and very easy to ignore when I'm doing something else, but easy to hear and calming to listen to when I do. She moves between poses rather quickly, but after a while I got used to this. If this is bothersome to you at first you can do the "One Asana at a time" or just do the poses in less time to give you time to rest more between poses. Wai Lana has beautiful outfits that change throughout each session and a variety of beautiful backgrounds. Her outfits are very modest and not form fitting (a plus for men who don't want distraction). She wears an elastic belt around her waist, which helps you see what she is doing with her waist. She is very descriptive of how to do the poses and what benefits you are getting. Because her voice is non-intrusive it isn't irritating that she talks most of the time. She says nothing extraneous that would distract you from the pose and over a long period of time of using the DVD hearing her say the same things each time also doesn't get irritating.

On the main menu you have "Start Workout", "Extras", and Introduction (which is the same on each DVD). The "Start Workout" is the entire work out for that DVD. The workout itself consists of about 35 minutes of asanas. After that is a time of music and meditation. Under "Extras" it lists "One Asana at a time", which does as it says; "Customize your workout", this lets you do the asanas (poses) in any order you wish with 17 asanas and 20 slots for your choices, so you can do one more than once or some not at all as you don't have to fill all the slots; "Guidelines" this is a basic rundown of things to do and not to do to get the most out of it and prevent injury; "Wai Lana's Little Yogi's", this includes some snippets advertising her children's DVD; and "More from Wai Lana", which covers all the things she has to sell - her other DVDs and tapes, her music CDs, mats, etc. You can also see those things on her website: www.wailana.com.

The DVD comes with an illustrated book showing a picture of each asana, its English name, and what it physically benefits most. This is useful if you are going traveling and don't have a DVD player, doing the set outside, or if you want to do the set at your own pace.

There is also an option on the main screen of each that allows you to change from English to Spanish.

This Beginner's DVD includes these asanas: Blowing tree, Hummingbird, Folding Triangle, Wraparound Twist, Diving Pose, Krishna Pose, Churning Butter, Easy Arrow, Boomerang, Easy Wheel, Easy Spinal Twist, Easy Bow, Mini Sit-up, Head Roll, Cannonball, Yoga Nidra, and Meditation.

Side note: the asana Wai Lana is doing on the front of each DVD cover is not included on that DVD, so don't pick the DVD(s) you buy by the asana pictured on the front.

Rating:
Summary: The perfect balance for this beginner
Review: I really love this DVD. OK, I have done a little yoga here and there over the years but I always kept it simple and easy, just enough to feel stretched out in the morning, but Wai Lana's beginning DVD has been such a welcome addition to my life. I've already ordered the toning work out and I cant wait for it to come. Wai Lana's instructions are easy to follow and she is very thorough about guiding you with breathing and making you feel ok if your range of movement is not that of a master. I feel totally comfortable. The postures she has chosen are wonderful and have a way of working deeply on all levels, mental , spiritual, and physical. Yet there is no spiritual philosophy pushed. You get the feeling you are learning from someone who is living it, not preaching it. The scenery is beautiful, from Hawaii and Sedona and some other beautiful locations. The photography is beautiful and careful to show the postures in a way that you can easily see how to do them. She has a gentle, soothing voice, and she is dressed beautifully for each scene. I think there are more costume changes than a Stevie Nicks concert! You may wonder why her clothing is important, but it really makes a difference. She wears all these beautiful flowing colors and I really think they have a positive healing effect. She also wears pretty leis (sp?) and flowers in her hair. It really makes for a very nice workout and she has picked some of the most beautiful places in nature to teach her yoga method. Even though this is a beginners DVD, there is alot of room to grow into it and to get better and better at the postures. I am totally pleased with this DVD and am looking forward to trying the others in her beginners series.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful scenery
Review: The backgrounds on this DVD are so gorgeous! As for the workout itself, I am new to yoga, not in great shape and can do most everything on it. Afterwards I definitely feel like I've had a workout. I am enjoying it very much!

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Review: This DVD is great for those beginning yoga or those getting back into it. I was on a one year pause from yoga (slipped disk) and I am now back into it. Wai Lana has a very soothing voice, explaines breathing technique while doing the work out, also clearly explains the positions. The scenery is stunning...Hawaii i think?? I'd like to know where she is! I have been doing it for a couple of weeks now on a regular basis and my spine feels great, flexible and stronger. I highly recommend it. The end part where she's jumping off the sand banks is a little corney...but just close your eyes at that part and relax to the soothing sounds....enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommend!!!
Review: Wow! This DVD is fantastic! I am new to Yoga and this was gentle but not so much that you are bored. You should be a little fit to do some of the exercises though. Wai has such a soothing voice and the DVD has beautiful backgrounds, images, and music. The work-out closes with a meditation with lovely music and images. It is a very relaxing close to the sessions and will leave you feeling very refreshed. The DVD is around 50 minutes long with a nice introduction and you can also go to each exercise in the DVD by using the chapter menu or you can even set up the exercises in the order YOU want to go in. I would say this DVD is perfect for not only beginners at Yoga but those who practice Yoga already but do not want too "heavy" of a work-out. This was well worth my money and I look forward to buying more of her Yoga DVDs! You cannot go wrong with this one. :)